Full Version: Stunt Engraving: Don't Try This at Home!
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1]
22 Feb 2006
To: ALL
Home, is exactly where I engraved these items. :-)
From the following photo, the project seems harmless enough.
The color-filled emblem on the cast, pewter tankard was part of the original manufacture. The customer wanted to personalize each tankard, aftermarket.
No big deal; right?
Well, no big deal if the group would have settled for diamond-drag engraving. They wanted names engraved, that would have the same impact as the black, color-filled image on the front of the tankard.
Now, that's a pretty tall order!
The organization also wanted the characters to be large, meaning 3/4" on the capital letters.
Now, they're getting ridiculous! I mean, who in their right mind, would, or could, meet such a requirement?
I never claimed to be in my right mind, at any point, during my career as a Stunt Engraver. In fact, I don't recommend taking these types of jobs on at all.
For me, it's too late to take my own advice. As tedious and difficult as these jobs can be, I truly enjoy the challenge.
Here's how I went about the project.
First, I wanted a typeface with some style to it, but not a multi-line font. I chose "Cursive."
Hurdle #1: My brass set of type would never generate a 3/4" capital letter.
That's why I used a computerized rotary engraving system, to engrave 1 1/2" high charcaters on plastic templates, which, when engraved at 2:1 on a manual pantograph, would render 3/4" characters.
Hurdle #2: Since using a nose-regulator, for depth control, would scratch the surface of the tankard and the item has tapered sides, there wasn't much choice, but to engrave without a depth regulator at all!
That means I would have to control the depth and width-of-cut, strictly by sight and feel! Yikes!
I really don't recommend that method of depth control, unless you have a lot of practice on scrap material. Of course, this job didn't leave any margin for error.
I was in my comfort zone. :-)
Using a .060, carbide-tipped cutter, I began to make the irreversible incisions. Starting at the higher end of the taper (bottom section) and carving my way down the taper, I watched the "walls" of the engraved characters, to guage depth, while visually tracking the width-of-cut.
It's important to do this type of work under ample lighting, or ideally, natural daylight, in order to see how consistent a stroke you're developing. You don't want to be fooled by shadows.
Using multiple passes and going over areas that needed "beefing up" I engraved all characters at an approximate depth of 1/16".
That's pretty deep, in anyone's book.
Hurdle #3: Paint-filling on a curved surface.
On tankards with longer names, color-filling all the letters at the same time, meant paint would run out of some of the characters. I had no choice, but to fill the letters in sections, going back to unpainted letters as previously-filled sections partially dried.
Final cleanup was done with WD-40; enough solvent to break down the dried enamel, and enough oil content to "glide" across letters without pulling the paint out.
With 32 tankards to engrave, I didn't take pictures of the process, but I did make a point of capturing a sample of the finished product.
Hurdle #4: Getting the desire to ever engrave these items again!
But we know I will. :-)
EDITED: 23 Feb 2006 by DGL
From: gt350ed [#2]
22 Feb 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1] 23 Feb 2006
From: Myyk [#3]
22 Feb 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1] 23 Feb 2006
You do enjoy a challenge don't you? Me, I'm lazy and invariably take the line of least resistance.
Therefore if I had to do this job (and I would have priced to put the client off and help him decide it was more economic to diamond drag), I would have opted to mask, sandblast and paint spray before removing the mask.
Obviously, there is more than one way to skin the proverbial.
Great job, but too scary for me!
From: Puck (PUCKERBRUSH) [#4]
23 Feb 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1] 23 Feb 2006
Stunt Engraver,
Very nicely done!
Are those from Statesman metal?
Puck
From: Rodney Gold (RODNEY_GOLD) [#5]
23 Feb 2006
To: ALL
You sure are masochistic:) Well done!!
I sometimes take on jobs like that but invariably regret it when trying to do em. vow to NEVER do it again, but hell , I'm a nice guy that can't say NO.
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#6]
23 Feb 2006
To: Puck (PUCKERBRUSH) [#4] 23 Feb 2006
The tankards came from Pennsylvania. Not sure of the manufacturer.
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#7]
23 Feb 2006
To: Rodney Gold (RODNEY_GOLD) [#5] 23 Feb 2006
I can see you understand the living hell I call my livelihood. :-)
I do get easier jobs, but for the mostpart, it's the oddball stuff.
From: Cindy (CINDYM) [#8]
23 Feb 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#7] 23 Feb 2006
What I want to know is where do our clients come up with thinking this stuff up for us??
Cindy M
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#9]
23 Feb 2006
To: Cindy (CINDYM) [#8] Unread
Cindy,
That's an easy one. Active imaginations, without knowing our limitations.
I hate to be told something can't be done, and sometimes, to my detriment, prove it's possible.
I have to confess, there is a deeper motive at play.
Could you imagine the look on another engravers face, when someone brings one of these tankards in, to match the engraving?
I can. (devil)
EDITED: 23 Feb 2006 by DGL