Help, please: I'm amazed .... and curious !!!

[MeAki]

Hi, my name is Alex and I have no talent at drawing what so ever ... but (here we go )... I ride a Harley and a for the past week I keep looking at some Harley parts that are carved ... looking into it I came across your world which is amazing ... my question is . if I'd like to try something like this ... what would I need except talent )

is there any chance I could do that ?!

 

[Neo Dutch]

You need talent, or money to get someone else to do it. The cam cover is an Otto Carter piece IIRC, and the other is by Josh Kurpius for his own bike.

 

[Marrinan]

Hard work, practice, perseverance and dedication will do the trick. You can have someone with "natural talent" do the artwork or you can practice on paper until you get the design you'll be happy with. Tool control, whether hammer and chisel or air assisted push graving is a eye/hand/muscle skill and can be learned. Takes practice, lots of practice. You will not be able to produce Otto's level of work for some time to come. Probably not possible right out of the gate even if you were naturally artistically talented, need the muscle memory skills first. Fred

 

[oiseau metal arts]

I get accused of having talent every weekend. i just reply, "I have persistence. I want to make it so I learn how to." Then I show the scars and stab wounds on my hands as i pull out a copy of the Engraver to show what real talented people are doing.

 

[MeAki]

how did u guys know who engraved that ?!? I sculpted in wood years ago, I can make a design ... I dont expect to make something like that but I want to try ... what would I need to be able to try something like this ?! what kind of engraving tools ?!?

 

[Roger Bleile]

Alex,

"how did u guys know who engraved that ?!?" The world of professional engravers is a small one so many of us know each other or can identify work by looking at the style.

Here is a links to the GRS, Lindsay, and Engravers Studio tools catalogs, They are the primary suppliers of engraving tools that we use:
http://www.grstools.com/PDF/GRSCatalog.pdf
http://www.airgraver.com/Hand_Engraving_Tools_Overview.htm
http://www.engraversstudio.com/apps/webstore/

You don't need all of those tools but to do motorcycle engraving you will need quite a few of them. Before you buy tools, nearly everyone on this forum will tell you to invest in an engraving class which will save you time and money in the long run. The instructors will have all of the various tools and can advise you accordingly. C.J. Allen specializes in classes for motorcycle engravers. http://www.cjs-engraving.com/contact.htm

If you decide to try to teach yourself expect a very long and difficult road ahead. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying but it is my opinion that buying all of the tools and learning all of the skills to just to engrave your own motorcycle would be like going to dental school so you could fill your wife's teeth. If you want to learn engraving, like the examples shown, it should with the intent to become a professional engraver, at least on a part time basis. Otherwise you would be far ahead to pay a professional to engrave your bike.

Also if you click on the link under my signature you will be taken to my illustrated glossary that shows and defines all of the tools and styles of engraving. You can learn a lot from it.

 

[MeAki]

I never knew about this world !! I've seen it ...never paid attention tho !! I want to try it at least !! I don't know what kind of tools I need tho !! I'd like to buy some and see how it goes !! what kind of tools would u reccomend !! do u know anybody teaching around south Florida ?! there are so many components that I have no idea what I would need to start !!!!! thank you for your time guys !!!!

 

[Beathard]

Roger gave you several catalogs. Most of my stuff came from http://www.grstools.com/PDF/GRSCatalog.pdf. The classes I took are at http://www.grstc.com/. The equipment is a significant investment, in the thousands. Classes are the best way to make it pay off quickly.

 

[RoycroftRon]

If you take a class at GRS or another serious engraving school you will quickly realize what tools make sense for your particular level of commitment (which only you can decide). Taking a class, using somebody else's equipment is a good way to see if you really want to invest the money and significant amount of time to this art.

My $.02

 

[oiseau metal arts]

i went to GRS....
however, there are other engravers giving classes where you can try equipment other than GRS and you can get a feel for what will fit your needs best.

 

[RoycroftRon]

i went to GRS....
however, there are other engravers giving classes where you can try equipment other than GRS and you can get a feel for what will fit your needs best.

As I alluded to. I can only vouch for people that have taught me... That being said Ray Cover is an excellent teacher in his studio in Festus Missouri, Sam Alfano who is our benevolent host of this forum offers private lessons in Louisiana, and there is the New Approach jewelry school in Tennesee (run by Blaine Lewis) that offers some engraving classes as well. All off these options I believe would be of great value.

GRS is nice because they make a wide range of engraving equipment. There are of course other manufacturers that make many fine systems as well (Lindsey and EnSet just to name two)...


Just options

 

[monk]

nobody can say if you should give this a try. as mentioned- one heck of a cash outlay is needed to give this a serious effort. it's possible (but not likely) that this type work can be done cheaply of tools of your own creation. many disciplines required to do this, including making your own tools. if you just want to see what all is involved, including making your own tools, get a copy of the james b. meeks book, "the art of engraving". this book would likely show you if you wanted to invest in taking a class, and all that follows. you already have your most valuable tool-- a pencil. if you take a class, i'll bet any and all engraver/instructors will inform you of the need to draw and do it well. in this day& age it's possible to rob the design work of others and skip the drawing. in doing this, you become a "thief" in using others' work. to become an artist, the pencil rules above all others good luck.

 

[James Roettger]

I would try a Youtube search on hand engraving. Seeing it done can reveal much on the general practice. Your wood carving experience may be similar to carving metal. Basically each use chisels and hammer. Metal carving is just a harder medium requiring a very good understanding of the cutting tips. I would say a good part of the technical stuff is mastering tip making. Once cutting tips are understood then you can proceed to remove metal at will.

 

[MeAki]

Thank you all for your advices !! it's impressive !! I'll try and look it up... see if there's something close here in SoFla where I can take a class or two )! what u guys do it's pure and simple ... amazing !!! I'll keep stalking you here on the site ! thank a lot !!

 

[rosco]

hello my name is rosco, and i'm new to engraving and to asking questions about air gravers. i'm kind of confused on the different pneumatic palm engravers. do you have to have an expensive ,company "air-power system for all these palm gravers to work. is there any out there that will work on just an air compressor and pressure regulator? if i'm in the wrong place for this question I apologize. and find the right place. thank you for your time

 

[glstrcowboy]

Welcome to the forum. This is the place to learn for sure. There are some very talented people here who are very generous with their time and patient to boot. Tooling doens't HAVE to be expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you are handy and want to get started on the cheap, here are the tool making instructions I was given when I was introduced to engraving.

 

[Paul Russell]

@Rosco,
Steve Lindsay makes his Airgraver power assist. hand pieces that are basically what you are looking for, by the sound of it. (meaning compressor-regulator-hand piece, no control box required).
Google Lindsay Airgraver, and have a look.

Cheers Paul.