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Old 08-23-2008, 09:24 AM
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Roger Bleile Roger Bleile is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kentucky
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Default Re: What should I get?

Dangerdan,

When it comes to tooling all of the above comments are valid. I started hammer & chisel 32 years ago, got a Magnagraver then a GRS Gravermeister which I used for a long time. I recently got a Lindsay Palm Control and as Roland said it is the Rolls Royce of engraving tools.

That said, I must interject that there is much more to engraving guns and knives (especially guns) than the tools used for the cutting of metal. I and others here have repeated the following many times but I will say it again. Knowing what to engrave is as important as how to engrave. All of the nice work you see pictured here and elsewhere started with a design created by the engraver. You can't by a pack of stencils or some such like tattooers sometimes use (and the best, like my brother, still do their own designs). I will say this again, a good design executed by an amature will look better than a poor design engraved by a master.

So this means an aspiring engraver must study the art part of the trade and get that down. All you will need is an artists pencil, erasers, paper and a book on scroll design and Ron Smith's is the best. Here is a link to the books: http://www.fega.com/prodserv/BooksSC.asp Scroll design is very important if you hope to do work on guns as that is what people expect to see on guns. There are many variations on scroll but there are some rules as to scroll design that have developed over centuries. When these rules are broken by a novice the work looks amaturish.

Good luck on your interest in the craft but be prepared for a long road of development.

C. Roger Bleile
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