Critique Request What can i do better?

[Dani Girl]

Hi everyone,

Sam especially... hope you don't mind me using your design from my new dvd which is great. It's the best i've ever seen anyone cut on an al mar and i couldn't think on how it could get any better, so i just used yours.

I have just engraved this one, I think it will be my christmas present to myself so I have something to show people.

I (with my big head) would like to one day get to master engraver level. And I was wandering if anyone had any tips on what I should be working on to get there.

I am middle of no where NSW, Australia.

Using lindsay palm control and a micro block if that makes any difference to anybody.

I know that my cross hatching is terrible and my ability to steer fine line shading so it's all parallel to each other and not running together, needs work. And I've got lots of comments lately about my border lines not being straight.

I haven't got a microscope... mostly I engrave naked eye, or with a magnifying lamp or optivisor. I basically use only the lindsay template which is a bit shy of 120 i believe. And I like dotting out the background for how quick it is and how effective it is which i do with a rotary round bur.

A couple of years ago I was drooling over Sam's work and all the other amazing engravers I was looking up online not believing for a moment I could do anything remotely like that. Now I have made it this far... where can I improve?

Thanks everyone for looking. ..pictures coming in a moment.

Danae.

 

[Dani Girl]

pictures

pictures of my recent engraving

 

[Dani Girl]

Note the wombat was done off a pretty basic sketch the customer asked me to copy. First animal i've ever done.

Danae

 

[Dani Girl]

Does anyone else have trouble seeing their drawing/scribe lines for the big chip going out in front of the graver?

 

[Sam]

Hi everyone,

Sam especially...

Using lindsay palm control and a micro block if that makes any difference to anybody.

I know that my cross hatching is terrible and my ability to steer fine line shading so it's all parallel to each other and not running together, needs work. And I've got lots of comments lately about my border lines not being straight.

Danae: I think you're a very respectable job of hand engraving, and you have answered many of your own questions on what needs improvement.

First off, I find the micro block much too small for this type of work. Others might disagree and I'm not saying it's causing you problems, but I would hate to use one on a daily basis. My advice is to get a larger ball vise.

Background removal: Open up background areas with a square or 105° first, then use a bur very carefully, keeping away from scroll elements and borders. A 120° is too wide of a V for safely removing background and tends to hit adjacent scrolls and borders as it goes deeper. A sharper V is much safer to use. Make clean, sharp sidewalls an obsession.

In your first photo it appears that shading lines obliterate the body of the scroll on the left side. I strive to keep the body intact so there's some contrast and separation in the elements. Too much shading can result in elements running together.

Yes, everyone experiences the chip getting in the way...the nemesis of the hand engraver

I'm a firm believer in microscopes and have been using one every day since 1982. I can achieve a much higher degree of accuracy with a microscope than I can ever get with a headset magnifier or other magnification.

 

[Dani Girl]

Thanks Sam for your reply.

I'll work on my obsession with sidewalls and look around to see if there are any microscopes going at an affordable price nearby. I imagine there are many different types on the market, is there a magnification I should be looking for or some detail to refine the search a little?

The microblock definately took some getting used to, but I don't dislike it. The only thing is it's a little more 'dangerous' given that your hand has to be closer to your graver and it's easier to slip and stab yourself... for that reason I prop it up on a roll of duct tape so i can get my hand a little lower... apart from that it's good value for the average engraver. Had to do some modification to do anything big. A zippo will just fit inside the jaws with a strip of leather on each side of it for protection... anything bigger and the jaws just run out of thread and come off. there are threaded screw holes in the top though which makes alteration a breeze

Practice, practice practice.

Thanks again Sam.

Danae.

 

[Jörmungandr]

If I was you.. I'd invest in a bigger wise. I own one of Lindsays PC vise, which works quite well for me, but having now spent some time with a heavier block... I realize that I should've gotten av even bigger one right away. Alot better control with more mass on the vise. Even while engraving small items.

I have also tried a real small GRS vise, I think that might be the microblock. And I found it horrible to engrave with. But that's just me. I have seen people use it and having to really brace with their left hand to keep the vise in position. To me that does not seem like an effective way to get clean cuts.

//Daniel

 

[RDP]

Dani, I bought my ball vise from Gemcuts, they are in Ballina, here is the link, I don't know how heavy it is, that's the maximum you can open it before you run out of thread, I did the wood plane on it without any problems, and I got a discount of $50.00 because some of the chrome plating was flaking and it was the last one he had, I think is a good size for normal work, but I am no expert, oh yeah, you don't get any accessories other than a few hardened pins as in the photo, and the base,

Richard.


http://gemcuts.com.au/prod2162.htm

 

[Andrew Biggs]

I (with my big head) would like to one day get to master engraver level.

Hi Danae

You are on the right path. You just need a lot more practice and attention to detail.

Get a decent vise. It will make your life easier for sure.

Try to get together with other engravers. You will be surprised at the effect that will have on your work.

And I like dotting out the background for how quick it is and how effective it is which i do with a rotary round bur.

Stop texturing the backgrounds with a rotary bur. Yes it is quick but it is also the sign of a quick job done by an amateur. It is a cheap and nasty way to do it.......Start doing the backgrounds properly by removing the background with flats/burs or both. Then texture by stippling, beading or textured punch getting an even coverage. This step alone will improve your work considerably.

Cheers
Andrew