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Hi Lisle,
I got serious about learning to engrave 6 years ago after seeing Lynton McKensie's instructional videos. Before then I would engrave my name and sometimes a few decorative lines with a hammer and chisel but nothing more. I shaped, carved, installed inlays, and did all the other tasks in muzzleloading gunmaking well but I really felt my skills were incomplete because I hadn't mastered engraving. My wife bought me McKenzie's videos as a present and away I went with my hammer and chisel. I became pretty proficient engraving with the hammer and chisel in about 2 years largely because I have good hand working skills, I can draw well, and I love old engravings. I also took to heart McKenzie's advice to keep the graver sharp. That was the key to success perhaps above all else. I have a huge library of digital and printed examples of engraving from 1200 to the present. I study those images frequently. One other advantage I have is my wife. Gail is a talented designer who once worked for several graphic design firms. Some of the cereals and other food products that you probably buy come in packages designed by Gail. She is of immense help teaching me the universal rudiments of good design. I also learned to master the hand graver particularly for details and shading. I learned, that after making sure the graver was sharp, the other main secrets to good engraving were a good design, well drawn, and accurately transferred to the metal. After some years using hammer and chisel, I started having trouble seeing the point of the chisel as my eyes got older. As happens to most people in middle age, your lens hardens and the eye muscles weaken shifting your focus outward. My eyes changed significantly in only 2 years and I could not see the chisel point very well even using magnification because it was awkward trying to position my head to be able to see well and keep that position so everything remained in focus while tapping away with the hammer. I finally invested in a Lindsay Airgraver 2 years ago, which was the ticket. That enabled me to do all my engraving as if using a hand graver if I chose. It is much easier to keep things in focus that way. However, I still often (as in the butt plate above) outline my figures using a hammer and chisel to achieve a vintage look but do the detail work with the airgraver. That is where I am now. I am self-taught but I really work at it.
dave
I got serious about learning to engrave 6 years ago after seeing Lynton McKensie's instructional videos. Before then I would engrave my name and sometimes a few decorative lines with a hammer and chisel but nothing more. I shaped, carved, installed inlays, and did all the other tasks in muzzleloading gunmaking well but I really felt my skills were incomplete because I hadn't mastered engraving. My wife bought me McKenzie's videos as a present and away I went with my hammer and chisel. I became pretty proficient engraving with the hammer and chisel in about 2 years largely because I have good hand working skills, I can draw well, and I love old engravings. I also took to heart McKenzie's advice to keep the graver sharp. That was the key to success perhaps above all else. I have a huge library of digital and printed examples of engraving from 1200 to the present. I study those images frequently. One other advantage I have is my wife. Gail is a talented designer who once worked for several graphic design firms. Some of the cereals and other food products that you probably buy come in packages designed by Gail. She is of immense help teaching me the universal rudiments of good design. I also learned to master the hand graver particularly for details and shading. I learned, that after making sure the graver was sharp, the other main secrets to good engraving were a good design, well drawn, and accurately transferred to the metal. After some years using hammer and chisel, I started having trouble seeing the point of the chisel as my eyes got older. As happens to most people in middle age, your lens hardens and the eye muscles weaken shifting your focus outward. My eyes changed significantly in only 2 years and I could not see the chisel point very well even using magnification because it was awkward trying to position my head to be able to see well and keep that position so everything remained in focus while tapping away with the hammer. I finally invested in a Lindsay Airgraver 2 years ago, which was the ticket. That enabled me to do all my engraving as if using a hand graver if I chose. It is much easier to keep things in focus that way. However, I still often (as in the butt plate above) outline my figures using a hammer and chisel to achieve a vintage look but do the detail work with the airgraver. That is where I am now. I am self-taught but I really work at it.
dave
