Don't boar me, Please!

[Tom Curran]

As part of a rifle I am building, the engraving will play an important part in the theme and in the decorative elements. This is an Eighteenth Century Jaeger, a short barreled big bore hunting rifle. Often plain, but for the landed and the Royal, these guns were quite fancy.

I wish to engrave in the style and hand of the time. Bulino is out (even if I could do it). But relief and sculpted is in vogue as well as line engraving in the Rococo or Baroque.

Here is a wild boar, inspired by some engravings of European origin.

Here is the buttstock, carved in a Rococo style. Right in the middle of the cheekpiece will be an engraved silver inlay of a Faun and Diana woodland scene. This stock is English Walnut, and a nice hard dense piece it is.

I find this site to be very inspiring, with all the variety of styles and materials being engraved. One example is the Acanthus piictures posted by Gargoyle.

 

[jacques herbst]

that looks like great fun.

 

[monk]

i very much like the way that twirls down to a mere thread. that hog looks like it's ready for roastin ! make sure to repost when you finish this.

 

[Tom Curran]

I am not sure how to ask this.

When I have engraving on a gun, it should be easily seen by people with ordinary eyes. If that pig were inked and printed on paper, it would be easily seen, black on white. But it's on silver, and quite small, maybe 3/4" wide. It does not show up well with the naked eye.

How do I make the image appear more bold?

Thanks, Tom

 

[Keith]

I used Flat black krylon spray paint. Spray it on and wipe off while still wet, it stays in the engraved lines.
Dont know if it will work on the class of gun you are doing I used it on Harley parts and it stayed in the engraved lines well.
Keith

 

[Cody]

Tom, 44-40 cold blue works on brass and nickel silver. Haven't tried it on sterling or coin silver. If it doesn't work on real silver, Brownels sells "silver solder black" that will. Any cold blue SHOULD work but I've only used 44-40.

 

[Tom Curran]

The 44-40, brass black and Oxpho blue don't seem to do very well on sterling. Sulphur works, maybe I should burn some black powder and wipe the silver with the residue?

I used oil paint to fill the pig, but it fills the lines.

I think a chemical process would darken the lines yet still show the cuts.

I think my problem is that the lines aren't bold enough, but I don't know for sure.

 

[Bill Tokyo]

Anatomy?

I'm not quite sure how to say this without being rude, but you might want to check the anatomy of the
Euopean Boar. I think you have the rear legs too long. We have inushishi here in Japan, which is a type
of wild boar. It's similar to a European boar, and the rear legs are shorter than you have depicted.

I think legs of that length are more for a javelina that a boar.

just a thought.

Bill

 

[Tom Curran]

Bill, not taken as rude at all. This is just a sketch. I'm playing around, learning. Part of it is gettimng the art right, so I appreciate your coments.

I am thinking to get the image to be darker, I must make the lines wider? Maybe use a 60 degree belly angle rather than a 90? This will make the sides of the cuts steeper, trapping the light, rather than reflecting it out.

Am I on the right track or not? Help!

Tom

 

[ED DELORGE]

Hello Tom, I like your wood Carving I would like to learn how you do it.

Ed Delorge

 

[Tom Curran]

Ed, thanks for the kind words. I am still trying to learn how to carve! It's one of those annoying sports, like engraving, where you learn some techniques, and then you find out how much more there is to learn. i look at a lot of antique prints, furniture, buildings, anything where I might find the acanthus leaf modeled in a way I can use in my projects. I don't have a lot of experience in teaching carving...not yet, anyway.

I did a brief tutorial on relief carving on the American Longrifle forum, which may require membership, I can't remember. http://www.americanlongrifles.com/american-longrifles-BBS-frame.htm
You must go to "bulletin board" then "tutorials" which is about nine forums down. Once you are in tutorials, there are four pages of tutorials, and "relief carving" is the last one on the last page.

In this tutorial, I describe the tools and the methods in a simplified manner, more like an overview. Maybe this will help. I can e-mail you the pages if you can't access the site.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Tom..I also like your wood carving. As for the boar I believe the head is a little too big, and not enough body. Attached is an old practice plate..this scene I did on a Ruger revolver cylinder, and on a Savage 99 lever action rifle. Hope it helps.

Yours truly,
JJ Roberts

p.s. Have a good time up at Dickson's.

 

[Keith]

For silver darkening I also have used liver of sulfur. I got it at the jewlry supply store. It turned the coin I engraved dark and had to use my finger to buff out the lines and left the engraved recesses black.
The stuff stinkss though....
Keith

 

[Tom Curran]

Keith, so I'm not too far off with burnt black powder.....

So....I will try darkening my lines, then as a last resort, cut them wider and re-darken.

Thanks, Tom

 

[silverchip]

silver colouring

using a strong solution of liver of sulfur on a damp rag , wipe it over the engraving and it will tarnish.After you attained the degree of darkness that you desire, use a pink pearl erasor and polish the surface of the silver going in a lateral direction.Then proceed to polish with baking soda and a soft cloth. This will give it a very nice warm effect that appears to be polished antique silver.It will show off nicely.