easy, just a few simple steps and a few guidelines.
1. don't make temps too large for your copy table. very large temps can be made in parts if needed.
2. most of you wll be hand engraving over your traced designs. you only need the primary details, not the
finer stuff such as scroll interiors, shading, and such. this can be eyeballed later.
3. my copy table is 6 x 16". i make most of my temps 6 x 12". this allows for lateral shifting if desired.
4. most good pantos allow a number of different traced sizes from the template. if possible, size the temp to
allow the trace to go a bit smaller or larger than you first calculated for your final trace size. keeping the
designs on the smaller rather than larger size can allow more than 1 design to be put on the blank.
5. mark top/bot , edges, and center of the temp. this can aid in aligning the temp to your object.
6. centering a diamond drag point on a newborn signet ring can be nearly impossible to do as you look down
on the diamond, you all but cant see the tiny ring surface. i'll give an easy solution for this later on as i
have created a special alignment tool to do work like this.
7. label and number all your templates and store them in a rack. you'll end up with a truck load when you see
how easily you can create these. i record all mine in a relational database called card file. it tracks all
you need to know such as customers, designs, jobs-etc. this is critical for me as i have hundreds of
designs on both sides of perhaps 90 or so plates.
8. accuracy is called for, but tiny little lumps or bumps here and there usually vanish when downtraced.
this is # 1 in a short tutorial. more to be added
1. don't make temps too large for your copy table. very large temps can be made in parts if needed.
2. most of you wll be hand engraving over your traced designs. you only need the primary details, not the
finer stuff such as scroll interiors, shading, and such. this can be eyeballed later.
3. my copy table is 6 x 16". i make most of my temps 6 x 12". this allows for lateral shifting if desired.
4. most good pantos allow a number of different traced sizes from the template. if possible, size the temp to
allow the trace to go a bit smaller or larger than you first calculated for your final trace size. keeping the
designs on the smaller rather than larger size can allow more than 1 design to be put on the blank.
5. mark top/bot , edges, and center of the temp. this can aid in aligning the temp to your object.
6. centering a diamond drag point on a newborn signet ring can be nearly impossible to do as you look down
on the diamond, you all but cant see the tiny ring surface. i'll give an easy solution for this later on as i
have created a special alignment tool to do work like this.
7. label and number all your templates and store them in a rack. you'll end up with a truck load when you see
how easily you can create these. i record all mine in a relational database called card file. it tracks all
you need to know such as customers, designs, jobs-etc. this is critical for me as i have hundreds of
designs on both sides of perhaps 90 or so plates.
8. accuracy is called for, but tiny little lumps or bumps here and there usually vanish when downtraced.
this is # 1 in a short tutorial. more to be added
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