Here's my latest effort..... thought I'd give a dollar a go....... nice to work with, lot of metal to shift though.
Still not got around to photo skills yet..... so it's a scan.
Thanks for the kind words of support guys. It's about time I tried transfering the carving skills to steel. I've got some practice floor plates winging there way here. Thought I'd have a go with some animal subjects, just never been very good at drawing fur......???? Any tips????
Very nice indeed Degs! How many hours do you have in a piece like this? Have fun with the steel, it's a totally different medium but I prefer it (masochist that I am!). Like most things you'll find certain steels 'talk' to you from the off and beg to be embellished others are total *****es which are a pain in the butt from the off. As professional engravers we have no choice as to what we engrave you just have to get on with it.
Are you planning on carving or engraving the floorplates? Carving will take on average 3 times as long as engraving and this needs to be taken into the equation when quoting for a job. A lot of people get cold feet when you tell them how much it's going to cost. If you're ever down my way Degs, look me up. It'd be great to meet you.
PS, I got asterixed! LOL .....seems like in the good old USA you can't mention female dogs.
Thanks Marcus....... There's more hours than there should be, I think I've mentioned before, still trying to get up to speed after the long layoff, everything seems to take longer than I'd thought.... or is that just age....
Still playing with the tooling for carving. I've worked on some nasty pieces of steel in the past, but never carving. I think the worst stuff I've done is pressed steel forms from bikes and scooters etc.
The floorplates will be getting both engraving and carving.... maybe together......
I get down to Wantage to see friends occasionally, any where near you? Would be great to meet up.
Thought I'd try for an asterix or 2, then thought I'd better behave myself.
How's the celtic/tribal designs going, the knife was beautiful..... would make a good tattoo design too...
When you mention Wantage that brings back a lot of old memories.
I served part of my apprenticeship just outside Wantage in 1946.
Do you ever get to Letcombe Regis? Or Letcombe Basset?
Letcombe Regis is the actual birth place of King Alfred the Great though Wantage claims it.
And the home of the Royal watercress beds was there too.
A lot of my miss-spent youth took place on the Berkshire Downs.
John B.
Sorry for delay in replying to posts..... been away for a few days, just got back, trying to get my land legs back.
Ok Ron...... I end up with long hairy textures.............
Thanks for the kind words Peter.
Never been to Letcombe Regis or Letcombe Basset. And didn't know Letcombe Regis was the birth place of King Alfred the Great.......... good idea for a carving though...... wouldn't happen to have a recent photo would you John......
Hi Degs, welcome back.
Last time I was in England was 1949, so no recent pictures.
The market square in Wantage had a statue of Alfred the Great and it said he was born there.
He was really born in Letcombe Regis, thus the name.
It was a small village about 4 miles from Wantage when I lived there.
If you take a picture of Alfred's statue next time you are in Wantage please Email me a copy.
Best regards, John B.
Degs, that wasn't a critisizm, that was a clue. You do beutiful work! Short hair is difficult to indicate but textures will do it, rather than cuts. Of course you can include both........... lines and dots. I don't know if that is customary in coin sculpting, but I always believed, whatever works for artistic impact. ...........Again, excellent work!
Ron S