Engraving magazine for the public?

Big-Un · Jun 22, 2008

I was wondering what my fellow engravers think about a quarterly or semi-annual magazine to be placed on the rack for the public to get to know just exactly what fine hand engraving is and how it is accomplished and who does it? Way too many people think of engraving as going down to the kiosk at the local mall and have a few initials cut into some costume jewelry by someone that only knows how to set the machine up...maybe! Any comments?

A case in point as to what people actually know about engraving; I showed a piece to a friend and, although he is very familiar with firearms, he is not familiar with the artistic medium for firearms. His statement was "I didn't expect that kind of work, I'm impressed." which kind of took me back, as I felt it was an insult to imply I couldn't do quality work. His next statement was ".. he (the client) will be paying $25.00 per hour for that kind of work." to which I replied that he was only half right. Has anyone else had that type of comment made to you about your work?

Bill Moody

Andrew Biggs · Jun 22, 2008

Hi Bill

The magazine topic is an interesting one. As you know I do the FEGA Engraver magazine. That is 32 pages including front and back cover.

The actual putting the magazine together is a lot of work with manipulating photos etc and filling the space. Almost like a giant jigsaw in some respects.

The largerst amount of work comes through getting articles from people. In that respect I have been truly blessed by some fantastic contributors taking the time and effort to do so.

Thhe thing you have to remember is that all of this is an in house magazine for members and associates of FEGA.

Once you go outside those parameters and go to a newstand and start charging money for the publication everything changes. It becomes a business where people have to be paid for their articles, chasing advertising, legal issues, strict deadlines, etc etc............all of which is quite do-able of course.

Personally I think such a thing would be well recieved by the public and it's definatley food for thought

Cheers
Andrew

Ron Smith · Jun 22, 2008

Likewise, I think it is a very good idea, but who is giong to do it? For those interested, in such a thing it would be a bigger job than it seems I think, like Andrew said. Also the anti-gun mentality out there is such that you would have to incorporate all kinds of engraving (and no guns on the cover) so the general public would pick it up and look at it, not that there wouldn't be a lot of very interested people anyway. They are really mezmerised by anything that can be done to this perfection by hand.

It would benifit us all for the public to be more educated about what and why we do what we do. That would be a way to stem some of the ignorance that we all are exposed to in this trade, but let me tell you we have come a long way since the day I started engraving.
Forward!

FANCYGUN · Jun 22, 2008

When you go public with a newspaper or magazine.you are doing it to make money no matter how lofty your ideals might be. In order for everyone to get their share of the pie you must sell advertising. In fact, for those of you who do not know this, the advertising is layed out first in a newspaper and then the news is arranged around the ads.
Now the FEGA Magazine has become a wonderful and classy periodical over the years. This has been no small feat as printing and digital technology has allowed us the freedom to do what we want to at a fraction of the cost as inprevious years. Of course the contributors and editors over the years have helped push the quality of the articles and visual layout to higher levels as we have moved along. The Magazine is layed out with our advertising being the last thing added to the layout. There are some pages in the back of each issue set aside for this. Now when you look at a commercial magazine you will notice ads throughout the issue. These are sometimes fillers but more often than not, the articles might be edited to fit in the alloted space around the ads.
FEGA has been blessed with people over the years that have unselfishly given of their time and money to foster the art of engraving the their belief in the guild. It bothers me when I see people who bash others or an organization in order to advance their own agendas
While a newstand type of magazine would indeed be wonderfull, it would come with it's own unique set of problems also. That's not to say."maybe, someday"

Andrew Biggs · Jun 22, 2008

Yes, the advertising is the key to any commercial magazine as that is really what pays for the whole thing.

Yes, any magazine would have to encompass all the engraving arts to get as bigger distribution as possible.

But none of it's insurmountable and for every problem there's a solution.

Who knows............maybe one day!!

Cheers
Andrew

Tim Wells · Jun 22, 2008

WHEN, I win the lottery someday, that will be one of the things I can do with the winnings. We'll (the guild)have control over what goes in it and who advertises in it just like it is now. I can dream can't I?

Roger Bleile · Jun 22, 2008

If they can have commercial magazines for cigar and wrist watch aficionados I suppose one could be supported for custom hand engraving. The big difference is who would be the advertisers? Aside from the few companys who make and sell engraving equipment (and they are very small fish in the commercial sense) there are no major companies, with a significant advertising budget, who deal in one of a kind, hand engraved items. Some of the knife purveyors might advertise and possibly some of the watch companies like Montana Watch Co. but I think that the potential advertiser pool is just too shallow.

Never the less I would love to see it. The demand it could create could actually allow the best engravers to earn something close to what their skills, dedication, and work really deserve.

Regarding the second part of Bill Moody's post: I have found that knowing alot about guns and having any understanding about engraved guns or the engraving process are almost exclusive of each other. Most gun people need to be educated about what we do and that is one of the major reasons we started FEGA and why FEGA should be supported by all gun engravers.

RB

tonytigerhk45 · Jun 22, 2008

Bill, the magazine sounds good and would be good for the public but also it would help other engravers with something to study. As having people getting upset with telling them the price, they also don't believe when you tell them you did it with a hammer and chisel. They think you have some kind of magic tool or machine that does it for you.

RoycroftRon · Jun 23, 2008

You don't have to be a major company to take out advertising in a magazine. I take out ads in a quarterly publication that is specific to the style of work I do. A quarter page color ad runs me $800 an issue (4x a year). It expands your client base quite a bit, and it is a business tax deduction. Of course you have to look at the amount of business that you will be able to generate from an add, and is it worth it considering the cost of the ad. Also know your target audience before taking out ads.

KCSteve · Jun 23, 2008

Sounds like the sort of thing the folks who do BLADE Magazine would be good at. The parent company does a lot of such speciality magazines so they know the market (and marketing). Through BLADE they already have a lot of 'engraving' type content (all those lovely knives) and connections to advertisers.

I can't access them from here but if someone were to go to http://www.blademag.com you'll find their contact info. Seems like it's worth an email or two.

Ron Smith · Jun 23, 2008

Another thing about publishing a magazine of this sort, if you turn it over to some other subject, i.e. "knife magazine" for instance, you wlould continue to have the same lack of understanding that you have with any journalist that does not do engraving. They just don't have the background for it, and that has been one of the detrimental aspects of engraving journalism. Whoever edited this magazine would have to have intimate knowledge about engraving so as to not publish questional information. This would eliminate some of the problems of the past. It would be imperative to have an authority on engraving to edit and contribute. I think it would have to be someone highly respected in the engraving comunity.

Since this would be an educational magazine for the public, the information needs to be, I think, about processes as well as the finished product.

Wouldn't be an easy undertaking, but if you wanted to get to the widest audience, you would have to do it through the jewelry end, as everyone is interested in that on some level from the ground floor to the top.
Just some thoughts.

Big-Un · Jun 24, 2008

I understand the problems with publishing and it would be no easy task, but the query was dealing more with the engraving arts as a medium, not necessarily a targeted audience such as a specific medium in itself. Of course, we in the firarms engraving business, as well as art knives, are intent on featuring our line of art, but I believe if we, as a hand-engraving community could educate the public about our art, then maybe some recognition could be achieved for all of us. True, a publication of any regularity would require almost unbelievable time and resources, but maybe a board of experts could oversee the layout and subject material before publication. I was just dreaming of a way to elevate our craft above and beyond the "mall mentality", especially since serious hand crafted or embellished anything is not in the educational scheme of the future any more.

Andrew Biggs · Jun 24, 2008

Hi Big-Un

I think it's a great idea. It's not as if a magazine is anything new so any problems would soon be overcome. And yes, it would certainley educate the public as well and promote the engraving arts. It would have to cover all the hand engraving arts. It's appeal would have to be for engravers as well as the general public. When you start casting your eye about and see the sheer variety of what's being engraved out there it's quite staggering.

Even the advertisers would eventualy come on board and from a great variety of unexpected places.

Perhaps the hardest hurdle to overcome would be the initial capital needed and the time for the magazine to come into public awareness. But there are already established publishing houses out there that are geared up for, and have systems in place, for this sort of thing.

A grand idea that one day will probabley become a reality...........well I really hope so anyway.

Cheers
Andrew

KCSteve · Jun 24, 2008

I dropped an email to one of the guys from BLADE about this thread and invited him to come over here and look at this thread - as well as the Gallery. Hopefully he'll get a chance to make it by.

Between the folks staffing BLADE and their parent company there's more than enough expertise and resources to do an engraving magazine. I mentioned that they'll probably need to hire at least one 'subject matter expert' to help with the actual content but for most of what's involved with a magazine they already have the people they need.

Weldon47 · Jun 24, 2008

I think this idea has potential. If nothing else, how about securing a section in an existing magazine where articles are featured? This could actually be done in more than one publication (at a time). We could even take some of what has been printed in the Engraver and rework it to fit.
Food for thought!!

Weldon

KCSteve · Jun 24, 2008

I heard back from Mr. Shackelford - he says their parent company doesn't start magazines, they prefer to acquire them once someone else has gotten them going. I asked him to pass the tip along to the right folks (if he knows who they are).

If nothing else, at least 'we' know who to turn to if 'we' do get something started.

(That's the community 'we', not something saying I'm involved.

)

carl bleile · Jun 24, 2008

Good going Steve, the best first step is contacting the right people, with a good idea.

KCSteve · Jun 25, 2008

Any of you guys who have contacts in the magazine industry - you know, the people you work with when those lovely pictures of your work get published - might want to ping them about the subject.

There's way too much beautiful work out there for it not being worth at least looking at starting a magazine for it.

jlseymour · Jun 25, 2008

Sounds like a good plan...
We have some very talented people who could work this out with some capital...
Keep it going something may jumpup...
Jerry

Dulltool · Jun 25, 2008

Oh great.... now we need to worry about Andrew being acquired.

Engraving magazine for the public?

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Moderator

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Moderator

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Elite Cafe Member

Elite Cafe Member

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Moderator

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Elite Cafe Member

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Elite Cafe Member

Elite Cafe Member

Sponsors