Hand engraving?

highsierra

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Dec 25, 2016
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Doses anyone actually do chisel and hammer engraving anymore or is most of it with power tools?
 

John B.

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I do a lot of H&C engraving although I also have power assisted tools.
I enjoy using the hammer and chisel and find it faster and more satisfying for some things.
 

Roger Bleile

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Highsierra,

The type of engraving that this forum focuses on is all freehand engraving whether it is done with hammer & chisel, hand pushed burin, or air assisted graver. Machine engraving is something else entirely. Almost all Europeans still engrave guns with H&C. Most American hand engravers use power assisted gravers. There are reasons for this that I won't go into because I don't feel like writing another book just now.
 

highsierra

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Dec 25, 2016
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I was particularly wondering about handgun engraving. Is hammer and chisel too time consuming for current work? I have heard that no one is doing something like a complete handgun with h/c because they could not make any money with the time involved. What is the difference between using h/c and gravermeister type tool in time required?
 

Roger Bleile

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It has nothing to do with time. If you watch a master gun engraver working with hammer and chisel, you'll be amazed how quickly the person can work. There is less fatigue when working with power assisted gravers but the main reason that I changed from H&C years ago is that with a power assisted graver I can hold the tool in my strong hand while I turn the vise with the other. With H&C one must control the graver with their weak hand then continually stop cutting to turn the vise with the other hand. With H&C it is more difficult to cut perfectly true arcs and spirals because of this.

There are a few H&c engravers who use a vise turned by a footwheel. Another few hold the hammer in their weak hand and the chisel in the strong hand but most people find that awkward. There are many more aspects to cover and maybe someone here will take the time to cover them. I'll just close by saying that there are a few gun engravers who try to make a big deal about cutting with H&C to infer that they are somehow superior to those who use power assisted gravers. I simply disagree with that assertion.
 

JJ Roberts

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I have found that builders of muzzle loading rifles tend want to work with H&C and bruin that's the students I've had at my shop.When using H&C I have a vise set up on a pedestal so I can walk around the work and cut you scrolls in one pass without stopping,also found by standing over the work your scrolls come out alot better without flat spots or elbows only work sitting at a stationary vise when engraving game scenes. J.J.
 
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John B.

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I have both a foot operated (potters wheel style) vise and also a walk around stationary post.
Using these, engraving is as fast or faster than power assist.
 

dlilazteca

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I have both a foot operated (potters wheel style) vise and also a walk around stationary post.
Using these, engraving is as fast or faster than power assist.
I took an advanced class with Weldon and i can attest to that John just as fast.

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