joseph engraver
Elite Cafe Member
Back to the basics
When I gave my engraving tools to the Cody Fire Arms Museum I believed that never again would the passion for engraving return to me. I was worn out. My hands trembled and I had reached the point where my only thought was “To hell with it, that’s good enough.†It was time for my retirement, with the leisure to write my book, enjoy my life’s companion Franca and the warm tropical sun, enjoy my very few friends company and live out the golden years catching big fish while resting on my accomplishments. In other words a has-been. The book is now published and I have caught all the big fish required for self satisfaction. So what is left to occupy time? Then, I discovered over the internet that there is an interest in coin carving. It occurred to me that it was something that would occupy some of my leisure time and did not require the hours of dedication that gun engraving required; I decided to give it a try. Being with out engraving block, chisles, hammer, punches and burin were solved with a river rock and a sand filled plastic bag for it to rest on. A hardened bolt and a piece of scrap wood became my hammer. A broken fish hook was turned into a burin along with a broken pair of fishing scissors and anything I could scrounge out of my garage. From these objects I made a few simple tools. In the money jar there was a silver coin dedicated to the right to vote, and a much better piece of sculpting work than I am capable of. After thinking it over a bit. I stuck the coin to my granite engravers block with auto body epoxy. While the epoxy set for a few days I considered the project. I found a couple of sharpening stones and set to work. When the coin was bonded to the rock I took the untested tools and began. The coin had a dozen men casting ballots into a paddle locked ironbound box. With a 1/8th inch flat graver I obliterated the raised figures. Then began engraving and sculpting the coin. The weight of the stone was fine and vibration minimal, the rock I chose has a flat base and a rounded top which set firmly on my sand bag. However my next engraving stone will be as round as possible and 10#inches in diameter so that it can be tilted with ease, I have been working about 18 hours and can see where it will be possible to do a satisfactory job. The subject is a virginal (you can never tell.)Teenage girl I am hoping to end up with a good looking hooker at worst. The differences between a crone, matron, mistress, and a virgin are matters of a single tap with a punch or a cut with a burin as the following pix show
When I gave my engraving tools to the Cody Fire Arms Museum I believed that never again would the passion for engraving return to me. I was worn out. My hands trembled and I had reached the point where my only thought was “To hell with it, that’s good enough.†It was time for my retirement, with the leisure to write my book, enjoy my life’s companion Franca and the warm tropical sun, enjoy my very few friends company and live out the golden years catching big fish while resting on my accomplishments. In other words a has-been. The book is now published and I have caught all the big fish required for self satisfaction. So what is left to occupy time? Then, I discovered over the internet that there is an interest in coin carving. It occurred to me that it was something that would occupy some of my leisure time and did not require the hours of dedication that gun engraving required; I decided to give it a try. Being with out engraving block, chisles, hammer, punches and burin were solved with a river rock and a sand filled plastic bag for it to rest on. A hardened bolt and a piece of scrap wood became my hammer. A broken fish hook was turned into a burin along with a broken pair of fishing scissors and anything I could scrounge out of my garage. From these objects I made a few simple tools. In the money jar there was a silver coin dedicated to the right to vote, and a much better piece of sculpting work than I am capable of. After thinking it over a bit. I stuck the coin to my granite engravers block with auto body epoxy. While the epoxy set for a few days I considered the project. I found a couple of sharpening stones and set to work. When the coin was bonded to the rock I took the untested tools and began. The coin had a dozen men casting ballots into a paddle locked ironbound box. With a 1/8th inch flat graver I obliterated the raised figures. Then began engraving and sculpting the coin. The weight of the stone was fine and vibration minimal, the rock I chose has a flat base and a rounded top which set firmly on my sand bag. However my next engraving stone will be as round as possible and 10#inches in diameter so that it can be tilted with ease, I have been working about 18 hours and can see where it will be possible to do a satisfactory job. The subject is a virginal (you can never tell.)Teenage girl I am hoping to end up with a good looking hooker at worst. The differences between a crone, matron, mistress, and a virgin are matters of a single tap with a punch or a cut with a burin as the following pix show
Attachments
-
rock solid 014 first coin.jpg -
rock solid 005.JPG
