Smoke Pulls (prints)

[FANCYGUN]

Making a smoke pull (print) of your engraving is a very useful visual tool. While doing an engraving job I will make a print at various stages along the way. I can use these prints to transfer images and also see what I have done on one saide of a gun while engraving the other side. You can print these out actual scale or really blow them up for study also. I use these while laying out and scaling a game scene so that it fits the engraved panel perfectly.
For those of us that have never made a smoke pull, here is what I do.

Take an old plane jane utility candle and light it. It should give off a sooty deposit on your metal as you pass it through the tip of the flame.
Now take a piece of transparent tape and carefully lay it over the top of the engraved surface. Press down lightly and rub the tape flat onto the metal. What you are doing here is making a relief print of the surface.
Peel the tape off and carefully stick it to a piece of white paper. You will have a nice clear image of your work with white lines and black background.
Now what I do here is scan the print on my scanner at 600dpi. This works well most of the time for capturing the fine detail as seen in my first photo.
Now save this on your computer so you don't lose it and now go on to the next step. I will now play with the contrast to make the darks darker and the whites brighter. I can also use my eraser to get rid of areas I don't want or need. I am using Photoshop for my image work.
What I really want for me reference work is a black line against a white background not what I have at this point. Easy fix. All I have to do now is click the "inverse" command and like magic the image flips itself into black lines against a white background. Usually at this point I have to do a little more touch up of the image which is no big deal.
Try this out and don't forget to save what you do all along the way. It's a great visual tool. It also is a great form of record keeping and I also send these to my clients to show then the progress on the pieces.
Good luck
Marty

 

[Cloudy]

Thanks for the "how-to"!

 

[Lee]

Marty and the rest of you out there. Here is another possiblity for getting a "smoke pull" type image. Use a black dry erase marker instead of the soot and try pulling the dry erase ink off with the tape. Some students told me about this. I think maybe it was Todd Daniels that told them. Anyway some genius tried it and it seems to work without the mess.

 

[fegarex]

I'm going to have to try the marker thing. I usually use an oil lamp and that is messy too.
Thanks Mr. Lee!
Rex

 

[FANCYGUN]

I have found that the dry erase marker is good for small things but I do get a sharper more consistant imafe with the smoke.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Marty and the rest of you out there. Here is another possiblity for getting a "smoke pull" type image. Use a black dry erase marker instead of the soot and try pulling the dry erase ink off with the tape. Some students told me about this. I think maybe it was Todd Daniels that told them. Anyway some genius tried it and it seems to work without the mess.

I just put it to the test and it works very well. And you have an assortment of colors if you so choose.

 

[FANCYGUN]

I am not saying it does not work well. It is also less of a mess. But the mess is easily cleaned up with a little alcohol and paper towel. I just find the blacks are a bit more even with the smoke. But hey.use what best works for you.

 

[nomentalgiant]

I find dry erase markers are great for getting the initial shape of an object and making quick pulls for basic referencing. Also, the clean up can be done with a simple wipe of your thumb. However, I've never been able to make a dry erase marker transfer with any success. I also agree with Marty in that a true smoke pull gives better contrast and looks nicer in general and I think it out performs the marker when making a final pull to keep as a record of the work. I find both methods have their uses so, my marker and kerosene lamp still keeps a place on my bench.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Great little tutorial Marty. I'm so used to working with the negative now I never thought of making a positive image from a pull.

Something else that works well is that if you use clear parcel tape (the 'Diamond' type), you can just stick another piece over the back of the smoke pull and you've got an instant reversal.

 

[kcrutche]

Smoke Pull

Marty

Thanks for the How-To.

By the way Excellent Scroll design.

Ken

 

[John B.]

Good little tutorial, Marty.
And fine study material, as you say.
Best.

 

[mtgraver]

I try to make a smoke print of most things, but I use either mylar or acetate sheets to keep them on instead of white paper. It gives me the flexibility to see either side, then scan. Most of the time I will use transfer paper to transfer an image and a ball scribe to impress the image onto the surface I'm going to cut. I've never had great luck with the computer and scanner transfers, may have to work on that a bit more. lol
Mark
www.MarkThomas-graver.com