Honest opinions needed - do we need more forums?

[Sam]

My question is, would you like additional Cafe forums that focus on different styles of engraving?

Our membership has grown to over 740 engravers...gun engravers, knife engravers, coin carvers, jewelry engravers, die cutters, western engravers and more. As it is now, we have one main room for all engraving discussion. It's relatively easy to create additional forums and I will do so if that's what you want or need. As an example, while we have several coin carvers on board, do you feel the Cafe will benefit from a coin carving forum? Photography forums are divided into landscape, nature, portrait, macro, urban, etc.

Comments and opinions, please.

Sam

 

[Harpuahound]

I am foremost a jewelry engraver, but very much enjoy seeing, hearing about, and learning from all the different styles. There are usually few enough new posts on a daily basis that I dont feel a need to have them broken into groups. I know I would be sifting through every room on a regular basis. 1 room works well for me, but there is 739 other people, so Im sure there are 739 other opinions.

 

[griff silver]

segregation is counter productive?

I like the fact that in one place I can get comments on a variety of subjects and styles. I would rather have one forum with frequent new post as apposed to many forums with no new post. perhaps a subject line in the title woud satisfy people who dont want to read about a subject outside of their chosen spectrum.

 

[Darren]

I to like the fact that there is only one for now, Until it gets to a point where forum is getting full on a daily basis and good threads are falling off the bottom everyday, then I would like to to see the KISS method employed.

 

[FANCYGUN]

Sam
I can see your concern with the vsat numbers and variety of members.but I think the mix as we now have it is just fine. It's not all that diffiult to pick and choose what we want to read and some variety is inspiring
Just my 2 cents worth.
Marty

 

[Jim-Iowa]

Being a total newbie, I am just learning of the many different styles of engraving and note that those from different disiplines have much to offer to those of other disiplines.
I think that is one of the things that makes this forum so unique.
Untill activity gets so large as to make it difficult to navigate the site I would not make any changes.

 

[Karl Stubenvoll]

The variety of ideas in this forum is just too valuable to break up. I love the new styles and themes that can be explored here. Engraving in so many forms is such a wonderful art---let's keep this site wide open for all engraving.

 

[CUTTING METAL]

I think the present forum is just great and like it the way it is. You can get some great ideas by just stumbling onto some new stuff.

 

[Bill Brockway]

I am presently working my way through 2 muzzle loading forums,4 engraving forums, and 2 shotgun forums every day. I scan the thread titles and, if there is something that catches my interest, I open it. I like the igraver forum just the way it is, better than if I had to scan 3 or 4 more forums to see all the threads I can now see with one forum. You have a beautiful forum just the way it is. If it ain't broke -----

Bill

 

[Shamey]

I think that the forum should stay the way it is presently. It gives gives a wannabe engraver like myself a chance to view and learn different aspects of an endless variety of styles and types of engraving in one place. Thanks again for putting all of this together. I personally appreciate it immensely.

 

[Jack Davenport]

all together

I like to hear about other methods and see other styles also, I might miss something if it is broken up into other rooms, anyway my user name and passwork is getting tired.

 

[Jim-Iowa]

This Forum is a little like Uncle Herb taking his huge porcelin Meat platter to the family reunion.
You can get everything on one plate rather than several thin flimsy paper plates.

 

[Joe T]

I would be interested in seeing how people sharpen tools to achieve the fine detail I have seen on this, and other sites. As an example, how did you achieve engraving on the head of a pin? I would like to see a tutorial on how that happens! thanks

 

[Norm]

I don't think at current levels it is difficult to keep track of new posts and threads.

Perhaps there will come a time when the volume of new threads/posts make will it difficult to navigate, but I think there is value in keeping things on one forum as long as possible.

 

[John B.]

To miss-quote an old saying..................
"Don't change streams in the middle of horses."
The Cafe is great the way it is IMO.
And much of the information and tools etc. are common and useful to all forms of engraving.
With different rooms, some general interest topics would have to have mutiple postings to cover the bases.
If plan A works....stay with plan A. Just my thinking.
John B.

 

[2toes]

I enjoy seeing the various objects being engraved. I wouldn't change a thing. As the old saying goes "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

 

[Andrew Biggs]

I really enjoy the forum the way it is now. It's really great to see all the different styles and things being engraved. Coins, guns, knives, jewellery, bit and spurs, buckles and a whole lot more. Some of it I will try somewhere down the track and others I won't, but it's really neat to see it all and talk to the people that made it.

There are some really wonderful people on this forum and if it gets split up then the forum will lose something special in my opinion.

Just my thought
Andrew

 

[jimzim75]

Personnally, like to see and hear new Ideas that may transfer well into Jewellery engraving. I may actually like to try a
penny or two. Checking three forums would take more time to do, because ya know I would check them all.
When one group goes silent, the others seem to fill in with stuff that I may not always persue but like to read.
I think of the Cafe as more a magazine with by lines of the different styles. I would think that would spark more threads and
thus more ideas.

One more idea. We could have a symbol or talisman of what we tend to
engrave the most on our Cafe I.D. Just a thought.

 

[quickcut07]

Keeping things under one roof certainly makes the browsing a lot easier. The different styles openes the eyes of many that many not look to other venues. I myself truly enjoy all the engravings. I may never get to try them all, but I sure learn from them all.

 

[Big-Un]

Don't mess with success.