My first gravers

[Sam]

I ordered my first set of gravers and wooden handles from the 1970 Dixie Gun Works catalog. In the description Mr. Kirkland refers to "chicken tracking" or walking the graver. This was an extremely valuable piece of information to me as I was familiar with the design but didn't know how it was accomplished. I couldn't wait for my gravers to arrive to try it, and I did. Wriggling was the only thing I could do. I still struggled for a few more years until the James Meek book came out and I learned to sharpen the tools.

Anyway, this is the ad in the catalog. I ordered the entire set for $11 and the handles as well. I still have them, too.

 

[silverchip]

I think mine were like forged nails and a chunk of broom handle:caution:

 

[Brian Marshall]

And I had to mine the ore and smelt it and alloy it and pour it into ingots, and roll it out and cut it up and grind it down and harden and temper it...

And plant trees to get wood to make handles, and after they grew up cut 'em down, and make a crude lathe to turn them on...

And then drill the holes and stick the graver blanks in 'em.

And then sharpen them by hand on an old oilstone that belonged to my great granpappy!

And I walked 12 miles to school, barefoot, through 6 feet of snow...

Yep, the "old days" were SO much better!



Brian

 

[Donny]

My first chisel and hammer...chisel handle was my first lesson. You have to know how to make the tools you use he said. Then we made this. Then I sat down at his vise and got very worried!!!!!

Donny

 

[Sam]

My very first graver (a chisel) I made from a scrap of steel I found in the machine shop where I worked. I made a very basic flat chisel and used it to engrave a letter "A" on a brass hammer head my friend machined for me. The gravers above were my first store-bought gravers
I also went through a period in the 80s where I made gravers from discarded industrial high speed steel hacksaw blades. About the only thing I accomplished was learning to use a surface grinder.

 

[Brian Marshall]

Yep. I remember the hacksaw blades... the ones we used were given to us by the guys working on the railroad tracks in San Jose, CA.

That was around the time Victor Vasquez was "learnin' me" the proper use of potatoes in the engraving shop...


Brian

 

[Southern Custom]

I think I bought the same set back in the 80s. This was right after my 75 year teacher from Nicaragua who didn't speak English taught me to make them. (taught me to make my first wire drawing plate as well) I figured out pretty quick that someone else could make a nicer graver than mine. I still have them all, gravers and the drawplate. Wish I had put them to as good a use as you did Sam. I might be a bit farther along!

 

[Southern Custom]

Funny thing. Mine never did what the description said they should do.

 

[monk]

my first graver, a 90 square length about 1.5', which included the tang ! .25' square file with nearly a 90 face & no heel. the 2 hammers file handles and old auto valves. hex hammer, a piece of hex stock, drilled to accept a piece of very hard drill rod. then shaped on a lathe. you can sense the anxiety i experienced trying to use this as a graver. like sam, and many others-- this endeavor was going nowhere rapidly for maybe 3 years and then james b. meeks published "the art of engraving". god , what a revelation this wonderful book was. also my first ball vise- a bowling ball !

 

[Gargoyle]

And I walked 12 miles to school, barefoot, through 6 feet of snow...

Yeah, but it was downhill both ways. You young'un's had it easy.

 

[DKanger]

And I walked 12 miles to school, barefoot, through 6 feet of snow

Geez Brian,
That's insulting to those of us who actually DID!! Walking was the only way to get to school, regardless of weather or temperature. And it wasn't barefoot, it was wearing a crummy pair of black, hightop tennis shoes purchased in August at JC Penny along with 2 new pair of jeans that had to last the whole school year. But enough of those Happy Days!!

I bought Meek's book and the recommended Meek's engraving set from Brownells in the late 70's. It made no sense to me then, and I still find it cryptic today. It was like reading a set of instructions on how to set up a motherboard written by a Taiwanese. Everything went on the shelf until I discovered Neil Hartliep's book on engraving and things started to click. I still ain't worth a crap, but only because other things always get in the way of my practice time.

 

[Brian Marshall]

Dave, it was in Amarillo, Texas around 1960. It was probably only six blocks (but sure seemed like 6 miles each way) and the snow was up to my chest in places. (I was shorter then) And I might as well have been barefoot - I had stepped on what I thought was solid ice in the gutter. It wasn't.


B.