Finally finished the duck.

[phil]

Hi all. We have had heavy snow in England so I decided to stay in and finally finish my first go at a bulino engraving. This has taken me around 18 hrs of "pottering" rather than head down engraving as it is just a hobby of mine. I will try and post the sequential pics if I can figure it out. I cut it with a standard 90 degree graver with normal (not parallell) heel. There is no ink in the engraving. Thanks for looking and have great weekends wherever you may be.

 

[Troy G]

great job!!!!!!

 

[didyoung]

lookg very nice

 

[rayf24]

Well done keep at it
Ray

 

[GTJC460]

That looks really good. Nice job!

 

[thughes]

That looks really nice.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Phil,Keep up the good work. J.J.

 

[Peter E]

GREAT work Phil. The detail in the head and feathers is really nice.

 

[phil]

Good morning everyone. Thank you for looking at my post and for your comments. It is nice to get feedback from real engravers. As I said in a previous post I have never actually seen "real engraving" in person. What I have learned has been from books, dvd's and this forum. I always have doubts as to whether actual engraving would look the way mine does when seen in person. ie are the cuts deep enough, is the attention to detail sufficient etc, as photographs tend to look not quite real to me. I know that in other posts on bulino engraving, particularly when you guys have used dots to build a picture, rather than cut lines it has been commented that from some angles the engraving is virtually invisible yet in the photographs the engraving looks quite deep. ( Perhaps deep isn't the correct word. It looks quite permanent, rather than a few wipes with abrasive paper removing the engraving entirely ) It always shocks me too as to how long these jobs take. It took me around 18 hours to cut this. The size of the plate is 2x2 inches. How long would you real engravers take for something like this? It is only a hobby for me so I am just curious about the timescale. Thanks again for looking and enjoy your Sunday. ( Sunday is a strange word. It is still snowing here in England) should be Snowday rather than Sunday hoho ):biggrin:

 

[captchee]

nice work Phil
as to how long it takes. well the answer to that is; It takes what it Takes

as to real engraver . dont cut yourself short . everyone’s work looks different and that’s the way it should be . While looking at someone else work first hand may help you discern how to do a give technique, never lat that replace your own style

 

[Beathard]

Very nice work

 

[MexicanEngraver]

congratulations !!!!

 

[Ed Westerly]

Tasty! Now, where's my shotgun?

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Nice job you did, thanks for showing

arnaud

 

[Roger Bleile]

Phil,

You've done a very professional job on the duck engraving. While it is true that professional gun engravers can do similar in less time that it took you, those people may have engraved many similar figures in their career. Since it is a hobby for you don't worry about the time and enjoy the process.

It is not uncommon to read on the engraving forums that people trying to do bulino (puntini) engraving or fine line work like yours have never seen the real thing. In the US there are hundreds of gun shows and gun shops where an engraver can see the real thing. I don't know where you live in the UK but London is the best place to have a look. Make an excursion to the London shops of James Purdey, Holland & Holland, William Evans, Ray Ward's, and William & Son. Take your engraved duck and let the associate know that you are an aspiring engraver and would like to see some guns with game scenes on them.

There are also the auction houses such as Bonhams and Gavin Gardiner in London and Holts in Wolferton, Norfolk where you can view and handle hundreds of engraved shotguns and rifles on auction preview day.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[phil]

Wow. Thank you Roger. You know a great deal about the English gun trade and I am grateful for all the knowledge I can get. I have never had any dealings with the gun trade. I am a diamond setter/jeweller by trade but would much prefer a career engraving. I may do a few "sample" plates and approach a few of the companies. I live in the centre of England and work in Birmingham in the historic jewellery quarter. By all accounts there is, or was a prolific gun quarter in Birmingham however much of it has dwindled away due to cheap imports. I have been told by a great engraver that it is very difficult to get into the trade as most of the companies have not enough work to go around. However if you don't ask you don't get.
Thank you all for the comments and encouragement. I will post my next practice project when I have recovered from doing the duck!

 

[JJ Roberts]

engraving book

Phil,Thers a wonderful book on some of the finest English engravers in the UK.British Gun Engraving by Douglas Tate,you'll find it very interesting. J.J.

 

[Roger Bleile]

Phil,

Since you are in B'ham you could visit Westley Richards & Co Ltd, 130 Pritchett Street, Birmingham, B6 4EH. They are open Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm.

Roger