My first relieved background engraving.

[Doc Mark]

This is an inexpensive Kershaw folder I bought at a local gunshow. I wanted a simple, clean knife to use for my first "full engraving". I replaced the cocobolo wood insert with some ivory that I scavanged from a junked piano, and plugged the lanyard hole with a steel dowel pin. I have done a few simple plain-sided Case and Buck knives with simple scrolls and monograms, but this was the first with a relieved background. What a pain in the butt! God knows I'm used to using a rotary handpiece but cutting metal without "going out of the lines" is a totally different experience. The bur always wanted to "escape" on it's own if I let my concentration lapse for even a second. I used flat gravers for much of the bulk metal removal and then 1/4 round burs in an electric Micromotor handpiece. This is much slower (35,000 rpm) than the air-driven handpieces. My Silent Air compressor can't handle the air-driven handpieces, not enough CFM output. On one side of the knife I actually removed an entire small leaf from the design before I realized it! The knife doesn't look too bad unless you use magnification. Boy, then you can really see the errors jump out at you!

I now have even greater regard for you masters who do large knives and firearms with relief work over the entire surfaces. I cannot even guess how long you must struggle with this tedium before you can do the "fun stuff" like the detail shading. I can see I've got a lot of "tool control issues" to work on before I move on to my planned goal of doing a firearm. I hate to admit it, but this is the only aspect of engraving that I've found to be unpleasant. Oh well, it can't all be fun. It makes you appeciated the others aspects even more. (Notice my attempt at rationalization!)

As usual, your coments and suggestions are appreciated.

Mark

 

[ddushane]

That looks sweet to me! Keep it up! Dwayne

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

Mark, your knife looks good, and don't worry to much about struggling with background removal you will get plenty of practice if you do much relief work. You are not alone I think back ground removal is as fun as digging ditches. Brian

 

[Tim Wells]

I really like the border you used alongside the scales, it's elegant. I like the whole transformation in fact, it sure looks a dang sight better than my first knife. I showed it to both Alain Lovenberg and Philipe Griffnee and I thought they were going to spit their beer out.

Seriously though, you did a fine job and I'd be proud to have it in MY pocket. I'm glad to see you didn't try cutting the blade, that stuff's harder than chinese rithmatic! I rockwell tested the blade on a Kershaw Coral Creek I had at work and it was over 60; explains why they're hard to sharpen I reckon.

 

[Doc Mark]

Thanks for your kind words guys.

Tim, well, I WAS STUPID and didn't realize that the center of the spine (spring) was harder than the side metal of the knife. After I had already begun cutting the spine, I found my tips shattering on the hard spring! Since I had already started the design, I had to do the center with those Gessweine porcelain grinding rods. Their ridiculosly expensive, but they were the only thing I could find to cut the spring metal and still be able to dress the grinding rod to a fine point. They wore down quickly, so I had to reshape them after every minute of use! That's another of the "won't do that again" lessons learned the hard way. But, those are the lessons we don't forget! Actually, the Kershaw is a pretty good small knife. It takes a good edge and holds it, and I like the general shape of the blade and handle.

Mark

 

[Sam]

Doc: Not sure what your relief engraving process is, but start by outlining the area of negative space with a square graver. I make as many as 6 or 8 passes, going deeper with each pass and paying close attention to what the heel's doing (drag). Once you reach sufficient depth and cleared much of the waste material away from your scrolls, you can then bur the rest out if you're very careful. I use short pulling strokes with a bur. If you move a bur in the direction of its rotation, it'll grab and run out. To remove background areas with a graver, after the outlining step make multiple passes with a square until you have most of the background removed and then level with flats if need be. Incidentally, in addition to the air turbine I use an Electer GX (now the Electer Emax) for much of my bur work.

Your first attempt looks good. It's better than my first attempt! / ~Sam