Life Changing Experiences

[Denny]

Hello, my name is Denny Lytle and I am from Utah. This is my first post and I wanted to share with you three life and work changing experiences from the last week.
1. I found an joined the engravers cafe. I have been building spurs and doing bright cut for the last 15 years and I have learned more and been more inspired in the last week than at any other time. This resource is as good as it gets and I am very grateful to all the fine people who so willingly share your knowledge and experience. I am a serious student again and it feels good. I had lost that for a while. Frankly, I have been at this computer as much as possible the last few days with this stupid look of amazement and my jaw hanging open. My wife thought I had one of those mini strokes.
2. I bought and set up my microscope. I know most of you are sitting out there and smiling. I had no idea. It has opened up a whole new world. My first practice plate was better than anything I have ever done.
3. I bought a 120 degree graver to try. I have been using mostly flats forever and never properly learned to use a 90. From the first cut with the 120 I knew I had found a new best friend.

Mostly I wanted to say hello and thank you.

 

[BrianPowley]

Ah..................Another one bites the dust! (Just kidding)
Nice to meet you and welcome.

Nice work on the spurs! Is that silver overlay?

 

[Denny]

Thanks Brian. The overlay on the band is copper with the nickel steerheads overlaid on top of the copper. The body of the spur is just cold rolled.

 

[mbroder]

Welcome! The info you'll find on this site is amazing. Hopefully you will be able to add to the conversations as well. Nice spurs...

 

[Tira]

Hello Denny! We're glad you found us! Nice work!

 

[Sam]

Hello Denny, and welcome aboard! Make yourself at home and ask all the questions you like, and you'll have dozens of fine engravers ready to help. Your work looks great, and please feel free to upload your images to our Photo Gallery as well.

Cheers / ~Sam

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Welcome aboard Denny

Very nice spurs...........It's good to be re-inspired. Sometimes we can get a bit jaded with the daily grind.

Hope to se more of your work

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Rick Eaton]

Denny,
Great set of spurs, I'm sure you will pick thing up fast.

Sometimes we can stagnate if we've been at the trade for a while doing the same thing over and over, it greatly helps to try new things to push ourselves again. I did that back in 2000 when I started learning to make damascus, because I'd been engraving so much, now I'm pursuing the engraving again trying to push that further.

You'll learn alot here there are a lot of talented engravers, that don't mind sharing info.

All the best
Rick

 

[Denny]

Life Changing Experience

Thank you all for the warm welcome and kind words. This is an awesome resource. Attached is the only other spur picture I have with me. This pair is from a couple of years ago.

 

[BrianPowley]

Denny, I've never tried nickle inlay. Does it work similar to copper?

I tried to inlay white gold once.....bad move on my part.

 

[Peter E]

Nice posts Denny and welcome to the Cafe. I like those spurs very much. Thanks for posting them.

Peter

 

[Steve223]

Nice spurs Denny i really like the first pair you posted! Welcome to the cafe, I have learned more here in the last few months than i thought possable.

 

[Denny]

Yes, Nickel is hard to inlay. It is too hard in the first place and with the work hardening it is like trying to inlay spring steel. The only folks I know that did it a lot were some of the prisions that made bits and spurs. While there were some excellent craftsmen, time had a different meaning than it does to you and me. When I do nickel inlay, I almost always tin the back of the inlay piece with soft solder and give it a little shot of heat after it is in to make sure it stays put. I only do nickel inlay when I have to on restorations.