Question: Fill that space practice

[Red Green]

I've looked back through this thread. Are you hand pushing only? Do you have a ball vice? Pushing without a ball vice or turntable is torture. Have you tried hammer and chisel? If not ask about it. There are many experts here who can help you with this. If you do not have a power graver H&C is what you need to do this work, a skill you cannot do without.

Bob

 

[diandwill]

View attachment 22730 View attachment 22731 When I really need the depth, I use overlay, piercing, sawing and soldering a top layer to a bottom. The only real problem with that is time, and time equals money. That's why mostly I stipple. The cat bracelet is 14K overlay on Sterlingm from the Lindesfarne Gospels. The earrings are stippled, and the second bracelet is Sterling on Nickel.

 

[scott99]

HI Thanks again for all the help. I have received a private message and when I try to answer it and check what I have sent it says "no mail sent" or something of that kind. Anyway I really want to say to thuges everything is good at this end, I hope you read this. I will figure out the mail ok so no help is needed I just wanted to make sure thuges knows everything is fine and to have a good day.

May you all have a wonderful day.

scott99

 

[John P. Anderson]

An excellent thread. It took me awhile to get good at removing background and getting an even surface.

I do what Andrew Biggs describes. I push grave and use a mostly two tools, a 1mm flat and a narrow V tool, 60 degree or so. When I'm removing background with the flat every now again I go in a work the edges and the corners with my Narrow V as that helps the flat get that last little bit out of the corner. It took time but now it's second nature. I have wider flats and a square I also use but not as much.

Andrew advice also fits my experience with tool sharpening. It's a subtle process. I sharpen my flat different depending on the task. For general digging out the background wiggling I use it non-polished off my medium stone and not much heel as I want plenty of bite. If I'm leveling the background i like a bit more finish and use it off my fine Arkansas stone with 5-6 strokes on the heel. If I'm trying to clean off my wiggle scale on sculpted surface I like a polished tool with a distinct heel. To clean out corners, no heel.

Sometimes I use the tool on different parts of the carving as my edge looses it's bite. While it's nice and sharp I work on cut in or detail but as it dulls a bit and gets smooth I'll use it as a scraper and smoothing tool for a bit till I sharpen again.

I also use the scraper RedGreen/Bob describes but mostly on foreground. I have one that's similar to a flat and another that's rounded. I give them a bit of a face, 80-85 degrees versus 90.. Keep em sharp but like the other tools they work different depending on the face angle, state of sharp and polish.

No matter how you do the background, relieved or stippled, it's quality is as important as the foreground.

John

 

[BrianPowley]

The design is good and the execution is also good. It's too easy for any of us to pick out the variances of the line widths when the coin is enlarged 10X.
I'm betting this looks pretty darn good at a normal viewing distance.
When it comes to point geometry, I find that I can control a 90 much better than a 120. I would never use a 120 for the master lines in such soft metal--but that's me and is not meant to convey that you are going about it in the wrong fashion.

 

[scott99]

HI, I am redrawing the piece right now, so that should be a bit better, and I do plan to use a 90 to cut the master lines. After I made my slip I went on experimenting and saw that my relief was too deep for the size of the spot being cut. SO off I go, we will see how it turns out after being recut. Live and learn,(and I have learned a bunch on this one). I don't like it when I fail, so I plan to beat this design to death with a stick if I have to, but it is being redone. I will post the results when finished.

Pardon me, I am a bit busted up and can only do this a bit at a time, but I will get it done count on that.

Thanks again scott99

 

[scott99]

Her we go again

Hi, well here is the design redrawn and recut. I have relived the back ground but thought shading might muddy it up.
The project has taught me many lessons and I want to thank everybody that sent in tips.:clapping:

Smaller tools, remembering that tilting the vise can change the angle of approach of the graver to the work (I know dumb is as dumb does). I also found changing my heel to 60 degrees was a big help in the small areas.
Thanks again for all the help!!!

scott99

 

[Ed Westerly]

Most impressive. The Cafe has taught you well.

 

[scott99]

Thank you very much. I certainly have to give a bunch of credit to everyone who has taken time to help me with what I suppose were sometimes simple questions(to you guys not me) but with all your help I have learned so many things.

So thanks again to the Cafe members who have all in one way or another helped me to get a better grip on engraving. Slow but steady I will try and remember the things you have passed on.

The Cafe is wonderful, helpful,and patient.

Thanks scott99

 

[thughes]

Man, that looks awsome. Nicely done.

Todd

 

[scott99]

Hi, I just noticed I said I changed my heel to 60 degrees, it was not 60 degrees but 30 degrees. Sorry for the misinformation. I communicate over the computer poorly. I did not use this heel all over, just on flat gravers to get into the tiny spots.
The main lines were cut with a traditional 45/15.

scott99 I will try and keep my information correct in the future, I hope I didn't mess anybody up.