Cant get it right (hobo nickels)

Rstripnieks

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Joined
Jun 18, 2016
Messages
91
Location
Austria
Its been exactly one year since I started engraving and hobo nickels were the most chalenging I ever atempted I can notice my progress but I feel dissapointed in myself when I look back at all those nights without sleep .
I really love engraving and my mind is blowing with ideas but im affraid to engrave them because even now I fail at simplest designs . My work is suffering also with lack of magnification (I use Optivisor 3,5 ) but still sometimes I cant see what im doing and even if it looks nice through visor it looks poorly engraved in picture so now im asking all the carvers : how do you remove material at tight surfaces ,how do you polish and texture them?
Becouse it seems im still missing chunks of information.
So im asking for your strongest critique so I can boost my lerning curve .
Im just tired that all this hard work is worth less than 5 USD (based on auction winning bids on ebay).
With best regards from Austria!
 

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McAhron

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Nov 15, 2006
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Sounds like you know the major problem."I can't see well" There are many threads on inexpensive microscopes. There are also good threads on making miniature carving tools. Micro stones and mini sandblasters for finish work. Read and study everything available to you. You say your enjoying yourself, thats the most important thing.
 
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dlilazteca

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May 10, 2013
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Laredo, Texas
There is a dvd specific to hobo engraving, have not seem on here for a while, but he made an excellent dvd, i know I own a copy, just cant remember his name, i believe he has it for sale one Steve's website. I highly recommend it.

http://www.mrthehobonickels.com/shop.html

GunEngraver.com Custom Guns Knives and More PAYMENT PLANS Available
 
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Sam

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Covington, Louisiana
eBay is flooded with hobo nickels. There are so many excellent carvers nowadays that's it's hard to stand out from the crowd. Line engraving on a flattened surface is probably not going to get much attention unless it's exquisitely done. Most collectors expect deeply carved coins. The quality of design will ultimately determine how successful you will be as a coin carver. I applaud your determination and your efforts, but you're just not there yet design wise. Collectors are sophisticated and the competition is tough in the coin carving market.

Hopefully you can meet with a local engraver who could help you with some of the basics of relief engraving, and you should spend lots of time honing your drawing and design skills.
 

monk

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i began doing hobos. loved doing them , butttttttt-- i found a scope to be an absolute essential when doing them. the scope assures no level of success, but will enable you to realize your potential with far less frustration. i also found that they were far easier to do with tools of my own creation. most were made from dental drills and burrs. the tiny tools made it easier to get into all the tiny little nooks an crannies. there's a tip by john baraclaugh that shows how to do this
 

Eric Olson

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As you may have read here before, if you can't draw it you can't engrave it.
If you don't like your drawing, engraving it won't make it look any better.
Try an easier project, like an Indian Head nickle Skull, and don't do just one.
You will be surprised how much faster and better your second, third and even fourth attempts will be.
 

Rstripnieks

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Jun 18, 2016
Messages
91
Location
Austria
Thank You for Help!,I just finnished skull just to see how good are my carving skills and how hard is to do it without microscope
 

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monk

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Sounds like you know the major problem."I can't see well" There are many threads on inexpensive microscopes. There are also good threads on making miniature carving tools. Micro stones and mini sandblasters for finish work. Read and study everything available to you. You say your enjoying yourself, thats the most important thing.

one should never say never, but for hobos, you will have to get real, real good to make a profit doing hobos. the few i've done were quite enjoyable to do, but not too profitable. the two better ones-- i got 50 bucks each.
 

Rstripnieks

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Joined
Jun 18, 2016
Messages
91
Location
Austria
Well this skull coin on Ebay is active and 2 people are going crazy about bidding on it.
My friend Jerry Morales engraves skulls only but those skulls are as far most realistic ones I have seen on coin.
 

Southern Custom

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Mar 8, 2013
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Baton Rouge
Have you tried sculpting in clay? In the end, you are striving to be a sculpture artist. To add to an already difficult task, you have chosen a very difficult medium. Metal is hard stuff to work and is not very forgiving of mistakes. If you can learn to sculpt in clay, it may be easier to understand what it takes to do the same thing scaled down.
Sam's suggestion about drawing more is always good advice. I want to second the advice of buying a few well cut nickels or going to the FEGA website and purchasing a few castings. Find a few with good relief engraving and you'll get a much better understanding of what it takes to do successful carving. Photos are fine but until you see the real thing done by a skilled artist, it's hard to grasp the nuance, depth and cutting techniques.
Didn't one of our members, Paolo, put out a video for sale with a sample cast coin, on cutting a skull nickel. May be worth looking into.
Keep plugging at it. If you do it because you love it, it will alway be rewarding whether you sell your work or not.
Layne
 
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