Engraving Forum.com - The Internet's Largest and Fastest Growing Engraving Community

The Internet's Largest and Fastest Growing Engraving Community
Discuss hand engraving using basic to the most advanced methods and equipment
Forum Members: 14,732. Welcome to our newest member, Miss Allison
EngravingForum.com - Domain since Feb 7, 2003

Graver Video Conferencing is empty Join now!


Go Back   Engraving Forum.com - The Internet's Largest and Fastest Growing Engraving Community > Forums > Who's Who - Hand Engraving Forum
ENGRAVING TOOLS - Paypal accepted Classes Glossary Feedback Tips Sharpening Bulino Videos Forum Policies

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 04-30-2011, 04:40 PM
Tina Tina is offline
Copper
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Remscheid, Germany
Posts: 4
Default Hello from Germany

Hello from Germany,

my name is Tina and I am from a town near cologne. I found this forum while I was searching the internet for engraving tools to buy. It seems as if it´s almost impossible to get some in Germany. Till now I haven´t engraved anything, but I´d like to begin with the right tools from the start. Hopefully in a few weeks (or months) I can report about my first steps.
It would be great to get tips where I could watch, try and buy engraving tools in Germany and if there are schools where I can learn the basics (not fulltime because of my job). For I´ve seen so many beautifull works on this page, I´d like to start immediately .

Greetings,
Tina.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04-30-2011, 10:12 PM
Roger Bleile's Avatar
Roger Bleile Roger Bleile is offline
Platinum
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,709
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Tina,

Welcome to this forum. There are many things you can learn here but it is not like having a course of study that has been established over the years.

One of the world's best hand engraving schools is in Suhl, Germany. While it is a full time school (as far as I know) I am sure that if you contact one of the masters you can receive some direction and advice, especially where to get tools.

You do not say what it is that you want to engrave but gun engraving is the largest source of work for hand engravers, especially in Germany. Learning gun engraving will also position you to work on knives as well. On the other hand if you wish to learn engraving only for jewelry it is another matter and does not require as many skills and artistry as gun and knife work.

Guns are mainly engraved with hammer and chisel or in German, mit hammer und stichel. Jewelry is mainly engraved with a burin (hand Stichel) which is also known as a push graver. Anything can be engraved with an AirGraver as made and sold by Steve Lindsay, however these are very rare among German engravers because the masters were all taught with the traditional tools and have little or no experience with air powered gravers.

German engravers have a very unique way of engraving scrollwork with hammer & chisel. They use an off center vise with a bearing under it and have a technique for making the vise rotate as they engrave spirals. I tried to do the technique when I visited the Merkel factory but could only get the vise and work to go half way round. I was told it takes lots of instruction and practice to work in this way. I have never seen engravers in any other country (including Austria) engrave as German trained engravers do but I must say it is very efficient.

The name and address of the engraving school is: Berufsfachschule Buchsenmacher & Graveure, Robert-Schumann Strasse 6, 98529 Suhl.

The e-mail address is: bfs-suhl@freenet.de

The phone number is: 0 36 81/ 71 46 16

The masters are Werner Wahl and Andreas Amthor. They are both very nice and helpful fellows and could give you some valuable advice.

Also it would be helpful to click on the link under my signature for the engraving glossary (worterbuch) which has many definitions with pictures, some of the words are German.

Best of luck,

Roger
__________________
C. Roger Bleile
Author of: American Engravers series of books. FEGA Historian and Founding Charter Member
http://www.engravingglossary.com/
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-01-2011, 02:16 AM
R.Capece R.Capece is offline
Steel
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 40
Default Re: Hello from Germany

hello Tina
just for a look, you are not far from the school in Luttich,
ecole Leon Mignon and for tools it's easy in Belgium to find what you want
bye Rocco
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-01-2011, 12:53 PM
Tina Tina is offline
Copper
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Remscheid, Germany
Posts: 4
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Hi Roger, Hi Rocco,

thank you very much for your tips. I just bought some burins at ebay and can´t wait to get them. Before I decide what I´m going to engrave I want to do a lot of excercises to get a feeling for tools and materials. The reason why I´m so interested in starting engraving are the fine and beautifull patterns and the passion and love one need to create such things. I live near to the town Solingen which is famous for its cutlery, so it is liklely that knives are the things I will engrave, we´ll see.

Bye,

Tina.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-01-2011, 12:53 PM
gravalance's Avatar
gravalance gravalance is offline
Platinum
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Denmark
Posts: 301
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Hi Tina!
Welcome here:-)
I also come from Germany and learned engraving in Hanau in the Staatliche Zeichenakademie in Hanau.
If you look for tools/cutters, I think you can order for example at:
-Rudolf Flume Technik
-Gebr. Ott Hanau (maybe a bit better prices),
they have homepages.

Hanau is of course not just around your corner, but they normally offer apart from the apprenticeships ''Gastsemester'' for anyone.
You're welcome for any other questions just in case!

Good luck with everything!
Hanne
__________________
_
www.gravalance.com
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-01-2011, 01:10 PM
Tina Tina is offline
Copper
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Remscheid, Germany
Posts: 4
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Hi Hanne,
thanks for your post. I just looked at Flume´s homepage and will contact the companies tomorrow. At the moment I´m looking for some literature about how getting started, which tool and "Geometrien" for which material ... I found a book on amazon by Curt Streubel "Die Kunst der Graviertechnik". Do you know it and is it worth bying?

Viele Grüße in die Schweiz,

Tina
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-01-2011, 01:40 PM
rbaptiste's Avatar
rbaptiste rbaptiste is offline
Platinum
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Modave (Belgium)
Posts: 1,133
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Hi Tina I am in Belgium and you can come to try the tool in my workshop.
__________________
http://rbaptiste.com
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-02-2011, 11:09 AM
gravalance's Avatar
gravalance gravalance is offline
Platinum
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Denmark
Posts: 301
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Hi again!
Yes, it's a good book I think, although I mostly just used the pictures and didn't read so much in it.
The optimal would probably be to find yourself someone for a crashcourse, to me it seems so much easier to get the start by someone 'live' and go on then.
But of course learning by doing also very well possible.
Roland by the way also just brought out a good book about engraving, maybe try that one too.
I would say, you could come just as well to switzerland for a weekend or so, but I suppose thats a bit far;-)
Frohes Schaffen!
__________________
_
www.gravalance.com
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-02-2011, 12:52 PM
Tina Tina is offline
Copper
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Remscheid, Germany
Posts: 4
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Hi Roland,
thanks for your offer. I´ve just been to your homepage and found your workshop, it´s not so far away from my home town (about 150 km). When I´m after a view trials still as enthusiastic as in the moment, I try to pursuade my husband to spend a holiday in belgium ... would help if there are some classic Vespa or Lambretta-Dealers nearby .


Hi Hanne,
I think I´m going to buy the book. And I will try to find a "Berufsschule" where they teach hand engraving. May the teachers have an idea who could help with a crash course. Right in my neighbourtown - Solingen - is one, but I think it´s just for machine engraving. Couldn´t ask till now, because of the easter holidays.

Thanks to both of you.

Viele Grüße,
Tina.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-03-2011, 03:33 AM
rbaptiste's Avatar
rbaptiste rbaptiste is offline
Platinum
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Modave (Belgium)
Posts: 1,133
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Tina, Yes isn't so far. you can come only for one day or half day to try the tool. It is enough to see what tool you need and test it a little to have the feeling of tool.
When you are ready take an appointment... you know my email... no problem
__________________
http://rbaptiste.com
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 05-03-2011, 03:15 PM
Roger Bleile's Avatar
Roger Bleile Roger Bleile is offline
Platinum
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,709
Default Re: Hello from Germany

Tina,

You are very fortunate to live so close to Roland who is a top engraver and teacher. 150 km may seem like a far distance for you to go but in the USA it is not unusual for a person to travel 800 to 2000 km to receive instruction for a few days because engravers are so spread out over this large nation. I think many here will agree that four hours spent with Roland at the beginning will save many unnecessary expenses and frustration in the long run.

Grüße,

Roger
__________________
C. Roger Bleile
Author of: American Engravers series of books. FEGA Historian and Founding Charter Member
http://www.engravingglossary.com/
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Conduct
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:51 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.