Do you include a letter with you work?

[dclevinger]

Do you include a letter with your work?

I was just wondering how many of you supply a letter describing the work done, date completed, etc. for the client. Or do most of you just let your signature do the talking? Obviously, it wouldn't pay to do it small jobs but I'm curious to hear your thoughts about it on bigger ones. Does it add to the potential collector value of the piece? Do you think it adds a touch of professionalism?

David

 

[John B.]

I often include a letter of thanks for selecting me to do the work and the inspiration for the design theme.

 

[Ray Cover]

I find that most of my customers really don't care about such things. Years ago I would ask if they wanted any kind of letter or copies of the design drawings. The usual reply was ,"Why would I want that?"

Now days I really don't do anything like that unless the customer specifically request it.

Ray

 

[monk]

most of my guns are done for gunsmith customers. no, only paperwork--the dreaded bill.

 

[Tim Wells]

You know, it's funny how the written word can have an impact on a person. There's a man in Indiana who makes custom resonator guitars named Ivan Guernsey and I once inquired about them, the wood he uses and so on. He replied in a hand written letter that has to be the most beautiful penmanship I've ever seen. That was probably 10 years ago and I still have that letter, I just couldn't toss it out, it's like art.

If I could write like that with a pen I'd include a letter with every job. They used to teach penmanship in school yeeeeears ago; he obviously paid attention. There's a 2 year waiting list for his guitars now, I wish I'd ordered one back then.

 

[KSnyder]

David, today, letters are almost a thing of the past. Most folks cannot spell well enough to pen one without spell check.
I have several saved from different gunmakers, often they put down in words what they will not say out loud.
They are also a link to the past, a tangible link to the artist engraver that provides the customer with a true line to the signature on the work.I believe a hand written letter would definetly increase /enhance the value of a piece if it is to be sold.
Ever picked up a nice old piece and say aloud, " I wonder who did this work"? Hmmmmmmm...... just my $.02
Kent

 

[John B.]

Well said, Kent

 

[dclevinger]

Thanks for your input guys. I have heard of a few engravers doing it but wasn't sure if it was a common practice or not.

David

 

[Ken Hurst]

There are occasions that clients ask me for a letter and I then produce and hand sign one. Usually these are for Colts and Win. firearms. Ken

 

[Mike Fennell]

I think a letter is a good idea. A collector might someday appreciate it. Imagine possessing a letter signed by Louis D. Nimschke describing his engraving on your old Winchester. A letter is also a nice gesture; I still have the letter Chet Atkins wrote in response to a question I sent him when I was in my teens.

I admire good penmanship, but some days can’t decipher my own, so I think word processing is a great invention. I also use spell-check, but I don’t put much faith in it. It won’t help when you forget proper punctuation or when you forget the difference between words like "to" and "too" or “acceptâ€￾ and “exceptâ€￾. The wrong word spelled right is still the wrong word.. Missing punctuation can have unintended results. Throw Mama from the train a kiss. Throw Mama, from the train, a kiss.

In writing, as in drawing scrolls, knowing the basics will allow you to communicate your idea clearly. Mastering the basics will allow you to know when you can bend or break the rules for greater effect.

Here are two small, inexpensive paperback books that make it easy to get the writing part right :

William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style , The Macmillan Company, New York

A Uniform System of Citation, The Harvard Law Review Association, Gannet House, Cambridge, Mass. 02138

I wouldn’t presume to give advice about scrolls.

Mike

 

[Christopher Malouf]

David,

It does add a touch of class .... especially in this modern, "just show me the money" age we live in today. It's a shame that charm and grace have not kept up with the progress of metal embellishment. In fact it has gone the other way. We pour hours and hours into a piece yet fall short on proper etiquette. On some of the bracelets I make, I'll include a hand signed, type written card describing the work. People love it. I think on any project, where a customer has put his trust in your abilities, some form of written acknowledgment is appropriate. Whether or not the customer wants it is immaterial ... it's good old fashioned business and that compliments nicely with good old fashioned craftsmanship. I've never met anyone that didn't appreciate a followup letter.

This is a good discussion you've brought up and a good reminder to always ask the question ... "What would my grandfather have done?"

One more thing ... the letter you send out is not so much a description of your work as it is of you.

Regards,

Chris

 

[Tom Curran]

When I asked a friend of mine for advice in advertising and selling my guns(he is a retired high profile sales person), he said one of the most important things that attracts customers is the 'story'. A card or tag to go with the work, something that people can feel a connection with the artist. I think a letter could accomplish some of this, and provide some provenance to the object down the road, certainly added value.

Tom

 

[JJ Roberts]

Gentlemen,
I correspond with my customers and my fellow engravers all the time, but I think the most important thing is to get a complimentary letter from the customer for your file to show future customers. Tim is right penmanship is an art..a subject I always got A's in. Keep up the good work.

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

When I asked a friend of mine for advice in advertising and selling my guns(he is a retired high profile sales person), he said one of the most important things that attracts customers is the 'story'. A card or tag to go with the work, something that people can feel a connection with the artist. I think a letter could accomplish some of this, and provide some provenance to the object down the road, certainly added value.

Tom

I have been told this same thing, and I do believe it is a good approach. My question is, how does an engraving job make a story. For example, Tom Turpin called me a while back, to get the story about my gold colt. He was thinking about using it in an article. My response was, uuuuuuuuuh, I needed a piece to show what I could do, so I bought a gun and went to cutting. That was all the story I had. I mean engraving is not really exiting, there are no folk stories about any engraving jobs or Marvel comic engraving heros. So what can you tell about it, other than the completion process and that does not vary much from job to job and is really only interesting to other engravers, who are not a part of the client base. So what do you say?

 

[tldcowboygear]

I am sure glad this thread came up. I have been working on a necklace for a co-worker. He gave me a photo of a symbol that is used in Reiki and said "make me a necklace". I spent several days with finding a fitting way to do the pendant. I finished the piece this week and presented it to him. He loved the piece and wanted to know how I chose the material for the pendant and how the engraving came to be. I explained it all to him and he was very happy. Then I read this thread. I immediately wrote out what the thought process was for the pendant. The following is what the letter consisted of:

"Cho Ku Rei"
Necklace for Hiram King
23 July 2008
D.C. Lance Engraver

Hiram,
First of all, thank you for your business. It was an honor to do this necklace for you. I wanted you to know why I chose this particular coin for your necklace.
The coin is a 1943 “Walking Liberty” 50 cent piece. It is silver and in good condition. First of all, the date is significant as in 1943 the United States was in dire straits because of WW II, various items were in short supply and some were even rationed. Right now the US is going some pretty tough times. The date is to remind you that we will come through these times just like we did back then.
You are retiring later this year. What a sense of freedom that must be. Nothing symbolizes freedom more than the statue of liberty. The freedom you will experience with your “medicine” wagon, a brace of mules, traveling the states just made the coin the right choice.
The sun at the bottom of the coin had a double meaning – As you enter your retirement you are entering the so-called twilight years. How many fantastic sunsets have you seen. The sun setting can be one of the most beautiful times of the day. The sun on the coin can be seen as a rising sun. Dawn is a great time of the day - the darkness being driven away by the sun, the freshness of the air, the carefree time when the day is new and the problems/challenges haven’t built up. This put me in mind of your retirement also, the dawning of a new part of your life with very few encumbrances and those being chosen by you.
The cho ku rei symbol that you chose for me to engrave on the necklace is a symbol used in your chosen field of endeavor. The background around the symbol being removed not only serves to make the symbol more visible, it moves the symbol to the foreground of the pendant as the symbol is in the foreground of the ReiKi. One definition I found said – “Cho Ko Rei is often referred to as the "Power" symbol. It "turns on" or initiates connection with Reiki energy, and empowers each of the other symbols”. The rope edge engraving has two significant meanings – a rope is made up of many strands of fiber, just like your life has been made up of the many people that you have been associated with, secondly the rope circles the pendant indicating the circle of life.
I hope that you enjoy this necklace and it brings you happiness throughout your travels.

Regards,

D.C. Lance - Engraver

I sure appreciate this forum for not only the technical advice and learning that I get but also the related items that seem to be the icing on the cake.

D.C.

 

[Ron Smith]

I blieve I am among some top class individuals on this forum. I also have such a regard for my customers, I too want to give them something for giving me the oportunity to show what I can do. So much so in fact, for my top clients I have given away one of my prints ("from mind to Metal) at the closure of a job. For those who have seen this print will agree that it was a monumental achievment requirement many many months to complete. It is also quite collectable and makes an attractive conversation piece with pertenant information about the art of engraving written in very small text. Let me add that it usually holds a place of honor in their home or office. It was done to celebrate my twentieth year engraving.

Any of my customers that have recieved a copy was extatic at the fact that I would give them one of these, but the repoire with your best customers is invaluable. If you think this doesn't enhance your business you are wrong.

Now I understand that many cannot afford to give such a gift, but after the work on the plate is done, the print is relatively enexpensive and besides it gives you an opportunity to get residual income.

The item doesn't have to be big like this print to work however. That can come later but the principal is the same. Any small reprsentation of your work or motives, such as D.C. has displayed would be much appreciated by your client let me assure you.

I always gave it to them without warning. It just showed up on their door shortly after our business transaction was done to show my appreciation for their patronage.

You guys are on the right track and I like your analogy too Chris. there are good things about the"old days and ways" that should have never been let go of, and the bottom line is all that seems to matter these days, even at the expence of damaging you customer relations.

And Brian, people are more interested in what you do and how you do it than you think. They love to see a craftsman work. Give them that chance whenever you can.

My two cents on the subject, and I just had to comment on this one.

Forward!!

Ron

 

[settingsunhobbyengraver]

I am learning to engrave and really haven't done anything worth posting. But I have supported a few other engravers over the last 10 or so years. My 2 cents worth is that the first two done by Steve Clouser, Sundance Engraving Reading,Pa. Steve provided a simple drawing with a short note from him with his thoughts about the proposed job. I kept them and I admit that I have looked them over a couple of times over the last couple of years. It is a fun read. Steve's handwriting is easy on the eyes just like his engraving.

When I read them I am reminded of how excited I was. Today, I have really enjoy the time waiting to see the finished project. The third job was done for me by the Winchester Custom shop and I requested the engraver sign his work. Winchester also provided a factory letter. Given the plant closing, This document is a treasure to me but not nearly as important as the gun itself. The 4th and 5th I requested the engraver sign and date their work.

I expect that this will be my ongoing request. The history carved in the steel, is the highest form of thanks I can think to give back to the engrave who created a work of art for me. I have guns I plan to sell but I don't expect to ever sell any of them. I expect my kids and grandkids to keep them in the family.

Who knows, after a hundred years or so, maybe one of my guns becomes museum quality. I can only hope.
Making this transfer would be a dream come true.

John C.

 

[Roger Bleile]

John,

You may believe you haven't done anything worth posting but those guns you had engraved are. Pictures of them along with the names of the engravers and date of engraving will help those of us who make a study of engraving history to better identify the work of the same engravers on other pieces.

Thanks,

Roger

 

[Rick]

I build turkeys calls as well as Pennsylvania longrifles. I include a 'letter of authenticity' with each call. It's a single page affair that briefly tells about the wood I use in the construction of the call; what kind it is, where I obtained it, etc. The calls are signed and numbered and I only build 30 a year. I think it's a nice touch. My website: www.gobblerknoblongrifles.com Rick