Critique Request Hello All

[glstrcowboy]

Hello forum. My name is Michael, and I have been ruining scrap metal with a hammer and chisel for a couple of years. Our Benevolent Dictator's DVD has been helpful, as has The Art of Engraving. This is the first part that I am comfortable posting for review. It has flaws (obviously). Most that I see are flat spots and point errors. Hopefully you all can point out some other things to work on.



Thank you for your time.

 

[Eric Olson]

I would say to make sure your scrolls and leaves touch so that your background areas are completely enclosed.
Also if you have Sam's scroll DVD you might remember that every scroll has a "thumb".

 

[glstrcowboy]

Thank you for your thoughts. The original sketch had the leaves touching so the stippling didn't "leak" out. In cutting it however, I had to make some "adjustments"on the fly. The tool still has a nasty habit of getting away sometimes. I am, however, getting better at hiding those instances. Similarly, when I drew the thumbs on the engraved backbones it highlighted the irregularity of the backbone spacing. The accents you see were my attempt to work around that.

 

[monk]

my goodness- remember the song, "where has all the shading gone ?" looks pretty good though. i'd also try to make the stippling more uniform. thanks for showing.

 

[glstrcowboy]

Is the intricate shading that some members display possible with a hammer and chisel? I had written that off as something that was only
practical with an airgraver.

 

[glstrcowboy]

I haven't ever attempted the very fine shading lines; I wasn't sure it was practical with a hammer and chisel. I guess I could learn push engraving to do them, but I have enough trouble with this!

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

You should be able to do the same light cuts with the chisel.
Practice,light hammer,even just an suitable wooden hammer/handle in one.
michael

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Yes, you can make delicate shading cuts with hammer and chisel........ Just remember that the air tools are only hammers that provide a striking movement.

Use a really light hammer and keep your strokes soft. It is a matter of control by the operator.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[monk]

take a look at some of the h&c work in the forum archive. take a peek at what comes out of the liege school. that school trains their students strictly with the mighty hammer. you cant get much more delicate than what the student-graduate from this school is producing. it's all in that crummy word, "practice".

 

[glstrcowboy]

Monk- I looked that up. It did not help my confidence, I think it will be a while before I post any more pictures!

 

[Bama]

Your cutting I think is shaping up pretty well and yes there are things your friends here have posted to help your work, so do not let that hold you back. You are well on your way so enjoy the trip and practice practice practice.