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Engraving


impala59
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In the search for more knowledge, skill and good end results I once again seek your advice gentlemen.

Having reflected on my shotgun collection and deciding to thin it somewhat, I can concentrate on doing the things I really want to. I have two steel receivers that I need, on one, to deepen and enhance the existing machine rolled engraving and on the other to custom engrave.

I have a couple of variable speed rotary dremel type tools and have been looking at the diamond bit sets available. Is this the right way to go? Is there a specific technique to undertaking this work?

I would be most grateful for your advice and counsel

Roland

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Certainly most of the engraving work I have seen....that is hand produced....has been with custom made chisels. I have done a fair bit of glass engraving with rotary tools and for that they are fine, but I'm not sure you will get the finish you require on metal. Not difficult to get a piece of steel plate, polish the surface and give it a go before you attack your guns.

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Certainly most of the engraving work I have seen....that is hand produced....has been with custom made chisels. I have done a fair bit of glass engraving with rotary tools and for that they are fine, but I'm not sure you will get the finish you require on metal. Not difficult to get a piece of steel plate, polish the surface and give it a go before you attack your guns.

 

always fancied to do that.....that is the way i would go first...

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I had a go at this a couple of years ago when I'd made a particularly large batch of sloe gin and decided to give my mates an engraved and personalised hip flask. I knackered 3 hip flasks before I got any idea of what I was doing with the dremel - I reckon if you're going to do it, hammer and chisel on a slowly, slowly basis is the only way to credibly go. There's not enough precision in the dremel and that was only on very mild steel.

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I dont think you will get a favourable finish using a Dremel type tool. proper engravers use either a hammer and various chisels or an air operated chisel with various styles chisels.

Before you plunge into an action with a Dremel get a piece of steel and try doing it on that

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I don't know the answer to your question, but look forward to finding out.

 

What are the receivers from?

 

2 Ithaca model 37's, the 1965 which I wish to refresh and a new (to me) 1959 (which is appropriate to my PW avatar)

 

Certainly most of the engraving work I have seen....that is hand produced....has been with custom made chisels. I have done a fair bit of glass engraving with rotary tools and for that they are fine, but I'm not sure you will get the finish you require on metal. Not difficult to get a piece of steel plate, polish the surface and give it a go before you attack your guns.

 

Sounds like good advice, tried it on a piece of aluminium and the tool skated away, so steel would be worse. hoping for providence from the PWer's may have to get some reading in methinks!

 

I've searched the online shopping sites but can't seem to find the engraving chisels or instruction books, maybe its some form of black art!

Edited by impala59
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http://i.imgur.com/gG5uJmH.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/gG5uJmH.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/HwZOVlB.jpg

 

I hope these upload. They were taken at the Nuremberg Gunshow last year. I have a limited experience in engraving. When at Art College I watched guys do it. Mostly silver which is much softer than steel. I made my own engravers but it's an Artform of course. I can't see any Dremel tool doing it. I'm thinking that much of the work is done while the steel is soft them subjected to the Hardening process. I'm certain my Yeoman No. 3 was engraved simply them Case Hardened. Please let us see anything you try.

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Also interested in this so please keep us updated. I have been thnking about how I can make the engraving on my Browning stand out a bit more, some form of gold infill but dont know how to do it!

That's easy, have done that on a few guns,just spray gold paint into a lid and with a touch up brush just paint infill area and wipe over with thinners on cloth thats tight to your finger so doesnt creep into the infill,then repeat and end with clear laquer,looks knock out on black.

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The trouble with dremel is they spin rather than "punch" like a proper engraver.

the chances of a run off is very high with a dremel you can use masking tape, put a couple of bits on top of each other onto the work surface, write in felt tip or draw what you intend to engrave then go over it with the dremel, its not the best finish. But the tape tends to keep the point where you want it.

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I use Malcolm long for all gun engraving work. He engraves for Holland and Holland and his work is second to none. Not cheap but I've never regretted any money handed over!

 

Also bought some gravers (fell in the first trap and bought some rubbish cheap ones) a friend gave me a decent on to use. Copper is good to practice on, and an engravers vice is a must when you want to start doing curved lines. ( in talking here like I can do it; I can't and got bored with trying. I have managed to scratch some steel practice plates before though )

 

You could spend a couple of hours a day for a week just to start and stop a atraight line where you want to.

 

Also most gun receivers are hardened in some way post engraving so you have that to deal with.

 

Basically if you buy some decent tools now in five years you might be able to chase up the engraving.

 

Generally speaking the Dremel does everything; and none of it well. Generally there is a specialist tool that does the job of each bit in a Dremel box better than a Dremel can do it.

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My background is engineering (toolmaker) I have been fortunate enough over the years to sit and watch a few engravers of guns in the Birmingham gun quarter (now sadly most of it as gone) their level of concentration and skill is something to behold, the engraving tools need to-be constantly sharpened as the cutting edge soon blunts and as above, if the part you wish to engrave is casehardened you will need tungsten or diamond tipped tools to cut into the steel, these tools will need lapping on a fine diamond disk.

 

You may have artistic flare but the type of engraving on guns takes many years to master, when you start put a few pictures up so we can see your progress.

 

good luck :good:

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Points taken gentlemen, the low cost gravers that i bought also allowed me to scratch some copper, aluminium et al. I'm going nowhere near my guns with either these tools, the dremel or my sad lack of skill! I did wonder why engraving had not been comprehensively covered on this site, it is definitely a serious skill, learned over many years and speaking recently to a jewelry engraver it may be a dying art. I hope not and when i want it done i will use a professional!

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When my father was a clockmaker he had a Swiss pantograph engraving machine - basically you followed the drawn out design with a pointer and the rotary cutting tool engraved the design on the brass plate. He used it to make brass clock faces.

I tried to use it to engrave an aluminium name-plate for one of my bikes.

The result was rubbish.

Even using a dedicated machine took a whole lot more skill than I could muster.

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