Hand Engraving Basics - What To Cut First 

Love watching your video's you are a master

Good stuff

Me too. It's mesmerizing.

I just watched Rick Alexander's videos on the equipment builds. Wow!!! I heard you were one of the people that kinda started the ball rolling there. Thanks Man!

I'll be doing some more soon.

Not sure reason you noted your wish to get involved in metal art as 'abnormal'. Since 6 years, have you persued your calling?

Thanks for watching.

Thank you, I've got some more I'll be doing soonish.

Doing the arcs like in the video is not too daunting, you just keep working on them till they all look consistent.

Thank you

grs.com ngraver.com and have a look at forums for advice as well. I make most of the tools I use, but the vice, magnification, carbide blanks and punches you buy.

+robert andreaccio z I made mine. Look up N Graver and GRS.

Thanks, shop.spreadshirt.com/100056130/

There's some basic crossover which pretty much applies to any carving, just the tools are different. You also carving in something pretty hard, but at least consistent unlike wood where you deal with grain direction, and changes. Any carving is hard to learn, regardless of the material.

Will do

Pretty much just what the video said, your biggest hurdle outside of the skill is the tools. Just engraving one thing is almost unfeasible because it takes so much practice to get to the point where it will look decent....so all that practice would be hard and a lot less efficient without the right stuff. I'd say slowly get the stuff together if your serious and just practice. The arcs are all you should worry about for a while. Just use mild steel flat stock. Look for more engraving content and perhaps someone to teach you.....not easy.

I'm not sure as my father taught/teaching me. Check out some of the forums or engraving tool supplies companies. Not to discourage you but learning engraving is nowhere near easy. And you will not have an easy time finding someone to teach you hammer and chisel engraving. There are quite a few people who do engraving with pneumatic hand pieces. I'll be posting more as I can.

Yes it can, just has to be a reversed image. You can also use carbide tipped grinding bits for flex shaft tools or dremels I guess. The easiest way is designing it and paying a company to do it.

Thanks. I wasn't looking for the easiest way, but for a way to do it with the minimum amount of tools.

Just keep your pants zipped up.

The heavier the better for vibration and shakes. I think this one is about 30 pounds. I would not want one smaller.

Drew Janney if yo still need answers, I’m also starting my own studio at home and went through the same dilemma. you must look everywhere! You may find stuff on pawn shops, garage sales, let go, Craigslist and eBay. I bought most of what I have off of eBay but had some headache here and there but I just can’t afford buying new stuff at least right now. You must get familiar with tools for the trade in general. know your prices or you end up buying wrong or too expensive tools to start. Also, learn brands and reasons why one tool is more expensive than the other, and a good example are files! Files can be expensive and they are worth their weight in gold! But a good file will save you hours of labor, aggravations, and a better finish. That goes to every tool in this case. I was extremely blessed to meet some very kind people on eBay that helped me a lot! Some older folks who know how hard is to start and appreciate young people eager to learn. They were very kind to me and I have no way to thank them enough for it but promised to honor them with my work and be proud to care for the very same tools that brought them so much joy. I hope it helps! Good luck. Edson

Thank you very much for your kindness on sharing your knowledge and approach to such a beautiful and challenging art form! Every artisan has its own way to execute the same task and we must all observe and see what we can learn from anyone willing to offer any help! Appreciate you and hope you’re doing fine on this field! Your hand technique gave me more control over my powered hand engraver as well! I use your advice every time I practice even though I don’t have to move the body my kept me steady while moving the piece I’m engraving instead! Thank you! Edson

I make them both, the handles on a metal lathe and the carbide chisel is ground from a 2 inch 1/8 diameter micro grain carbide blank from congress tool.

No on tools, sort of on technique but only in the way of what way you lay to tool over, otherwise it is different. As I said in the video, it really is it's own craft with very little crossover into other crafts.

got ya, thanks for the tips.

Learning the skill of hand engraving to do one project would be crazy. If I where you I'd do it one of two ways. Design the whole thing and have it laser engraved or you could acid etch it. You would mask off the whole thing then expose the areas you want etched. Look up copper plate print making.

No, it's a magna block vise sitting in its normal tire vise on a block built up out of wood. The vise swivels in it's middle and the resistance is adjusted by a allen bolt.

true!

Maybe, but I don't see it as a very long lasting tool..... maybe good for practicing shaping, but even then I would rather just go carbide. You can also use HSS for softer metals and mild steel, once you get into firearms the steel is harder and more difficult to engrave. The sharper the tool, the nicer the cut....making the carbide perfect. But for someone who is going to engrave softer metals, jewelry for example, I guess the demand on the tool is less.

Yes you can, if you're cutting nonferrous metals like copper, gold, and silver. However, if you're going to cut steel, you're going to want carbide tools like Homestead Craftsman said. I don't know if concrete nails are harder than the steels you'd try to cut, but they have to be if it's going to work, as a general rule, and since it's probably not hardened, it will wear out quickly and you'll be sharpening a lot. There's a video on youtube of an engraver using a nail, in fact. Like Homestead Craftsman said though, carbide is better. I've re-appropriated old high speed steel burrs as engraving tools, and they cut through gold, silver and copper easily. Using a nail, you will have to sharpen more often, and if you don't have precision sharpening jigs, your angles will be different until you get adept at sharpening, which will further exacerbate your problems engraving. I've been doing jewelry repair for years now, and have been getting into engraving fairly recently myself.

One picks up a pencil and draws them.

@@thehomesteadcraftsman8975 Thought you might use or recommend a book with patterns or stencils...smartass. lol

I started out making them for myself but enough people asked about them so I sell them now - Here's the link. shop.spreadshirt.com/100056130/ You can also get to the link through my site - www.thehomesteadcraftsman.com Thanks.

Carbide

I'm doing a video on how to make them, which includes sharpening.

No, there's a big price difference in the end result from a lighter to a firearm.

Thank you.

Tried to use bench vice? Ball vice, (unless lockable in different positions) will not remain static because it is designed for push engraving. As such needs to be rotated by the non dominant hand for push graver work.

One of the guns in the last video had grips I made, it was the Taurus Public Defender...sort of wood and metal. But I know what you mean, I've got some ideas for furniture with metal components that are engraved....I'll get to it sooner or later. Thanks.

Good luck

+michael cunningham Thanks

+Big Dan Tool control is the hardest....along with everything else.

I'm mainly trying to find something to get into after destroying my back. I'm really not sure this is it, but I've always been good at working with my hands. Right now I'm tooling up for knife making, but I want to set myself apart from all of the other knife makers out there. I'm limited to how much I can do, as often a few hours of work will put me in agony for several days. But I need something I can do that is productive. Something that can help me rehabilitate. I'll never be able to haul logs out of the woods on my shoulder again, but if I can at least build myself up to being able to sit upright for 8 hours a day I can regain something of a life once more.

GRS and Ngraver for some stuff. I make the rest. There also pneumatic engraving with a handpiece. If you are serious, which is the only way to learn to engrave, I'd hunt down someone to teach you. Doing it on your own is an uphill battle, it's hard enough when someone is teaching you.

THANKS!!

I would like to do more.

Another small series for beginners that have already seen your first videos would be great

Sounds good, I've got a range of videos that would be good for that. Good luck.

Excellent! Thank you!

lu Pham use carbide chisels. You can buy carbide blanks of about any size from centennial carbide.com

brandy sigmon thank you very much

I make them or either buy them from GRS or Ngraver. Here's a video on making the chisel handle. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YFXo25A8RjA.html&lc=z13icpewjym2zhqp304cid4opyaxjpgycok0k

The eagle is engraved just like the rest and then selectively gold plated. Basically the surrounding area is masked off and plated. Another way is to gold inlay where you cut out the border, then remove the rest of the metal within the shape how ever deep you desire for the gold you will inlay. The shape is under cut and stippled so that the metal can be hammered into the shape and locks in. The gold is then engraved. The two look similar but the inlay is much more expensive to have done.

The Homestead Craftsman thx for you reply.