Coin Cutting Tutorials

[Steve Ellsworth]

Lindsay asked me to do this a while back but i have been stalling on it.

1: It aint easy
2: I requires a few differnt tools than most of you may have - at least for my style.
3: It will take time to get through it.
4: It would have to be in stages via pics as my cam doesn't do video when I work.
5: It would be dealing with classic designs rather than the customs I do.
6: You may or may not learn anything. BUt at least you will see some different ways to employ your tools.

Let me know if there is any interest in doing this. If not, then perhaps something else which is more of a universal interest, like carving a knife or something.

[jacques herbst]

yes please Steve:thumbsup:

[John Barraclough]

Sounds good ,Steve E.
Hope you do it.

[Dave London]

What no pictures yet Thanks Steve

[monk]

heck, yeah ! i'll be there. juss say when !

[toyhatsu]

Since I have yet to attempt coin carving, I would also be interested.

[Danny C]

Ok Where Is It?

[T.G.III]

I would be most pleased to veiw said tutorial.
Thanks
Tom

[KDavid]

I would be very interested in this tutorial:yesnod:

[Billzach]

Steve
I can alway use some tips on carving coins, anything pertaining to coin carving gets my attention..

[Andrew Biggs]

Well Steve......

It looks like your have to go with the coin carving.

Cheers
Andrew

[rod]

Steve,

I really appreciate your regular contributions on the forums, and your encouragements by direct email, so please do let us have some insights into your approach!

Rod

[James Wark]

Steve,
I would also love to see how these coins are cut. They are fantastic and I have a bunch laying around to practice on.
Jim

[shonn]

I would love to see and learn how to do it .

[Steve Ellsworth]

OK
Looks like there is enough interest to make it worthwhile
I'll try not to let you get too bored
so i will get started taking some pictures

[Steve Ellsworth]

Getting things ready for you all - now just have to wipe my linux from my laptop to get the scope cam up and working as for some reason contrary to who knows what the thing wont run on my big system with 2000. I dont think i can pull it off with the DV cam and have you see the detail. Should be up and running this week.

In the meantime here are some pics to give you an idea of the type of stuff we will be playing with and the scale of the tools should become apparent.

Katchina http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/Image155.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/Image140.jpg
Train
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/Image176.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/Image184.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...6/Image146.jpg
Marriane
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...06/Image99.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...06/Image56.jpg

Now is the time to ask about tooling and other such stuff. I will put up some pictures of my bench layout as it works a little differently than what most of you are probably used to seeing or working with.
Carving - at least the way I do it - is a dimensional art. I cut relatively deep and the quality of my work is what it is. I don't expect you to carve at the level I do. I just want you to have fun with it. Alot of the techniques will cross over to engraving and how you implement them will be up to you. Each to his own style and finding it.

I am not sure how much room photo bucket has on it - i may have to do this on a different server but that shouldnt be a problem

also looking at a thingy where we can all look at images at the same time and i can do a little white board work and mess with the imagery live.

feel free as we go along to post questions - if you want to email pics of your work back channel thats ok too

well thats about all for now
ask away and lets start thinking about carving our brains out

[Danny C]

OK! Now were getting somewhere. But on the train (#1) It looks more like a person in the inset rather than a train (#3), or are my eyes deceiving me?

[Steve Ellsworth]

thats a close up of the inset
its the engineer driving the train
leaning out the window of the cab
the train cars trail off behind him in the distance

its small
he has eyes ears nose mouth
cars have windows
there is track with ties underneath
i am a neurotic at times
the other one is of the full engin but seen from the other side
two coins - one collector


getting a feel for the size of the gravers? :-)

[Steve Ellsworth]

Danny

re Now we are getting somewhere

tutorials cost me money to make in time business etc
so learn well as this wont be a forever kind of thing
look at the pics - see what you can learn from them in advance
save your questions for when you start doing the work

when i start this thing you will get your money's worth
or I am not deserving to be in the NICE group
i have lots of collectors to keep happy too
and they holler a lot louder than anyone on this forum
(joys of being infamous!)
later

[Danny C]

I (almost) understand (I'm not that busy) but a pre-lim heads up would help - such as just how big (at the tip) are your gravers? We can prepare in advance but we'd just guess at sizes necessary. Are they straight tapered to the end or full sized up to about 1/2" from the end then neck down to the desired width?

[Billzach]

Originally Posted by Danny C

I (almost) understand (I'm not that busy) but a pre-lim heads up would help - such as just how big (at the tip) are your gravers? We can prepare in advance but we'd just guess at sizes necessary. Are they straight tapered to the end or full sized up to about 1/2" from the end then neck down to the desired width?

.....I don,t want to impose on Steve,s coin carving tutorials, but i think Steve will agree, that after most of you carve a few coins you,ll start shaping gravers, points, etc. to your own specs and shape..Steve and i both carve coins, but if you looked at the gravers, points, etc. we use, most of them would be different, yet we,re both coin carvers..

[Steve Ellsworth]

Bill you never impose
so not to worry
i would be more than happy thrilled to have you jump in on this project if you want to

bill and i use differnt tools
differnt techniques
different styles
differnt everything
both ( i assume) masters of coin cutting
bill has been cutting coins longer than i
i have been carving precious stones and ivory longer vthan coins but the same stuff applies (sort of)

we do grind our tools differntly
if you are limied in steel then watch and learn
if you want to go for it then be prepared to make a few tools

this is a thing it might take you a lifetime to learn - maybe not
it is not like engraving and there are not a lot of us around
when we die it goes with us and whats left to our students
bill and i are in the top of the realm
we dont have to teach or takea back seat to anyone
we have more projects than we have time left to live
but we love the art and are willing to share
up to you where you take it
kind of like owning a light saber and being a jedi

[Billzach]

Originally Posted by Steve Ellsworth

Bill you never impose
so not to worry
i would be more than happy thrilled to have you jump in on this project if you want to

bill and i use differnt tools
differnt techniques
different styles
differnt everything
both ( i assume) masters of coin cutting
bill has been cutting coins longer than i
i have been carving precious stones and ivory longer vthan coins but the same stuff applies (sort of)

we do grind our tools differntly
if you are limied in steel then watch and learn
if you want to go for it then be prepared to make a few tools

this is a thing it might take you a lifetime to learn - maybe not
it is not like engraving and there are not a lot of us around
when we die it goes with us and whats left to our students
bill and i are in the top of the realm
we dont have to teach or takea back seat to anyone
we have more projects than we have time left to live
but we love the art and are willing to share
up to you where you take it
kind of like owning a light saber and being a jedi

...Coin carving to a degree has been going on for hundreds of years, but i think i would be correct in saying the way the old timers carved and the way we modern day carvers carve has been going on for 75 to 100 years..With the history of coin carving spanning the amount of years that we,ve a record of, I think it,s safe to say there will still be a demand for carved coins after Steve and I are gone..After carving coins for 11 years and unless i change my mind after this year i plan to limit my coin carving to a very few a year, so as the older coin carvers slow down there is a demand for new coin carvers.. Amost everytime the subject of carving coins comes up a new coin carver asks me,," what does carving coins pay"...It depends on how much in demand your coin carvings are to collectors , if you flood the market, don,t expect to get a very high dollar even if the carvings are nice..Also it depends on how long it takes you to carve a coin...Many coin carvers have a hard time getting a smooth field, for me getting a smooth field is really easy, but even after many years carving coins i still find that in other areas of carving i still have room to improve...[ps] My goal is to carve a coin one day that will make people say " How Did He Do It"..

[Steve Ellsworth]

Guidelines for tools

i will make some pics along with some measurements and comparisons so you will have all that information very soon
no problem :-)

[Danny C]

Thanks guys - that kind of thing is reeaallly hard to come by these days - that is, someone(s) who is really interested in sharing. For awhile there, I thought Steve L was the only one who did. True, there are classes and those who will teach for pay - but it takes somone really special to just "give". So, I want to say THANKS!

[Steve Ellsworth]

everyone who has ever posted anything here has done it for free
there is no one making money on this forum
so thank them all

[monk]

mr. ellsworth has given many of us the most valuable thing of all, the desire to do something different. on top of that he has taken the time to reach out to individuals such as myself, and offer help. this takes much of his time. to this most gifted artist and selfless person, we all owe a great deal of gratitude. how easy for him to just ignore those of us wanting to learn this
fascinating art.

[Steve Ellsworth]

I am opening this up in a new thread just to keep it less cluttered.

The images are hossted on my server if you want to keep them for future reference i would suggest you download them to your drive.

Feel free to ask whatever you want or help each other out as much as you want in the new thread.

Thanks

[shonn]

ok where is your server for me to look this up ? i look forward to seeing your tools for making the metal smooth after you carve.

I am opening this up in a new thread just to keep it less cluttered.

The images are hossted on my server if you want to keep them for future reference i would suggest you download them to your drive.

Feel free to ask whatever you want or help each other out as much as you want in the new thread.

[Steve Ellsworth]

it's a new thread
cutting a coin for fun and profit
first part is up now
no differnt than before only thing is i am hosting the pictures on y account rather than photobucket or other freebies that take licence forthe images and sell them later

just go through the link and click away pics will pop up as usual
sorry couldnt do thumbnails - way too many coming.

[Steve Ellsworth]

pics are in the thread now
duhhh me

[shonn]

thank you Steve for the info and i know this must take hours of your time to show all of us !
but may i say i am reading every word and trying ( and doing) to learn what you have to say thank you very much for your time in explaning so clearly
thank you .

[Steve Ellsworth]

last of the tutorial is up under
cutting a coin for fun and profit
http://www.engravingforum.com/showthread.php?t=709

that finishes this one
hope you all have fun with it