New to metal

[handengraverdave]

Hello my name is David. I have been engraving for a couple years now. I do not engrave in metal, however I engrave into glass and mirrors. I would love to learn the art of metal engraving and figured I would start here. Let me jst say I have seen some amazing metal work here on Mr Lindsay's site and also some really great work on this forum. I know nothing about metal engraving except it looks really cool and takes alot of time and you can get very small and highly detailed work using a microscope. I have been an artist just about my whole life. I doodled and drew in school alot of times to the dismay of teachers. I never really took it serious until I had my first daughter with my wife and had to stop running the roads and help her raise first one then two daughters. I had time at home and needed something to entertain myself during off hours. Anyway long story short started back drawing but with realistic qualities and then moved to airbrush and then brush painting, then back to really detailed and realistic pencil drawings then used the high detail style on glass. It is amazing how detailed and how many different tones you can get with glass. I also apprenticed and learned the art of tattooing. I finally gave in to my friend who was a tattoo artist and he tried for almost three years to get me to learn the artform so finally I decided to learn. I never stop learning and I am always eager to learn something new. I have had a few people ask my if i did metal engraving and decided I would look into it. :whoo: I try and make all my work look as real as possible, I have always been more of a realistic style artist and some of the metal engravings I am seeing are very real looking. I don't know how this forum feels about glass engraving but hopefully I am welcome here anyway.

One question I have a rotary drill tool that I engrave in all types of glass with, from mirror to automotive windows to large sheets of quarter inch glass with can this type of tool be used to engrave in metal? Just wondering as I use diamond and stone burrs for glass and I would assume that some metal items could be engraved with it but I really dont know of any techniques and as far as I know the engravings here was done with airgraver or with the other Lindsey tools. I would assume carbide and diamond burrs would be most effective on metal using the rotary tool. Sorry this is long just wanted to give a brief history of me and ask a couple questions. I will post a link if anyone wants to see some glass work just let me know.

Thanks
David Melton

[SVD]

Welcome to the forum David! :waving:

Metal engraving is defined by the 'chip' or 'curl' being cut out of the metal. The type of 'engraver' you use is a whole different thing - it just grinds off very small amounts of the surface. Metal engraving is, in some ways, more like stone or wood carving. I think of it as plowing the metal.

There's a thread in the main forum called (IIRC) 'Inexpensive way to get started' that shows the minimalist way to get going.

One of the best ways to try out engraving and see if it's right for you is to take a class. Steve maintains a list of schools (link at the top of the page) so you can see if there's one near you.

Add your location to your profile and there's probably someone nearby who'd let you come over and get a quick look at things.

Oh - and look in the 'Tutorials' forum - lots of good stuff in there that will help you get up to speed on metal engraving.

Given your current artistic skills you'll probably want to check out 'Bulino' or 'bank note' style engraving - that's using very fine lines / dots to create images.

[handengraverdave]

Thank you Steve for the welcome. I will go thru all the tutorials and classes and all the other info here. It is alot to learn I know and alot of useful info here as well. I will also check out the bulino style you are reffering to as well. That may be the way to go as I am detail oriented.

[SVD]

Look on page 2 of this thread for the finished product of Brian's tutorial - that's some darn fine bulino work! :thumbsup:

[Steve Lindsay]

Welcome Dave! :waving: Yes, please do post a link or pictures of your engravings on glass. Yes, I'd think anything you're now doing with a rotary on glass you could use the same technique on metal. If you purchase a graver later you could combine the rotary with a graver for your art.

If using the rotary on metal the first think you'll notice is the metal can burr up and glass won't. The carbide rotary burrs can be more aggressive in metal than what diamond burrs are.

Steve

[handengraverdave]

Thanks Steve, I was thinking I could combine the two and I have been using diamond burrs for sometime now with the glass and a couple of mirrors I have engraved. I have not really used carbide for glass. Diamond burrs really dig into the glass and I can control the depth and know which ones do what. The easiest place to go to see some and it is just a small portion of my glass and mirror engravings is

www.myglassart.org/handengraver

Anyway check them out and give me an opinion if you want. I would definitely like to hear from some of you. I have seen some really good engravers and their work on this site.

david

[Steve Lindsay]

The glass work is amazing! When cutting glass do you have some sort of vacuum system running to keep the glass from floating in the air so that you don't breath it?

Steve

[handengraverdave]

Thanks Steve!!! I am glad you like it and the comment means alot to me after seeing your work. You are a true artisan and a master of your craft.


When I do the glass I have a air cleaner that uses water to draw dust in and keep it in the water so it does not get back into the air. Also sometimes I will wet engrave so there is not dust. Wet engraving is the most common it is good when first starting since when i start one I barely scratch the surface. When I start going deeper I use a mask and the air cleaner sanitizer whatever you call it, due to water kinda makes engravings invisible. When I add my different tones using my diamond burrs it is easier to see and get them in right using it and a mask. Glass dust does contain silica which can be harmful and when engraving it is super fine. I also use paper towels to wipe away the dust and it gets caught in the paper towels for the most part.

David

[SVD]

You know, I think you'll be able to do some very interesting work by combining 'regular' metal engraving's lines with what you've been doing on glass.

Imagine on some of your existing work adding in clear bright lines on the edges...

Now look at some of the examples posted here and picture what you could do for the background / fill areas...

Should be interesting.

[handengraverdave]

We will definitely see what I come up with. I still am not sure but I will try something when I look at some more work here and well lets just say something will come to me and I will get the gnads to do it. Thanks for the insight and helkp so far.

David