Sterling Badge

[cowboy_silversmith]

I have not posted much for awhile.
Here is a sterling badge I engraved.

 

[Dulltool]

That's really nice... well done. I am retired LEO and I've always been interested in hand engraved badges. I had a old San Francisco badge that my grandfather engraved way back in the 1940's.

again great job,

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Nice Badge, so we all can make one for ourself now :big grin:

arnaud

 

[Roger Bleile]

Greg,

That is a beautiful piece of work. Prior to WWII there was a tradition of jewler made presentation badges, especially in northern California. It seems like you are continuing that tradition.

Is the enamel in the lettering hard fired or a cold enamel like Ceramit?

Thanks,

Roger

 

[bronc]

Well done Greg. I always enjoy seeing your work. It's always elegant and balanced and just so pleasing to look at.
Stewart

 

[doug]

Greg

I always enjoy looking at your work keep it coming.Ive learned a lot from your post and hope to one day be able to post something that looks as good as your work does,but its probably gonna take me a while to get to that point.So for now you keep postin and Ill keep studying.

Doug

 

[Jane]

They are all 100 percent dead on....enuff said! (not sure what I can add!)

 

[Dulltool]

Cowboy,
Do you have a source for blank badges?

Thanks,

 

[cowboy_silversmith]

I probably should have mentioned that I did not do the fabrication on these badges, I only did the engraving. These badges were made by the Ed Jones Company out of Berkeley, California. I worked for them from 77 to 81 performing all the layout and lettering for all badges. The lettering is done with individual letter and number stamps that you strike with a hammer. Each letter and number holds hard fired enamel (basically colored glass). Just like metal inlay, there has to be an undercut to prevent the material from falling away. So after the letters are all stamped in place you need to turn the badge over onto a polished steel block. Using a polished planishing hammer, you begin to hammer within the area where the letters are located and at the same time taking care as to not leave any hammer marks. This is done by hitting the hammer face flush with the material. So by doing this the letter cavities are being driven back on themselves and creating a shelf (undercut) that will keep the material in place. Once the planishing is done you flip the badge back over face up. you then take those same lettering stamps, and one by one you fit them back into each letter. You then gently tap the lettering die while simultaneously and ever so slightly rotate (gentle reaming) the lettering die in place so as to give the face of the lettering its original shape and sharpness. This is done because the planishing leaves the letters slightly deformed from being pushed in on itself. Then the enamel is added and put into a kiln somewhere around 1200 degrees. Once out of the kiln, the excess enamel is either lapped off or by the use of a hand held carborundum stone, you can grind it off in a kind of filing motion. Well this is probably more than you wanted to read about.... but what the heck...

 

[Dulltool]

Thanks for the education on commercial badge making.... a lot more steps than you would think.

 

[Two Claws]

That is a lot of info....but not more than I can appreciate, Coyboy!! The way the undercut is formed is totally new to me and would seem to be contraindicated by logic....but this is only true if you're as ignorant of real world badge manufacturing processes as I surely am.....Thanks!

 

[Roger Bleile]

Greg,

Thanks for the information on the undercutting of the lettering. I have to wonder why it wasn't done like undercutting an inlay cavity. Ed Jones is a famous name among police badge collectors but I susprct few know that you did the engraving for a time.

Roger

 

[monk]

dang, any law enforcement officer would drool over that ! and why not, that is such a gem !

 

[sandmanbrian]

Thanks for sharing this info and photo. I am a long time collector of Law Enforcement badges.

Brian ..................................

 

[monk]

very nice badge. thanks also for the technique you used.

 

[bigransom]

Beautiful badge! And the process info is appreciated as well.
scottd.

 

[jr hoot gibson]

Greg; Beautiful cutting, great information, Thank You for your post.
Hoot

 

[cowboy_silversmith]

Thanks guys!