Design question

Bunic

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What do you do when you're laying out a design for a gun that will be blued after significantly important inlays? The scroll work will be mostly obscured by the dark bluing leaving the highlighted inlays. Do you just imagine what the reversed image will look like, or do you use any other means- computer, drawing with colors, light table?
 

Marcus Hunt

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Mike, I think you are in danger of over complicating things. Just think back a couple of hundred years, do you think engravers back then used the modern technology we have to hand? Of course not, they just cut or inlayed whatever they were working on and it's worth remembering that the actual techniques we use to day haven't really varied that much throughout history. So, although we cut a gun "in the white" we just concentrate on it whilst its in this state. Computers, etc have their uses with layout, etc but most of the time we are engraving in just the same manner as the engravers of yesteryear did, that's to say removing metal with a graver.

Bluing/blacking should not significantly alter the surface of the steel other than to colour it. Every line and scratch will still show through the finish so make sure you keep things clean. The contrast of a dark background colour really shows the inlays to best effect.

Hope this helps.
 
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monk

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imagination helps here. but i guess if you're going to lose sleep over it , a decent program such as photoshop could be fiddled with to give you an idea just the degree of "loss" in the visual aspect you may experience. check the forum fotos, these will lay to rest your curiosity regarding this matter.
 

mark c

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is the inlay gold? if so the bluing wont matter a you can use a redrubber wheel to bring back the yellow or am i just confussed? The wheel has red ruse in it ansd will work well on almost any serfice , mark c
 

Bunic

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Thanks to all.

I am just wondering the best way to 'imagine' (as Monk says) what the finished product will look like when all the scroll work is darkened from bluing and the gold inlay is what is really visible. I'm sure this 'ability' comes with practice and I have very little.
 

SamW

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Mike, I should think if you look at a lot of photos of blued engraved and inlayed guns you should start developing an idea of what your design will look like. Just takes time and practice.
 

Marrinan

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Scott, Thanks for steering me back to your fine tutorial. Have been struggling with design on the bench. Maybe I will try the mechanics approach with better results. Fred
 
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