Is it bulino or banknote style

[carl bleile]

I think it's a little hard for a beginning engraver to understand some of the terms we use and sometimes we use them losely, so i'll try and put a little bit of light on it IMO
I believe the french word for bulino is burin ( chisel ) and in english is graver. If I remember correctly in the early 70s I refered to my high detail work as banknote style engraving which is made of lines, dashes, and dots, basicly the way I cut when I was a banknote engraver the only difference was to get it to look darker with out ink in the cuts. The people that were using the term bulino were the dealers selling Italian guns, which I didn't understand because thats like saying graver engraving or chisel engraving and that didn't describe the style. I still use the term banknote style engraving because a person outside of the trade can quickly get a mental image of what I'm talking about, if I say bulino they ask what's that, I say burin, what they say, oh I mean chisel but realy it's a graver and it goes on untill I say you know looks like a banknote.
The people that are serious about (usually) having this type of work done can get their idea across with most terms they use, after they get it they can call it what ever they want, I think they just like to say "bulino"
Ive included a banknote style engraving I did in 1974, it was done for Wells Fargo and companys 125th anniversary, showing Sam Bass and his out laws riding into town for their last mistake robbing a Wells Fargo bank. The art work is mine as usual and wouldn't have had any photos to work from anyway except a picture of Sam Bass. had to research to make sure clothing and kit were correct for the time period.
Hope you can see some detail I had to take a picture of a picture and reduce it to 480x640
Carl Bleile
southwest,Ohio

[diandwill]

What a wonderful rendition of such a notorious outlaw. He lived around Dallas and hid out for a long time in the bad areas around Dallas. I purchased a small book, a first edition, which is why I bought it, on Sam Bass. A true comedy of errors, and your engraving captured the bravura of Sam and his band. It would be fun to have a smoke of your engraving in the book, but I haven't been able to find it. It lives on in my memory, and you captured those beautifully. I hope to be able to engrave with such precision in the future. I try to push my limits regularly.
I just found out that I made the ultimate error...I engraved a western style buckle, with a bucking bronco and cowboy, on a belt buckle for my 5 year old grandson, and sent it off without a photo. I intended to post it, but it was a Christmas present, and had to be mailed across the country. Hopefully I can get my Daughter to take a photo of it and send that back. I will post then.
Will

[jlseymour]

Carl that is a great engraving...
Thanks for the info and sharing your work...
Jerry

[WVEngraver]

I had the pleasure of holding the original photo of this engraving.

Thank-you for bringing up the differences in "definitions" Carl.

I look forward to your article in the next issue and the clarifications you put forth regarding the work executed on your set of Parkers.

Merry Christmas to you and Debbie!!

Chris

[carl bleile]

diandwill thanks for the kind words, the other side of the gun is in my photo album, hope you like it, Either my brother Roger posed for the picture on the other side or I looked in a mirror when I drew it (we were cuter back then)

Chris(WVEngraver) you can come over any time and go through all the bags and sort out all my old photos.

[Roger Bleile]

The lawman with the shotgun at Sam Bass' grave is you brother! You posed it and I took the picture. So soon we forget