Techniques definitions

[Thierry Duguet]

Hello,

How would one best describe “gold inlayâ€￾ and “bullinoâ€￾ techniques to a neophyte in just a few sentences? Any idea? I do not so if you do please help me out and post it in this thread. Thanks.

PS. I may use your explanation in my site, should you want credit for it/them please do let me know and I shall comply as needed.

 

[finn]

Gold inlay
DEF taken a metallic surface, then cutting a notch into it, lay gold(copper,brass,silver.etc..) wire/ gold plate into the notch and pound it into place(with blunt object), then file the gold (copper,brass,silver.etc..)flat.

Bullino
DEF cutting tinny dots or triangles (or light scratches) into a hard metallic surface to create a color tone variation, there are around 1-7 different tones of gray , to create a 3D effect or picture.


well i tried.

 

[Tira]

Thierry, To give it a try...

Gold Inlay - The art of cutting away a portion of a metal surface and replacing it with gold or another metal (copper/silver/alloy). The inlay could be a line, lettering, or a design and could be either flush with the surface of the host metal or raised above the original surface.

Bulino - The art of inscribing a photorealistic picture onto a metal surface using a series of lines and/or small dots (triangles) - similar to scrimshaw, but on metal.

dictionary.com has this for inlay:
--a layer of fine material inserted in something else, esp. for ornament.--

Hope it helps.

 

[monk]

Hello,

How would one best describe “gold inlayâ€￾ and “bullinoâ€￾ techniques to a neophyte in just a few sentences? Any idea? I do not so if you do please help me out and post it in this thread. Thanks.

PS. I may use your explanation in my site, should you want credit for it/them please do let me know and I shall comply as needed.

one thing to say about your use of the english language-- it's maybe a thousand times better than my ability to communicate in the french language .

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Thierry, Zernike's correct. The word bulino is misused, the Italian dot technique used to have the word 'punto' (point) associated with it which was a bit more desciptive. Like many words in the English language though common usage often redefines the original meaning. Pick up a dictionary that's over 30 years old and look up the words 'sophisticated' and 'gay' and you'll see just how different the meanings are compared with today. I suppose that's what happens when you have a living language. So it is with bulino, although it can mean either dots or fine lines carried out with this tool.

'Inlay' is always flush with the surrounding metal which means you have a lot of the inlayed material below the surface. 'Damascene' or 'overlay' is sometimes referred to as inlay but it's not. Damascening is a way of applying the gold or silver to the surface of the steel by means of several fine cuts throwing up lots of little teeth which, when the gold is beaten onto, grip the softer metal which is now keyed into the cuts. This technique is quicker to do than true inlay and uses up a lot less of the precious metal which, as I've already said, sits below the surface unseen with inlay. If you look at this page on my website http://www.hunt-engraving.co.uk/html/services.html you'll see that the waterbuck is damacened and the lettering inlayed.

 

[Sam]

This is my understanding which may or may not be correct, but in the Italian language, "bulino" is what Americans would call a hand graver. The actual tool. I'm not sure where the term bulino came from which describes the art of dot or line engravings of animals or scenes. "Banknote" engraving is definitely a different technique than what most of us do when engraving portraits or scenes.

Since the Cafe is an English speaking forum, it might be a good idea to create a glossary of engraving terms for members whose first language isn't English. Anyone up for the challenge? It would require a bit of research.

~Sam

 

[Tira]

If we can define the terms I'll keep track of them in a page in the Tips section similar to the book page. What do we want defined? Since a lot of the terms aren't in the dictionary maybe we need to hash them out on the forum, come up with the best definition and then move that to the list. What do you think?

 

[Tim Wells]

Don't the Italian engravers do "bulino" work with a "burin"? I thought that the removal of parent metal in the form of those triangles and or lines was what is commonly referred to as Bulino. Try this link.

http://www.engravingarts.com/Glossary2.html

 

[cekko]

Hi!
Il Bulino e' un attrezzo, costituito da un'asticciola di metallo affilata ,che inserita in un manico permette di asportare da una superficie del materiale.
Il materiale su cui asportare puo' essere di vario genere: Metallo ,Legno ,Pietre ,Osso, ecc, ecc.


Hi!
The Bulino and' an utensil, constituted by a rod of metal sharpened, that inserted in a handle it allows to remove from a surface of the material.
The material on which to remove is able' to be of various kind: Metal, Wood ,Stones Bone, etc, etc.

Regards
Cekko

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulino

 

[FANCYGUN]

I too am in a confusing situation over these used and abused definitions.
"Banknote" to me is a technique of making a plate using various size and patterns of lines the would hold ink for the purpose of making a print on paper. Many people use this line technique in gun/knife/jewelry engraving to create scenes and figures. The use this as a means of reflecting light to convey the image.
What has become known as "Bulino" engraving is really nothing more than another technique of creating greys and an image using what we call "pointalism". Using dots and the eye blends these together into an image.
I personally use both methods and whatever else is needed to create these grays and fool the eye into imagining that something is really there. So I am not really sur ewhat to call how I do it. "BANKOLINO"?
I do have a very real problem with using the words "photo realism". I think this is a wonderful visual goal and technique that totally ruins many artists. You DO NOT need a photographic realism to make a realistic image. Too many people get hung up on minute details and forget what really brings a picture to life.
Just my two cents worth.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Every trade has it's own words which often cannot be found in a dictionary. The English gun trade is one of them. For example, what would you term the rounded pieces of a shotgun where the action meets the barrels? When I was an apprentice I learned the term "bumps" which in turn my father had learned from Harry Kell and he from his father. When I started hanging out with gunmaker friends they laughed at me and told me it was "the detonating", then someone else (trained by a different gunmaker) would term it the "fences". So there you go, 3 terms for the same bit of the shotgun! And there are a lot of other parts like that. Some London gunmakers call screwdrivers "turn screws". Why? I don't know other than to be different. It's all part of life's rich tapestry I guess. At least it keeps things interesting!

 

[pilkguns]

Since the Cafe is an English speaking forum, it might be a good idea to create a glossary of engraving terms for members whose first language isn't English. Anyone up for the challenge? It would require a bit of research.

I actually have done this already for the book I am writing, however, it is in my computer at home, and I am in Germany now.

 

[Sam]

The more I think about this the more I believe it would be a good idea since there seem to be multiple definitions for some of our engraving terms. I had forgotten that Pozzobon's site has a glossary, and if you want to contribute what you have Scott, we could start one for the Cafe. Of course if you're reserving it for your book that's completely understandable.

Perhaps we should take the confusing terms like bulino and damascene and work through them one at a time and nail down the best definition we can.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Well, here’s my attempt at describing an inlay etc. and I must admit it’s a good exercise. Knowing what it is, and then trying to describe it in a short paragraph is harder than it looks.

Definition of an inlay:
The art of permanently cold fusing a softer metal into a harder host metal for mainly decorative purposes. Most inlays are generally, but not exclusive to, precious metals like gold and silver. This is achieved by creating a dovetailed cavity in the harder host metal and raising teeth to hold the softer material which is pounded in under force causing a permanent bond between the two. The inlay material is then brought down flush to the level of the host surface creating a continuous surface.

Overlay and Damascening:
Similar to an inlay but where the inlay material sits proud, or above the level of the host surface using the same, or sometimes slightly different techniques, to hold the metal permanently in place.

Definition of bulino engraving:
The art of creating permanent designs into metal using a series of small dots and miniature cuts to achieve the desired outcome. These dots and cuts are delivered by a hand tool sharpened to a variety of shapes ending in a very fine point.

Marcus has a good point of terminology within the trades/arts etc. Words are constantly evolving and change meaning as they become more commonly used in different contexts.

When someone mentions “Bulino style” engraving most engravers know exactly what is being talked about even though the original literal word may mean something else entirely. The English language is full of these anomalies. Eventually the common meaning of the word becomes the accepted definition within that particular culture.

Swear and cuss words are an excellent example of this type of thing. Yesterdays swear word is today’s cuss word, which is tomorrows descriptive word used in everyday conversation and taken on an entirely different meaning.

A really interesting subject.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[FANCYGUN]

OK So what is a raised inlay then?

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Maybe it should read "Raised Inlay, Overlay and Damacening" ????????

As a lawyer said to me once "The devil's in the detail"

Cheers
Andrew

 

[FANCYGUN]

ahhhhh....but Andrew A raised inlay can be placed into a recess in the metal also and not dressed down flush with the surface. It is then sculpted in a low releif. Thus the phrase......RAISED INLAY as opposed to a FLUSH INLAY.
Then of course we have the attachment to the surface of the metal which would then be an OVERLAY.

Get it??? INLAY vs OVERLAY
Wish I could turn these letters upside down for Andrews benefit on the lower upside down part of the globe. It must really be hard adjusting to the northern hemisphere when you come to Reno. CYA soon Amigo and have a Happy Christmas

 

[Unkl Ian]

Definition of an inlay:
The art of permanently cold fusing a softer metal into a harder host metal for mainly decorative purposes.

If you are inlaying Gold,or Silver,into firearms,for example,then that would be accurate.
But you can also inlay a harder material,into a softer material.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Ahhh………. your holy baldness

Are you really referring to a sculptured raised inlay. In which case there are variations within a theme. If the surface is lowered and sculptured, then the surface could be damascened as Marcus described. Or it could be overlaid/damascened then sculptured. In which case it’s still standing proud of the host surface……..so is it a raised inlay? Or, is it still technically, an overlay the sits below the surface of the surrounding metal but standing proud of the host metal?

That also leaves the question of a lowered gold background. What would be the definition of that?

Looking forward to seeing you again in Reno my friend. Not long to go now. Yes!!!!


Hi Zernike…………I’m not sure there are any special tricks to the bulino style of engraving. The answers are all in front of you if you look carefully enough and keep your ears open. It’s just a matter of putting a metal plate in the vise and practicing the techniques to achieve the desired result that you are after. Having a personal teacher for a week would certainly hasten your progress but there is no reason why you can’t just sit down and apply what knowledge you do have. Experience in itself can be a great teacher.

Hi Unkl Ian…………Quite right

Hi Thierry ………… Maybe a book length description is more what you need

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

I was just on Pedretti's website and he calls bulino "the burin technique", and from what I have read here I guess he would call the tool he uses a bulino. Just the opposite as here in the U.S. where we use a burin to do bulino. I am thoroughly confused. I go now, make little dots with my little pointy tool.