Bullino Geometry

[Strelok]

Hey all,

I'm interested in getting back into finely detailed bullino work. I have one style of graver that has an extremely long, deep belly (Can't remember the geometry without my notes in front of me) with a tiny face. I'm looking for some geometry for dotted bullino similar to stippling.

Thanks!

 

[mitch]

i use a 90° square (some sort of 'carbalt' carbide? i've had it a looong time) with 60° face and almost no heel. there are various tricks to making it (tape, paper to raise the graver shank a few 1/1000ths), but the heel is only 1-2°, just enough so you don't have to polish* anymore of the underside of the graver than necessary.

*which brings me to the other important 'point': the facets must be perfectly polished (ok, you don't have to get religious about it, but they should be pretty darn close). perfect facets converge at a perfectly sharp point. also, well polished points last longer because there are fewer flaws to act as incipient fracture lines. it seems like that ultra-fine point would be more fragile than a blunter one, but it's not the case for this particular situation.

at this 'point' you may be thinking, "Won't a shiny point make shiny holes? I want to make dead black dark pecks in the metal, not sparkly ones! Shouldn't the tip be kinda rough?" You're partly correct, BUT that super sharp point will make super fine, nice deep holes where light goes to die (at the right viewing angle, of course. otherwise it'll look kinda sparkly...)

i not only don't use any ink or paint, i clean the metal before photographing this sort of work.

 

[Strelok]

I'm happy to see you replied personally! I love your bullino work and whenever I've shown it to people, they have to look for a second before realizing it's on a 2D surface.

I understand what you're saying about brittleness (especially with carbide or CMAX type materials). So basically, a standard square graver with a shallower face with a tiny heel?

Posting a rough image of the bullino graver I'm used to (approximation...haven't ground a new one like this in quite some time).

 

[John B.]

Thank you, Mitch.
The description of you bulino tool is a great help.
And the photo of your work with the 3-D drop shadows depicts masterful engraving.

 

[papart1]

very nice stuff here to start the day, thanks Mitch

 

[mitch]

well, Strelok, if I'm reading your diagram correctly, you've got 2 (or 3?) 55° facets converging (and it appears you're measuring the angle off the perpendicular, not the axis of the graver? so maybe what I'd call 35°?), which makes for a combined tip angle of 70°-ish, which is a bit coarser than mine, but should work.

 

[Strelok]

I guess it's kinda hard to explain, image was side view, heel is a two-sided heel that's ground very deep with a very tiny face that is basically just a second or two on a ceramic wheel. I think I'm going to try and replicate your graver geometry just to see what I can do with it. The one I have is more suited for very fine lines.

 

[jerrywh]

I'm happy to see you replied personally! I love your bullino work and whenever I've shown it to people, they have to look for a second before realizing it's on a 2D surface.

I understand what you're saying about brittleness (especially with carbide or CMAX type materials). So basically, a standard square graver with a shallower face with a tiny heel?

Posting a rough image of the bullino graver I'm used to (approximation...haven't ground a new one like this in quite some time).

View attachment 45110

Strelok. That belly angle should be somewhere between 12° and 15° .

 

[Strelok]

You are right! I found some notes from way back when and I believe I was using a 12.5 degree belly.

 

[jerrywh]

You will find that there are several preferred methods of sharpening a bulino engraver. Even the dot gravers very from person to person.
Even the line gravers used for fine line engraving such as seen on Coggan's Nile gun and lee Griffis's work as well as Chris De Camillis's and Sam Alfano's very but I have found that the main variables are in the belly angles. Chris De Camillas prefers the wider angles because they give a darker line. So one must decide for himself or herself what he prefers. I tried them all I think and I prefer the narrower ones that have a belly angle from 70° to 90°.
Many people think that if they only had a guitar like Eric Clapton they could play like Eric Clappton but it is the finger that is doing the picking that makes the music if you know what I mean. That is why there is so much almost new engraving equipment for sale I suspect.

 

[Strelok]

I think I just need to make a bunch of different ones and try them all

 

[zzcutter]

It's not the tool but how you use it. There is no magic geometry. You must learn the craft and once you do you can use any of the geometry tools mentioned above and get great results.

 

[Timgraver]

Forgive my ignorance guys but that… Type of shading that I would call pointillism I don’t do it but I would have thought a needlepoint like my stipple to only finer would do best for this type of shading I wouldn’t want any heel drag Am I viewing this technique correctly?

 

[FANCYGUN]

Well guys, mine is a bit different I mostly like using lines for my scenes but i do also mix in dots along the way depending on the texture and effects i want my preferred dot tool i use is a graver mounted in a straight pencil like handle the graver is either a 90 or a 70 as i like smaller dots ther is no heel except a slight belly to the bottom of the graver i ride this on my thumb and lift up with my thumb as i poke this way i pop the burr It works for me and to each his own

 

[papart1]

on the Eric Clappton spiff, he is by far my favorite musican, vocalist, writer, and least of ...his magnificant guitar mastery.