Question: Silver Ring Engraving

I am "relaxed" Carlos... always have been. Well, maybe my stomach muscles were getting sore from laughing yesterday...


You quite simply cannot get an identical result to that shown in the image - by etching.

You can etch characters, but they won't look like that. You can't get variable depths or bevels. It will NOT look like hand engraving. Period.

D of 3 kept insisting it could be done - and you joined him - based on what you saw done using a completely unrelated method on a completely different metal. It could not have had the "look" of hand engraving.

Not apples and oranges - more like a rock and a fish for comparison...


All I did was call both of you on it.


He chose to bail out of the forum in the end (again) - after promising to show us that HE could make etching look like hand engraving on silver and that HE would find the original maker and bring him onto this forum to tell us how it was done.


You seem to have made no choice at all to back up your position. You just "know" it would work. Even though you don't own the equipment that you saw etching done with and you have never tried it yourself - or even "seen" it done on silver.

Well, perhaps it will work? On another planet.


So. Here I am. Having actually fooled with it personally - and seeing for myself that "you cannot get there from here"...

Watching both of you make unsubstantiated claims that "you can get there from here".

Both of you basing your arguments on zip. Neither of you having hands on experience with etching silver.

And laughing harder at each comment you guys made to defend your position...


You don't have to take my word for it.

You can beleive that it would work differently if either of you were to try it.


But there is only one way to take that belief out of the fantasy world and into the real one.

Do it.

Then you will know.

Until either of you do - it's nothing more than speculation.


And a source of amusement...


B.

Looks like "The Confabulation in California" might be changed to a better venue in Vegas.
They can bill it as " The Vegas Conflagration".
My money is on old age and treachery.

Eugene,


My bet is that the ring was engraved. If they are all individually made with different characters each time - then you have two ways to get there:


1. The ring was carved in wax (or shot from a mold) and cast. Then engraving was done on the metal.

2. The ring was carved in wax (or shot from a mold) and engraved in the wax before casting. Which might explain the crudeness?

Lastly, black fill paint was applied and the ring given a sanded finish.


No etching was involved and no acid - other than standard bench pickle to maybe clean up the rough casting?


B.


I know for a fact that I can duplicate the look in the image by either of the above methods.

I also know that I could NOT duplicate that look by etching - and I DO own and use all of the equipment mentioned thoughout this thread.


None of what I have just written is based on speculation. All of it is based on personal, hands on experience.

On this particular planet...


B.

Relax life is to short....gonna tell you the secret to my marriage, sometimes you just let her win....you win you always win... relax enjoy your loved ones, off to the skating place.

Saludos,
Carlos

thanks for the information I have only cast bullets and fishing weights, but I looked at what he had thought how could I recreate it

I should probably keep out of this but..... A long time ago, before I found the pleasures and pains of engraving, I used to have a fairly lucrative sideline at a printmaker. I spent a year of graduate level University study in printmaking. I etched many, many plates for printing. Now I must admit, I never tried to etch silver (What mordant DO you use?) but I have to agree with Brian that you can't get the effect seen on this ring with any standard etching process to which I've ever been exposed. However, I am willing to be wrong. Just read my standard tag line following my signature!

A 30% solution of nitric acid/70% distilled water works.

I have had some of my engravings cast after a mould was taken and I see some of the signs of casting, I also see some crude line work that could very well be caused by a graver stuck in wax instead of metal.

I have to agree with oiseau, the ring went trough the wax casting process, with the engraving being on the wax..

I could probably tell you if it was engraved then moulded or if they did a cleanup pass with a graver on the metal to fix the minor casting problems that come with a job like this one, but I would need to go find the castings and put them under my microscope .. Ah, the joys of reverse engineering

Inviato dal mio XT1032 utilizzando Tapatalk

<"sometimes you just let her win...">


That is a great way to teach!!!

Let 'em all believe false statements... or statements with no basis in fact.

By authors who've seen something "similar", figure it'll work - but never done it.


How do you choose which false statements to let slide?

My choice is not to let any of 'em slide through. (at least not if I see 'em)

Even though I'm worn out on this thread - and flogging a dead horse one last time.


B.


This thread is not a good example, but I have seen & participated in others where the advice offered was not only wrong - but dangerous.

Not so funny then...

I like Brian's comments, thank you very much