carved coin "the cajun "

Billzach

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Nov 8, 2006
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mayfield, ky
i thought sam would like this one,i gave it the name "the cajun" when i carved it for a collector, it,s a older carving i did about 2 years ago..i use 3 tools in carving a coin, not counting the finishing tools, they are, hand push #37 flat [ no heel ], gravermax with about a #34 flat and a 110... i finish them out with a burnisher, 3 different grades of sanding sticks, a beadblaster and a aging solution...
 

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Sam

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Covington, Louisiana
Hi Bill. That's a beauty! Two questions come to mind...I'm wondering what part you use the #37 no-heel graver on, and maybe you tell us how you keep the field (background) so uniform and flat. It's not easy to maintain a flat field, especially around LIBERTY, and this one looks flawless. Excellent sculpting, too. / ~Sam
 

Glenn

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Nov 9, 2006
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Bill, I've never had an inkling to engrave a hobo nickle. After looking at this fine piece of work, you have given me the urge. Your work is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
 

Billzach

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Nov 8, 2006
Messages
510
Location
mayfield, ky
when i first started carving coins about ten years ago, i made my own tools..i didn,t have a computer at that time and all i had to go on was a old hobo nickel to use as a example..my first tools were a small chisel and hammer, later i ground a concrete nail down to smooth the field out somewhat on the coin ..i got a computer in 1998 and saw that i could buy a tool to cut metal called a graver, so i ordered two or three..the #37 flat was my favorite graver.. engravers have asked me for years why i don,t use a heel on my flat #37, the answer is , i didn,t know i was supposed to until a few years ago..i then put a small heel on my 37 and it didn,t work for me, so i went back to the no heel..i,ve used a hand push #37 so much i can remove the field on a nickel that we don,t use for the carving in about 5 mins or less, but i later spend about 2 hours smoothing the field with my #37 and the other tools i mentioned in thread..i,ve read where a lot of engravers groove the background out and then use a flat to level it out, it,s probably a better way than my method for beginners..the main thing i can tell someone who wants to try using a hand push graver with no heel is to keep it super sharp, when i,m using one it,s cuts the metal like a hot knife in butter..so to answer sam,s question, i use my #37 for the entire field, i do use a gravermax with the monarch handpiece on every carving for the hair, hat, wheat border etc. , in fact if i didn,t have a gravermax i would probably quit carving coins...if you have any questions on carving coins i,ll try to answer them...[[ i,ve been blessed to have met some of you and when you talk to me in person you know i,m a old ky hillbilly, i still laugh at myself when i think about the day i was attending a grs engraving class and sam was my teacher, he told us to mark off so and so millimeters for a wheat border, being a hillbilly i was used to someone saying a width of a penny, dime, etc. when sam came by my table, he saw my lines were a good 3/8 inch wide, i did leave class that day knowing what a mm was...
 

Sam

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Bill: I've added some of your comments and tips in the Resources for Engravers sticky.

questions: 1.) for coin fields I always radius my heel to the graver cuts like wood gouge. I find that this keeps the corners from digging in, especially since the field of a coin isn't truly flat. Do you do curve yours as well? 2.) you age coins beautifuly. Can you tell us about your aging solution?

Feel free to post more photos...everyone loves 'em. / ~Sam
 

Tim Wells

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Nov 9, 2006
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Dallas, Georgia
Alright, that does it! I got a sack of nickels in the mail today that I got off ebay because I got bit by the bug and it's all you guys' fault!:D

I used to think, what is a hobo nickel, what is it that these guys talk so much about? I thought it would be a waste of time and frankly thought who would even want one when you were finished? I took a look on ebay and saw what some sold for there as well as at knife shows and I was astounded at what I learned.

So it's high time I had some fun with them too and see what all the fuss is about firsthand.:eek: Are there any rules to this I mean anything that I might carve on it that would make it not qualify as a "hobo" nickel? Educate me please on the addiction I'm about to fall headlong into...
 

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