Engraving History help.

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
Hi all,

I need your help. I am trying to research a hand engraved World War 1 pilots wing I have to try to understand some of the technical aspects about how the wing was made and maybe pick up some background on the art form.

I hope this type of thread is not against any rules if so I am sorry.

I will begin by posting the name of the company that is engraved on the reverse of the wing. What I would like to know is information about the lettering style and how such small letters were engraved so neatly and any other information that comes to mind.

Then I will post the obverse to show what I think is some really beautiful engraving of the wings.

Thanks
John

 

Jim Sackett

Elite Cafe Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
828
Location
Hallock, Minnesota, United States
Hi John

The dark blotches above the n and elsewhere appearers to be ferocity which happens when casting metals. The molten metal is shot into a mold and cooled removing the mold leaves the metal in its form. ferocity occurs where the metal had air in it.

This lettering looks to be hand engraved showing differences in the two 'e's and a bur at the top right of the 'y'. It might be a retouch job with the lettering in the mold. Or not once you have the first layout its easy to transfer it to a number of pieces. Production work was usually relegated to new engravers, giving them a chance to practice and hon their skills.

Please show us the front side.

Jim Sackett
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. Here are two photos... first a full shot then a hi-res large format photo of the detail on the wing. My photo skills are not that good but I hope this is clear enough.

Can you tell me anyting about the style of engraving used i.e. is it a specific "known" style or just this engravers style.

Additionally what can you tell me about the techniques that were used to make the wing. I see rivits on the reverse which attach the wings but see no evidence on the wings themselves. There is the wing form as the base which is filled with a deep blue material and then the wings and shield are attached.

I really want to understand as much as I can about the skills, techniques that went into producing this beautiful wing. I also would like to learn about the production process from the evgraving, metal work,... the details.

Thanks

John

Photo 1

 

Roger Bleile

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
2,988
Location
Northern Kentucky
John,

The lettering appears to be hand engraved. It is a very simple block style lettering. It was probably done using an onglette burin sometimes known as a "push graver." An onglette is one of the various shapes of graver. Others being square, flat, and knife, etc.

When this was made there were basically 4 ways to get lettering on an object. 1: Hand engraved with a burin. 2: Hand engraved with hammer & chisel (H&C). 3: Stamped 4: Etched with acid. It was clearly not done by either #3 or 4. Also not likely done H&C which is used on harder metals like steel and usually shows progress marks (looks like tiny steps) under magnification.

As for the obverse, it was most likely made from a lost wax casting which gives a good bit of detail. After casting the wings may have been detailed by hand with an onglette or square burin. On the shield, the alternating strips were engraved with a flat graver using a technique known as "wriggle tool" or "wiggle tool." In wriggle tool, the flat graver (looks like a tiny wood chisel in shape) is held at a steep angle and rocked side to side while being pushed forward at the same time. The letters US were cut out with a jewelers saw from gold filled sheet stock then soldered to the shield. It is hard to tell from the picture, but if the letters appear to you to be copper it is probably because the top layer of gold has worn off over the years from polishing and has left the copper base layer. It looks like copper in the picture. If in reality it looks gold then the top layer has not worn off.

Regarding the blue field behind the silver, it appears to be cobalt blue vitrified enamel. If you look at the wing tips you can see where the enamel has chipped out slightly. This indicates that they used vitrified enamel rather than a cold paint. Vitrified enamel is a process whereby powdered, colored glass is applied to the object then put into a furnace or kiln until the glass melts into a smooth solid layer. Present day police badges often have vitrified enamel state seals applied to the center and often the lettering is filled with vitrified enamel.

I don't know what to tell you about the rivets that hold the silver to the enameled back piece. Perhaps one of the jewelers who frequent this site can help on that part.

I hope this has been of some help. By the way, are you a collector of military insignia or is there another story behind this piece. Are they army air corps or the earlier army signal corps pilot's wings.

CRB
 

Scratchmo

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
308
Location
NW Arkansas, Ozark Mtns.
A quick google search came up with your thread on the militaria forum concerning its authenticity--Interesting discussion. Did anyone ever confirm the existence of the Chicago company? Although that doesn't prove anything, perhaps that pin back may hold some clues since it's the only part that was perhaps not hand made and is or was likely commercially available. Is it similar to other pins of the period?
http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31075&pid=241916&st=40&#entry241916
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
Roger thanks very much for the lesson! I will do additional research based on your post. I am sure it will bring me back around to more questions.

I hope someone with a jewelery background will be able to explain the rivits.

@ Scratchmo - I am part of the discussion you noted. The company has been verified... there is even an AD from a 1917 paper for jewelery repairman. The discussion there would not be an easy one to undestand unless your part of that community of that I am certain. Now to answer your other question. During the WW1 period it was common for wings to be made by many jewelers large and small. The style of this wing is was is called the "Dallas" style and is based upon a design by Henry Arnold. I know of a similar wing that was part of the Duncan Campbell collection and is feathured on the cover of his book on wings from 1913-1946. Duncan goes into some detail about the wing unfortunatly he passed away not long ago. Currently i am trying to find out who currently owns the wing.

Now as promised here is a highres photo of the wing detail.

 
Last edited:

Roger Bleile

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
2,988
Location
Northern Kentucky
Scratchmo,

Thanks for pointing out the story behind this thread. I would have preferred that Mr. Cooper explained his objective initially by pointing to the thread link you show. That said, my take on the authenticity of the piece is that if I or any skilled jeweller/engraver wanted to make counterfeit WWI pilots wings I would get a known authentic badge and copy it exactly rather than create an odd variant like the one shown which would raise all kinds of questions. There is little doubt in my mind that there are a number of folks on this forum who have the ability (but not the desire) to counterfeit an authentic badge with little possibility of detection. A set of pilots wings would be childs play to counterfeit compared to other forms of historic collectables such as a Nimschke engraved Winchester. As you pointed out, the pin could be the hardest part to duplicate.

CRB
 

Roger Bleile

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
2,988
Location
Northern Kentucky
John,

Apparently we were both posting at the same time. Seeing the blow up of the wing, I can tell you that it was definatly hand chased after casting which is a sign of quality. You will notice the hundreds of parallel lines engraved across the feathers. Those were engraved using a multiple line shader also known as a "liner." I still can not tell if the stars were part of the casting or were applied with solder after. The twisted rope like motif under the stars was most likely made from twisted silver wire then soldered to the shield.

Regarding the signature: It does not appear to have been done by an engraver skilled in lettering like those who engraved watch cases in 1917. That said, it is not inconsistant with the engraving on the front of the badge. The use of the wriggle tool and liner on the front are very basic level engraving. Many jewellers who could make a badge like this are not necessarily highly skilled engravers, especially when it comes to the demands of lettering.

I have no idea of the value of WWI aviators wings but given the large ammount of hand work involved in your example, I believe it would be cost prohibitave to counterfeit this item unless the maker just wanted to "put one over" on what he felt was a bunch of "know it all" collectors. Not very likely IMO but possible.

CRB
 

Scratchmo

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
308
Location
NW Arkansas, Ozark Mtns.
John, Thanks for the background. This really is interesting stuff to me. Although I am completely ignorant on the subject, I do know a few things about the collectible markets. ALL of them are plagued by fakes. The work I do (coin reproductions) has come under some very harsh criticism from collectors with good reason. So-called "coin doctors" have made some pretty deceptive fakes from my otherwise benign reproductions. A few have even passed authentication by some major coin grading firms. A fact I am not at all flattered by. I hate to see anyone screwed out of thousands of dollars purchasing what is basically a $10 or $12 novelty piece. Anyway, I'm sure you can understand my interest.

Roger makes a good point about it being an odd variant. I also read somewhere in the other thread that this was happening quite a bit, and the government had to step in and enforce quality standards as far as number of stars, etc. Which could mean it's authentic, or it could mean that a faker used that info so as NOT to try to copy an existing one that it could be compared to.

I once saw one of my "doctored" coins that the guy DELIBERATELY drilled a 1/8" hole in. I guess so it would be conceived to be something that was done 150 years ago when the coin wouldn't have been worth much. Even though that damaged the potential auction value of it, it DID work on getting it authenticated. It was later proved to be a fake before anyone got hurt, but it was a very clever and deceptive ploy. I always thought that a guy with those skills and cunning could make a decent living doing honest work, but it just shows to go ya.

Anyway, the wings we're discussing are pretty cool no matter when they were made.
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
Roger & Scratchmo

THANKS for the follow-up! Roger sorry for not posting the link... I did not think that discussion would be of interest or use on this forum.

There are many personalities within this specific area of collecting with many factions and opinions I am sure you know of what I speak. Anyway one of my goals here is to verify my gut feeling about this wing. Since I am the only one who has held it in his hand I am at an advantage over all others in knowing the close up details.

I am trying to learn more about it production with the added benefit of getting a quick education on the skills that it takes to make such a wing. I will at some point take what I have learned here and share it on the other forum to include a link to this discussion ;)

Now for a few more questions :)

I did some quick research on vitrified enamel and this is what i found maybe you guys other others can confirm or correct this information.

1) vitrified enamel has been previuosly melted and dissolved into a flux and becomne united only after
they are fired. Typically vitrified colors have a certain depth and brillinacy and can be opaque or transparent.

2) A best pratice when working with vitrified colors is to apply several thin washes with seperate firings at 1000 to 1300 degrees.

3) Darker shades of opaque blue are excellent for backgrounds. The adhere to the metal with very little cracking or bubbling.

4) it is my undestanding it can be tricky working with enamel on sterling silver.

5) last but not least - what is your guess at the base metal i.e. the back of the wing form?

Thanks!
John
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
Roger I forgot to answer your question in regard to the stars so I am posting another photo of just the shield I think you will see thay are attached. I think you will also see there is background detailing to the chief i.e. the top portion of the shield not sure what you would call it...

BTW - as for the point about the number of skilled artists here that could produce this wing or actually one even better but have no modivation to do so is a point well taken. I actually went to Sam Alfano's site and was amazed at the skilled engraving WoW!

 
Last edited:

Scratchmo

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
308
Location
NW Arkansas, Ozark Mtns.
I've heard that sterling is difficult to enamel. I understand it's preferable to use fine silver for enamel. Like I said before, I'm completely ignorant of the subject, but the more I look at it, the more it looks 'right' to me. Even though it's not exactly like other ones doesn't mean it couldn't have been used in an official capacity. It could have been a one-of-a-kind commission to replace a lost one, for example. I'm probably completely off-base. To me, the lettering also looks right for the period.
 

Scratchmo

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
308
Location
NW Arkansas, Ozark Mtns.
After looking at the close-up of the wing, it almost looks like they were assembled from individual feathers, or completely embossed and chased from a single sheet of silver. It doesn't look cast to me. It's hard to tell from a photo.
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
During WW1 it was not uncommon for pilots to go to buy wing from a jeweler near the base who could produce wings or any jeweler for that matter as the regs were not strictly enforced.

There are other known examples of custom wings... the big debate about this is that the construction of this wing is different form the more common wings found in that a thin sheet of silver is cut into a wing shape and then hand worked to provide the feathering details. I will see if I can find a decent photo to post for you to provide an example.

As for the wing under discussion it appears to be a single peice of silver carved (likely not the correct term) to give it almost a layered appearence. I have seen things that were cast and usally you can see little pits and things that I assume come from the casting process.

If needed I can take some more photos to try to show this if you think it would be helpful.

As for working with enamel it is my understanding that it take multiple firings at lower temps (1000 - 1300) to make it work. I think I read that the copper used in the sterling my be part of the problem...

John
 

Scratchmo

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
308
Location
NW Arkansas, Ozark Mtns.
Most likely the base for the enamel is fine (pure) silver -- NOT sterling. I think the wings were formed by embossing and not cast. That is, the silver, be it sterling or fine, is put into a bowl of pitch, a type of tar. the pitch is heated up a bit, and the silver sheet is stuck on top. Then the jeweler, using small punches of various shapes, hammers the silver from the back side to raise up the forms. Embossing can work harden the material, so it is then annealed and laid back in the pitch, this time top side up to chase in the design and sharpen the details. On your wings, there looks to be evidence of the chasing where the feathers overlap. Then, the final details are engraved as Roger described. After forming, the final shape is then cut with a jeweler's saw and filed to make the outer edges flat to the base it's riveted to.

It used to be that jewelry shops had specialists in various fields. This piece could have been made by two or three different jewelers. The engraver didn't necessarily have to have enameling skills for example.

One more thought....To find a shop or individual that has ALL the skills necessary to produce this piece today using the methods we described would most likely charge you about as much or more than the auction realized.
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
I think I promised some photos of the "dallas" stlye wing as a comparison contract item.

Here is one for sale... link included.





The images came from this website
 

Scratchmo

:::Pledge Member:::
::::Pledge Member::::
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
308
Location
NW Arkansas, Ozark Mtns.
Wow, the piece you have is quite a departure from this more simple version. I assume this one is assembled from die-struck components and was gold plated at one time. Thanks. I went to the website and looked at all the other wings on there. What a cool thing to collect.

These kind of remind me of a jewelry item I used to sell at the Renaissance fairs. I made brass and silver wings in sets that were clipped to the top of the ear. I called them earwings. When a man put them on, it made him look like the Flash, or on women, like the Winged Liberty or Mercury dime. They never caught on. :-(
 

John Cooper

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
14
The wing from the website is more of a mass producted version from a large company... I suggest you go back to the thread on the other forum as it is really like "inside baseball". One of the last posts the poster thinks this is from the 1930's do to the artistic style...

Now back to the wing B&H wing...

I think the US is actually gold not sure if there is a way I can confirm that... additionally what type of tool & technique was used to create the background on the top part of the shield which is textured.

In addition if any folks with jewelry experience wants to chime in please do! I would like to know how the rivits attached the wing without any evidence on the wing and without causing problems with the enamel.

Is it that the enamel is only on the border and not under the wing as well?

PS if any more photos are needed to show details please let me know so I can de-construct this wing to better understand it.

PPS the shield is beveled... can I assume correctly that the sheild was cut out and beveled or is there some other process... the shield surface is so smooth...

As always I am interested in tool and technique specifics.

THANKS!
 

Roger Bleile

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
2,988
Location
Northern Kentucky
I think the US is actually gold not sure if there is a way I can confirm that... additionally what type of tool & technique was used to create the background on the top part of the shield which is textured.

The texturing on the top of the shield was done with a simple stipling punch but I can't figure out why some of the stipling is obliterated between the stars where polishing would not wear it away

PPS the shield is beveled... can I assume correctly that the sheild was cut out and beveled or is there some other process... the shield surface is so smooth...

I am inclined to believe that the sheild was struck from a die and that it is hollow in the back due to the slight dent shown. If it was die struck the bevel would have been in the die.

As always I am interested in tool and technique specifics.

THANKS!

I too would like to see some of you jewelers jump in here and add to this. Aside from engraving, my only knowledge of this type of thing comes from working as an engraver at an award manufacturing company over 20 years ago. We made dies, engraved and enameled items such as lapel pins, tie tacs, trophy rings, and medals. I became familiar with the various processes but did not do them myself. I was strictly an engraver. Come on folks...Scratchmo and I are not the only ones here that know something about how this artifact was made.

CRB
 
Top