Buckles and knife with overlay

[jbmartin]

After getting some lights, a tripod and a light tent, this is my first stab at taking better pictures of my work.

These are some of the nickel buckles that I have been building and engraving.
The knife has a sterling overlay with a brass figure and then engraved.
I know that they are pretty rough compared to fine line engraving, but I thought that if I posted them here, some comments may let me know what to work harder on.
Up until these, most of my buckle have just been side plate overlays, nothing real extensive.
I wanted to challenge both my design and engraving, so I thought this would be a way to achieve that.
The bronco buckle is the second fully engraved buckle I have ever done.
The brand buckle the third, and the pheasant the fourth.
The knife is one of many that I have done. They seem to be the hardest challenge, as I seem to want to compress and clutter things too much.
Things I have learned progressively on these buckles.
1) nickel is harder bright cut than sterling...
2) changing the angles on my flat graver has helped greatly. I haven't gotten the carbide flat quite where I want it, but I can see benefits to it, but it does take a lot of work to sharpen.
3) one can always improve a layout...hopefully that shows from the 2nd to 4th buckle
4) I need to make a step liner or get one with a greater curve as I sometimes drag over a bright cut with the rear portion. Possibly even get a narrower one with as big as line spacing as possible.
5) If you are going to stipple something, that takes as much planning as engraving to make look right. As in the case of the brand buckle, I should have done less where I did or more where I didn't.
6) Magnification helps quite a bit, the first two were with a #3 optivisor and the pheasant buckle with a #5.

I sure hope you don't mind me posting these here, as I value your comments greatly.

 

[monk]

we all hang out here to see what other folks do. welcome to the club. if there's anything wrong with what you are doing, time will certainly fix the problems. one thing you are doing right , is the showing of your work and checking this forum out. there's tons of stuff here to learn. good luck.

 

[KCSteve]

They look good to me!

Of course I know how you feel - we're working hard to get 'good' and look on here at 'excellent'.

But at least for me it gives me incentive to try harder.

 

[cavemans workshop]

Hello, I wish my first few buckles had looked that good. I would say your well on your way. Lots of drawing, and looking at the work of others. I make lots of knives and buckles, if I can help in anyway, please holler. Where did you learn to engrave at?

 

[jbmartin]

Mike, thanks for the compliments, I have only received any formal training from J Watt's tapes and I also spent a few days with Tom Palmer in Pueblo, CO. I have been trying to absorb all the information on the net and this site. If I could reach the level of cowboy_silversmith, that would be a very great acomplishment to me!!! All of that with any thing I could absorb from this site has been very helpful. I had no idea that taking pictures was so difficult, until I tried.

JB

 

[cavemans workshop]

JB
well keep at it, you will get there. Greg ( cowboy silversmith) is a good fellow, and creftsman. He is very talanted. If your into making bits and spurs, there is another pretty good site. I will find it and send you a link tomorrow if you are interested.
Mike

 

[RT Bit and Spur]

Buckles and knife

jbmartin
You are a better bright cut engraver than I am. I can see the improvement from buckle to buckle. The pattern seems to flow from one scroll to the other much better. My eye follows the pattern better.
Was the knife stainless?
What temp solder did you use?
I have used Glensteel on nickel for years and it works fine. Thanks for posting
Rod

 

[jbmartin]

Rod, the knife is a spyderco byrd with stainless handles.
I just cut out the silver, tin it with silvabrite solder, clean it, flux it and the knife, clamp it on with some spring clamps and then I have an oxy/acet little torch to solder with. A person has to watch, every now and then if you get it too hot right where the spring is embedded for the lock, you weaken that and the spring pressure will break that spring holder right at a rivet hole. I've had that happen on 3 out of around 100 knives.
Mike, haven't done any building of bits or spurs, just overlay and engraving on some, but hope to get some spurs done sometime.

JB

 

[castagnos&s]

JB,
try the Ngraver company in Bozrah, Connecticutt for some narrow liners with wider line spacing you can aneal them and then use a charcoal block (so you dont smash out the lines) to bend them to suit you. Just put the liner on the block ,lines down ,in a handle holding it like a steak knife, heat the liner and carefully push down on it to create some curvature. When you are finished just heat it back to dull red and shock it in water. Then just dip the liner in some muriatic acid to etch away the oxidization and sharpen it up. you could have a liner break on you when you shock it but I have done about 5 or 6 so far with no trouble. The Ngraver also offers some pre bent liners but I prefer to bend my own. Hope this helps. Mike

 

[RT Bit and Spur]

Budkles and knife

jbmartin
I had Mr. watt tell me about making his own liners with a checkering file.
That way you could make them any
width you want.
Rod