A Day With Silverchip

[Steveareno]

A Day with Silverchip aka David Alderson

Dave was so graces to spend the day at K-Jon’s Fine Jewelers and give, Cuauhtli and I a hands on lesson in western bright cut engraving. In my opinion Dave is the best there is and it was a complete honor to see him in action.

We would take a project from start to finish and everything in between. Dave recommended we make a sterling cuff bracelet. He already had some 18 gauge stock that he had rolled out and was ready to go. We laid out the outline and lettering and transferred it to the silver. The cuff was then cut out and glued to a wood backing and clamped into my vise and turntable. This project will be all hand push with the exception of one scroll and leaf to demonstrate the Enset power assist graver. Dave scribed a few lines where the backbone of the scroll will be and it’s time for the magic to begin! Hand engraving the border and the lettering with a 90 degree square and then switching to a flat for the scroll and bright cut. Chips started flying. Scrolls, leaves and flowers coming out of nowhere an object of fine art coming to life on a flat piece of silver and within an hour the completed engraving. It was totally overwhelming and everything I thought I knew went flying out the window.

Dave brought along his Enset to show us the art of power assist engraving as well. We currently have both the Lindsay Classic and GRS Gravermax setups in the store and it was a real delight to test out the Enset and I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance, I really liked it.

I shot a few pictures with my cell phone camera and wish they came out better but I think they are worth posting and hope you enjoy.

Bracelet in my vise.

Dave and Cuauhtli at my bench.

Finished cuff bracelet.

Another shot of the finished sterling cuff bracelet.



This was a day I’ll never forget and wanted to let Dave know how grateful I am. I look forward to more hands on lessons in the future and can’t wait to try out all the things he showed us. Dave also recommended getting Lee Griffiths Workbook and DVD, ordered and on the way.

Steve Shepherd

 

[Haraga.com]

Steve it sounds like it was a learning experience. Tell us what you most learned from this experience. Example, "how I hold this" or how I turned my graver to do that".

 

[Steveareno]

Hi Haraga

I feel the thing I learned the most was holding a flat graver. I’m right handed and I was leaning it the wrong way. I learned that if I start with it on the right edge to begin a scroll and turn the vise into the graver and gradually tilt it the cut gets naturally wider to the point I can pop out of the cut, hope that makes sense. I learned to hold my arm holding the graver close to my body and turn the vise into the work, let the vise do the work and don’t be moving your hand forward, just up or down a little or to tilt right and left.

Dave had around 50 palm push gravers and they all have there purpose but I want to concentrate on the flat for now.

One other cool thing was doing a laser-parchment paper transfer. I have Tom Whites solution and I was doing the ink-jet style on Epson clear transparency film but found the parchment works just as good and is a lot less expensive.

One of Sam’s designs

Steve

 

[Ed Westerly]

Sounds like you had quite the adventure and learning experience. Go forth and conquer!

 

[bronc]

Watching Dave push engrave is pretty damn cool. He can move some metal!

Stewart

 

[monk]

amazing how generous most engravers are. willing to show & teach others. the very best way, ever, to ensure a once-dying art is now well and alive. and shall be for a very long time.

 

[Steveareno]

Hi Monk,

That’s what is so nice about Sam’s forum. All the sharing and learning that goes on here.

Dave also left me some video tutorials from his Western Silversmiths and Engraving workshops he does, super generous guy. Many others on the forum do the same and a big thanks goes out to them too!

Steve

 

[TyG]

Dave is a great guy and a good friend, he even likes to come down here and visit. It is amazing how much silver he can hog out in one pass, don't stand too close, those chips really ping out of the piece he is cutting.

 

[silverchip]

Just got home about a half an hour ago and Steve told me about this post so I had to check it out. Thanks for all the kind words and letting me take your boss fishin the other day we had a great time in the shop and Montana De Oro too!!!! best two days during my visit!!!!!!!