Announcement: New video: LETTERING TECHNIQUES FOR HAND ENGRAVERS

[rod]

Sam,

I am starting to enjoy your downloaded "Lettering" video, even took an evening off work to create leisure to study it!

Wonderfully clear camera work, and your use of the flat graver is convincing, I want to put aside, for the moment, my own 'scalloped-side' flat variant, and study just what I am doing wrong when I go back to your rounded heel flat. I do have your earlier DVD that you reference to, for flat sharpening and heel, but, unless I am missing something, that shows you sharpening a straight, not curved, heel on your flat at that time. Might I have the exact distance from front cutting edge to where your rounded heel stops, and give me again the lift angle?

In "Western Bright" flat graver geometry, the tradition is to end the bright cut with an abrupt, sudden exit that is later 'capped'.

I also like the look of Mike Dubber's "Midwestern" brightcut bracelets, and started using his more gentle rounded heel on a flat...a rounded heel that extended about 3/16 inches from the cutting edge until it merges into the under belly. Your rounded heel is clearly a lot shorter ... more local. I do remember in your other Jewelry DVD, you demo some very tight miniature scrolls that seem to be free of heel drag. I know that in lettering the flat graver gives over to the 120 degree graver as the line turns sharply. What tips can you offer me, as your rounded heel graver goes into tight turns, is it simply a case of perhaps I might not be raising the flat graver up to a steeper angle as the scroll tightens, for example?

Thank you in advance?

Rod

 

[Keith]

I got my video today and of course had to watch it. Great video!
Now to move the rest of my shop from the garage into the house and start cutting.

 

[oiseau metal arts]

my copy too is now safely home and im off to spend some time watching it.

 

[Sam]

Rod: From the cutting edge to the back of my rounded heel is approximately 1/4mm. I can go a little longer on the heel and still get good results, but it performs best when it's pretty short. If you're having trouble with control or it wants to dig in too much, then make it a bit larger.

When I sharpen, the face is 40° but 45° works as well. For the heel, I loosen the toolpost lock screw and rock the Dual Angle fixture between 10-20° on my ceramic lap.

I do believe the graver must be raised in really tight turns, but I will have to have a look at that to be certain I'm telling you right. It's tricky at first, but once you really get control over a properly sharpened flat, it just wants to cut script lettering.

 

[Tim Wells]

Another masterpiece in engraving instruction Sam. Really fine video! If someone can't cut lettering after studying these chapters, they might be better off taking up the .... banjo. };-)

 

[Sam]

Another masterpiece in engraving instruction Sam. Really fine video! If someone can't cut lettering after studying these chapters, they might be better off taking up the .... banjo. };-)

Ha! Thanks for your kind (and humorous) words, Tim!

 

[rod]

Howdy, Dobro Tim!!

Sam,

Excellent, thanks for those parameters. I just wanted to make sure my practicing was with the same tool geometry as you are using. Now all I need is to develop my skills to get the finesse I see in your video. No excuses. Let's see how long it takes before I have something that is not too embarrassing to post?

Rod

 

[JOSIAH HANLEY]

Just got mine today !!!!

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

My daughter Lola started practising bright cut lettering after watching my instant download version.
Great and clear instructions you show in the video Sam, thanks!

I made some printscreens to print about the different cuts you show on the illustrations. Perhaps you could consider making them available for download too, as it helps while practising.
arnaud

 

[Sam]

My daughter Lola started practising bright cut lettering after watching my instant download version.
Great and clear instructions you show in the video Sam, thanks!

I made some printscreens to print about the different cuts you show on the illustrations. Perhaps you could consider making them available for download too, as it helps while practising.
arnaud

Thanks Arnaud, and I'm glad your daughter is learning to brightcut lettering.

The illustrations will be coming soon.

 

[Cinque]

hallo Sam ,i have my first engraved lettering from your Video http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?14021-My-first-engraving-with-airgraver.
I have my airgraver only a week.explains great

 

[Sam]

You did a very respectable job, Cinque That's especially good for a first attempt!

 

[mdengraver]

Sam I watched your new lettering video last nite and was left quite inspired! I pulled an all niter finishing my picture/painting of my Iguana after watching it. Your lettering DVD was like watching a movie fresh out of Hollywood. Great narration, and video closeups of some of the most mouthwatering lettering I've ever seen. What a privilege to watch! You make it look so easy that I vicariously felt like I was the engraver teleported/transported into the best episode of Star Trek, from my mundane/mediocre world to the exciting/spectacular world of hand engraving.... "to Infinity and Beyond". You starred in the video role of "Sam what's all the buzz all about lightyear" operating the pneumatic controls with the procession of a finely tuned well-crafted instrument/tool in the palm of your hands.

To see the world in Sam's hand and a heaven in the metal burrs so carefully flicked into the atmosphere. And by watching him hold infinity from the finesse of his cuts into the metal biosphere, Sam was able to take me to eternity in little over an hour, a hour and twenty minutes to be exact. The time went by quickly participating in this visual spectacular in the cosmos of the time/space/continuum! Thankyour very much, and for being the real deal as my muse in this wonderful adventure! William Blake, the famous engraver of yesteryear, you made him proud! You are surely being followed in the footsteps of such greats as Durer, Bewick, Hogarth, and the likes of other such great men from yesteryear as you march us all forward!

 

[mrthe]

The new Sam video is Fantastic! Like the others DVds is a little treasure for who want learn engraving.
I want to say a big thank you to Sam, for people like me that can't have the opportunity to have an engraver near to take classes, his videos are a great tool, i'm learning engraving thanks to Sam that i considere my teacher ( besides a great great artist and a friend) and reference although i has never met him in person, I think we are fortunate to have many great engravers like Sam as the vocation for teaching like have Sam, Thank you for this new and great Master Class!

 

[rod]

This 2 inch square copper practice plate is not quite finished, but still bristling with enough lessons of what went wrong to post it for comments.

It is readable, and not bad, so long as you do not zoom in. The bright cuts are so bright it was hard to photograph, so I took a darker shot that would allow the shapes to show more. I am a bit too embarrassed to show close ups, but guess I should, so I can benefit from comments. I will take better shots tomorrow.

Having fun working with Sam's lettering video, and see clearly where I need to improve. Sam makes it look so flawlessly easy with his masterful tool control, but that does not come instantly, however, the video is a great reference point.

All hints and tips for improving will be gratefully received... stay tuned for the embarrassing close ups.

Rod

 

[Brian Marshall]

Rod,


The camera shops sell a "matting" spray that will help control the "bright" cuts in images. Pricey.

But you can do a quick/cheaper version a coupla ways. Hairspray, cooking spray, or one of those "pounce bags" you can find at fabric stores.

Well, maybe... been a lotta years since I bought one. Kinda like a chalk bag?

Used to use it for transferring stitching patterns to saddle seats and leggings. Whole 'nother incarnation...


Brian


Ummm, I think you can figure out how to clean off whatever you may choose to try?

 

[Red Green]

I believe you are referring to a 'pounce', used to reproduce a pattern or to blot extra ink left from your quill if you lack the proper handwriting skills.

Bob

 

[rod]

Thanks, Brian and Bob!

I just used my iPhone in uncontrolled light, should get a better shot tomorrow.

Actually I got a professional dusting down this afternoon from 'make-up', to solve a similar problem. Did a one hour TV show, interviewed by a composer. Both of us were showing a bit too much reflected light on our aging foreheads, and the make up people have the gear at hand when the director calls for it. Made me feel important, but only for a few seconds!

best

Rod

 

[Big-Un]

Try and control the glare by daubing it with modeling clay.

 

[Sam]

Rod, that's an excellent job! No doubt you'll master this in very short order