We are very fortunate indeed...

[Roger Bleile]

We here at The Engraver's Cafe are so fortunate to have several of the great masters of our art posting here, showing their work, and sharing information with us. I could write a list of their names here but if you have been visiting the Cafe for any time you don't need me to tell you who they are. Their work speaks for them and if I forgot to mention one of them it would be a shame.

I am not one of these masters but I have studied arms engraving in depth for many years. I have examined fine arms engraved and inlayed over the centuries in my travels around the US and Europe and it is my opinion that the work of the contemporary masters has reached a level not seen at any other time in history. Works from the shops of Boutet, LePage and others doing work for the aristocracy in earlier times can be most impressive but when studying these pieces in fine detail I see nothing equal to today's greatest masters.

I mention all of this to point out to some of our beginning and aspiring engravers our previously unheard of good fortune. We are able to not only see the works in detailed photos but to be able to ask questions of masters who have devoted decades of intense study and effort to bring the engraver's art to a zenith of perfection and whose only reward for sharing is our thanks.

For those of us who labored and struggled for years in isolation, the opportunities presented here are an undreamed of blessing and inspiration. I realize that every famous engraver does not participate here for one reason or another but it is my hope that more will. Never the less, I want to express my gratitude to the masters posting here. You have my appreciation and respect. And the same to Sam Alfano for creating and maintaining this forum that makes this exchange possible.

Roger

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Roger

Very nicely put................we are indeed blessed.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Couldn't agree more. Some of us are hundreds of miles away from another engraver but this site makes it seem like everyone is in the next county. There's a lot of information here but there's also something to be said about the energy and motivation that just seems to eminate from these pages.

This site has pretty much become the only means of contact I have with the "outside" world. My one and only Internet stop. That's by choice.

Chris

 

[Mike Bissell]

Roger - Very well said !!!!

Mike

 

[KCSteve]

Very well said Roger!

Although I don't know if I quite agree with you not being one of the current Masters. Has the bar really been pushed that high?

As one of the many beginners on here it's nice to see just how far it's possible to go. Don't expect to ever get there myself, but I believe I'm going to work my way up to "pretty darn good" and that's enough to keep me happy. Won't stop me from trying to get up where the air is thin but it won't discourage me to not quite get there.

I think the Internet is why this forum works so well.

In the old days, any engraver you shared with was your competition - generally your direct competition and anything you gave him you took from the mouths of your family. Things like that tend to keep the flow of information choked down a bit.

Plus it just wasn't very easy to share. You could write a letter and add in some drawings to send to oen person, who could pass it (or a copy) along to another. It really hasn't been that long that it's been practical to include photographs and make machine made copies of the text for 'mass' distribution. Sure, magazines have been around for quite a long time but engraving's a niche - and not one rich enough (at least on the production side) to support the high cost of a niche magazine. FEGA pretty much started about as soon as it could be done - I'm sure the desire for something like it has bounced around for about as long as there's been more than three engravers.

But now we've got the Web - and nice forum software like this. That lets you interact with people on the far side of the world (Hi Andrew!) as if they were in the next room. Keyboards may be tricky for some but they're still faster than a pen and ink. Even if it's hard for you to get a picture into the computer it's not hard to get it back out so you can at least see.

The timing is great too - email (and forum messages) are "instant when you get to it" things. That's a class of communications that's never existed before and which younger people seem to be missing the greatness of. In the past we had just two kinds of communication: Instant (talking to someone) or Deferred (letters and other 'sent' text). We've moved into some more kinds of 'instant' with pop up messages and such but the problem with 'instant' communications is that I may not want to talk to you right now. It's not that I'm not interested, I'm just busy.

Ok, so use deferred methods. But those aren't tied to my schedule either, at least in the old days. A 'conversation' by mail takes a long time.

But ah, email! Now I can let your message sit there quietly, waiting until I'm ready to deal with it. As soon as I am, there it is! My reply shoots back to you the same way - "instant when you get to it".

These forums are the same thing but 'open' rather than 'closed' - going to many rather than just one.

And going back to that 'world-wide' part of the web - that's important too. Roger has no worries about sharing all of his secrets with me because I'm not his competition (even ignoring the difference in skill levels and areas of practice). Sure, there's a chance that someone somewhere else could wind up choosing me over Roger but they could just as easily have gone with someone 'local'.

Or, to put it simply: It's a good time to be an engraver!

 

[carl bleile]

In the not so good old days I would wait for the new Gun Digest to come out so I could look at the tiny pictures of other engravers work, study with a magnifier and make my work better. They printed one of my pieces in the early 70s and I felt great I was finally in print. After that I thought it would be alright to politely write to other engravers and swap pictures and ideas. There were very few gun engravers at that time doing custom work and the factory engravers had no wish to talk it was just a job to them.
It was very slow going back then, no books , mags., or net, just letters and a little phone, even the phone was expensive. I would drive a thousand miles or more to spend a few hours with another engraver.
I know the master engravers here have had the experience of someone that wants to be an engraver talk to them at a show, phone, or e-mail and in a short time you can tell there are looking for short cuts or the magic tools so they can quickly start cutting ( or ruin )
a gun, knife, etc. When we tell them to start drawing first, get the basics of sharpening down and then start on a pile of practice plates, at that time you can tell who is really interested and the ones that think we are full of bull and just don’t want them to know the real secretes.
I would like to add that I’m always open to talking or e-mailing with anyone that is truly interested in our craft and art.
One of my best learning experiences in my early years was when a master engraver told me EVERYTHING that was WRONG with a piece I did (I was a little happy with it) I can guarantee you I never made those mistakes again!!!
Carl Bleile
Cincinnati,Ohio

 

[Dulltool]

I am very flattered......

 

[Marcus Hunt]

The most wonderful thing about this forum is the hand of friendship that has extended from it.
From past experiences at the Grand Masters Program weekend, the feeling that one is meeting up with a bunch of strangers has been replaced by the feeling of meeting up with old friends, even though we'd never met before in the flesh. I, for one, find this truly amazing.

All the sharing and critiques that go on in the Cafe have one thing in mind, to help us improve our work and art. These are 'secrets or mysteries' that have been hidden for centuries and are now being openly traded. Why? As I see it, the mindset that now seems present is one of 'the more good engraving we can put out to the world so people can see it, the greater the demand for it will grow.' All the 'master' (for want of another word) engravers are sharing ideas like never before. Now is truly a new dawn for the art and it's great to be in on the renaissance.

 

[FANCYGUN]

For those of you that are unaware of this...............Roger is actually the one responsible for the original informational meeting of engravers which let to the formation of FEGA. Those of us that were there remember when it was announced at the Vegas Gun Show that a handful of engravers had banded together to form a guild, the reaction was it will never last from the dealers in the hall. Remember that one Roger? Thanks for what you have helped create.

Marty

 

[Roger Bleile]

Thanks Marty. I really appreciate it. Though it has been many years ago, I consider my small role in starting the guild a key accomplishment of my life. It has been through the dedicated work of many others like you that the guild not only survived but grew and matured.

RB

 

[Ron Smith]

On the mark Roger! This "new" attitude came about through the love of the art rather than what one person would get out of it for himself alone. The art was dying due to the fact that people would not share. The old "Masters" were dying off, and if we were going to save it we had to change the attitudes of the artists involved in that time. It probably came about honestly however as Steve clearly indicated, and he is right on too, due to the people just coming out of that "great depression" era. People needed to protect their employment because they were just lucky to have a job.

That original intent (formation of the guild) was to save our beautiful art, a totally unselfish approach which blossomed into what it is today. You give something a strong foundation based on love and it cannot fail, but I remember Mr. Prudhomme warning us that if we made this a clickish group, it would die. That is what happened to "The society of American Engravers" organization. I tell this story in my latest book.

Roger sort of got this ball going probably for the same reasons that I wrote my books. We had no information that would help us advance until James meeks came along later to add to it, if I am remembering the time line correctly, and then Mr. Prudhomme came out with his book and we all gained from those excellent close up examples of fine work.

Anyway, I saw some very big voids in information and decided to help increase that anemic information situation of those days. And I think Roger did too.

Steve, You have the right attitude. You look up at that huge mountain and realize the work, even though you haven't walked the path before, but instead of shrinking away from such an arduous task, you approach it a step at a time which allows you to climb that mountain.

One thing I would like to say here is, the only limitations that you have are the ones that you put on yourself, and if a guy like me can do it, so can you, providing you have the right stuff, and as much as we talk about what tools we like, the very most important tool you have is your character. I am not special, just determined. (Some would call it stubborn). The strength you have to endure and conquer and allow nothing to stand in your way of your journey to the top of that mountain. Time is irrelavant and none of us understand this better than those who had to climb that mountain alone.

And that is my two cents on the subject...............and I don't regret one minute of it. It has been an honor and it has peaked in the fact that I find myself amongst similar souls who understand me.

A great time to be an engraver!!!............right Roger?, and all that were there who helped to get this worthy ball rolling. The comradery of this group is the power of its existance and continuance.

Great move Sam................Now we need to educate the rest of this culture. Take every opportunity to share and show your clients, your friends, and the people how and why you do your work. That will benifit us all.

Forward!

Ron S

 

[gail.m]

Roger, You said it so well. I can tell you that my experience at this year's engrave-in is living proof of the qualities you mentioned of today's engravers.
I took up this pursuit of engraving a little over a year ago because of a long time love affair with the art. Everyone at the engrave in made me feel not like an outsider looking in, but as a fellow artist and 'member of the tribe' so to speak. The generous and gregarious persons I met there are a great reflection of the character and strength of this group of artists. I am pleased to say that I am proud of my association with them, and pleased to be a receptor of their gift of knowledge shared.
At my age, I have no delusions of becoming a 'great one', but I am constantly striving to do my personal best as an artist, and now Ron, I do not have to 'climb that mountain alone'. This is made easier for me because of people like you and all the forum members, and, of course, Sam for hosting this forum.
gailm

 

[KCSteve]

Ron

It's a lot easier to follow some one up a mountain than to blaze your own path - especially when the folks who've gone ahead have not only left nice signposts, they've built bridges over the chasms.

 

[Ron Smith]

I am joyfull in the fact that now engravers might get the respect they deserve, and make a decent living at it if they wish..................The future for them looks bright...........

 

[Steve223]

I havent been around for awhile but indeed we are lucky i have learned more than i can say from this forum.
Thank you to all the masters that share so freely of there time and knoldge
Steve

 

[Mike Fennell]

I recall sitting in the local Andrew Carnegie library t back in early ‘60's, scrutinizing the engraved firearms in Gun Digest , when I couldn’t concentrate on homework.

I did not have the tools to make the tools back then, so I went to college and to law school, raised a family and had a fine career until the work and stress began to wreck my health and I grew tired of watching my best work go into the dumpster, just to make room in the storage facility for the latest files. I then decided I would like to leave behind something more lasting when I depart this world., so I bought James Meek’s book., made some gravers out of old concrete nails and cut down a ballpeen hammer for a chaser.

Then I discovered this site.

Thanks for the information and photographs that all you generous and talented people share here. I take my first engraving class next week. This is fun! I hope I live to be a hundred so that I may someday approach the quality of the work you ladies and gentlemen continually demonstrate here.

Mike

 

[Christopher Malouf]

Ron

It's a lot easier to follow some one up a mountain than to blaze your own path - especially when the folks who've gone ahead have not only left nice signposts, they've built bridges over the chasms.

Steve,

Without places like this site to exchange info and ideas, you could spend your entire life "blazing" a trail only to look back and realize it was a beaten "path". The ability to stay current and try something new or different is no longer a question of "if" but when. For awhile we follow but the advantage of breaking away is ours.

Chris

 

[Ron Smith]

We all have to follow for a while, but the artist must break away! That is what he does, that is what he is, and artists by nature generally aren't good followers anyway.But then as meager as the exposure to them was, my mentors (kornbrath, Fugger, etc. etc) inspred me to rise and better myself, and that is what life is about.