Baygraver
Member
Observations while ascending the engraving learning curve:
I’m relatively new to engraving so I’m hoping I can be forgiven for the following, perhaps naïve observations. I write this from the perspective of someone who has been smithing metal for over 20 years.
The attached photo is a composition on 22G Argentium silver, measuring 6â€x8†(actually my second composition of Callas). As such, it’s on a very different scale from the amazing work I’ve seen on this site which is mostly done on steel practice plates, guns and knives.
What you see here is chased and repoussed with the traditional stakes for this technique. Then it’s sculpted using a pneumatic device held vertically with simple planishers of varying diameters from about 2mm to almost needlepoint.
While planishing has been a fundamental skill of metalsmiths forever, the pneumatic devices add the technology for rapid, controllable hammer strokes. I think that technological breakthrough is the major advance I’m taking advantage of here.
I’m using the term “pneumatic device†because I think they both work well to this end. I happen to be using the Lindsay tool but the GRS folks allowed me to try their Magnum hand piece while I was back in Emporia recently and it seemed to produce similar effects.
I’d be interested in hearing from others who have experimented with a similar approach.
Regards, Jim
I’m relatively new to engraving so I’m hoping I can be forgiven for the following, perhaps naïve observations. I write this from the perspective of someone who has been smithing metal for over 20 years.
The attached photo is a composition on 22G Argentium silver, measuring 6â€x8†(actually my second composition of Callas). As such, it’s on a very different scale from the amazing work I’ve seen on this site which is mostly done on steel practice plates, guns and knives.
What you see here is chased and repoussed with the traditional stakes for this technique. Then it’s sculpted using a pneumatic device held vertically with simple planishers of varying diameters from about 2mm to almost needlepoint.
While planishing has been a fundamental skill of metalsmiths forever, the pneumatic devices add the technology for rapid, controllable hammer strokes. I think that technological breakthrough is the major advance I’m taking advantage of here.
I’m using the term “pneumatic device†because I think they both work well to this end. I happen to be using the Lindsay tool but the GRS folks allowed me to try their Magnum hand piece while I was back in Emporia recently and it seemed to produce similar effects.
I’d be interested in hearing from others who have experimented with a similar approach.
Regards, Jim
