Am looking to have an african lion head engraved on a floorplate, and was thinking either single line or laser. I figure relief engraving may be too expensive but I may be wrong.
Anyone have a recommendation?

Laser would be the most bang for your buck. thing is it's not that deep unless you tell the engravers how deep you want it. Price is all based on machine time. Lasers are very fast so the cost is low relatively speaking.
Hand engraving looks best but is very expensive at least to me it is. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on it.

That is true, I have never used one before and really have no idea of what to expect price wise.
I know a local engraver, but all he does it scroll work and no figures.

Well to get a decent image bulino engraving is the way to go. It's a technique that uses a sharp needle for lack of a better term to punch tiny dots in the steel. In the right hands it can be nearly identical to a black and white photo. It's also very expensive.
Try the engravers cafe. ask for a recommendation.

Outside of that there are laser engravers around that could do something like that for around $150

What material is it? Steel or aluminum?

The floor plate is blue steel.
Do you know of any good laser engravers?

Never used these guys before but they come recommended from calguns
Engravers

The price and quality of the engraving should match the quality of the rifle.If it is hand engraving you want you should seek an engraver who is really good with game scenes or animal figures.I am told that not all engravers even the very best ones are good at this.

And I've also seen a floor plate engraved with a african elephant standing in a "about to charge" stance with grass at it feet and Mt Kilimanjaro or something in the background.
This was done by a very well known engraver who's name escapes me.
Price for the floor plate. $17,000.00

You might give this lady a shout. Example of pricing too.

http://www.biesen.com/E%20sale%201.html

I collect engraved guns and knives and my best advice would be.....if you can't afford top quality engraving for the lion head image, then get some tasteful HAND engraved scroll done and call it good. Poor, cheap, LASER or anything else but quality hand work looks just like what it is. Plain is better IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I collect engraved guns and knives and my best advice would be.....if you can't afford top quality engraving for the lion head image, then get some tasteful HAND engraved scroll done and call it good. Poor, cheap, LASER or anything else but quality hand work looks just like what it is. Plain is better IMO.

well put

Here is an example I chose to show how simple engraving helps make a rifle more appealing.[URL= ]a[/URL][URL= ]b[/URL]

Very nice. Lon makes some VERY nice rifles. I have a Rigby 350 Magnum take-down and a Griffin & Howe 375 & 300 H&H set being done by him now. I like subtlety in engraving....sometimes less is best.

Engraving in all cases I feel should accentuate the firearm and be a complement to the design Not a focal point.

$17,000 is a little out of my price range and it might look out of place on Mod 70 it is going on.
Maybe the federal government has a give away program to take care of it.
You're probably right about laser not looking too good on it.

Perhaps you should contact Roger Kehr aka "Scrollcutter" Roger Kehr
(360)456-0831

He has done outstanding work for me.

srt, is this going on the rifle you used on your hunt in 2003? If it is, sounds like a cool idea.

Sorry, no help on an engraver.

quote:

Engraving in all cases I feel should accentuate the firearm and be a complement to the design Not a focal point.

I agree 100%. I don't like that part-cover engraving on the Lon Paul custom rifle at all. To my mind it would have looked BETTER left plain and un-engraved.

IMHO a gun/rifle should either be FULLY engraved or NOT AT ALL. Excepting a fine double/single line around the edges of all the parts.

Part engraved looks as if you wanted full engraving but couldn't afford it! Some British side by side shot guns were bad in this respect!

No engraving shows a man with the good taste to realise who knows that the capable form and function of his gun/rifle are more pleasing than mere decoration.

Double/single line engraving around the edges as KCSTOTT says accentuates that effect of capable form and function.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:

quote:

Engraving in all cases I feel should accentuate the firearm and be a complement to the design Not a focal point.

I agree 100%. I don't like that part-cover engraving on the Lon Paul custom rifle at all. To my mind it would have looked BETTER left plain and un-engraved.

IMHO a gun/rifle should either be FULLY engraved or NOT AT ALL. Excepting a fine double/single line around the edges of all the parts.

Part engraved looks as if you wanted full engraving but couldn't afford it! Some British side by side shot guns were bad in this respect!

No engraving shows a man with the good taste to realise who knows that the capable form and function of his gun/rifle are more pleasing than mere decoration.

Double/single line engraving around the edges as KCSTOTT says accentuates that effect of capable form and function.

I'm going to have to disagree.

Personally I like 25% to 50% coverage and can only stand 100% when it is on a nice english double.
I feel that the pattern gets to busy and thats when it detracts from the firearm and becomes the focal point and the firearm is nothing more then a medium to the artist. We have canvas for that

This may not be ones style but I think it's really nice full or almost full coverage work..[URL= ]Hans Eisbacher engraved[/URL]

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
This may not be ones style but I think it's really nice full or almost full coverage work..[URL= ]Hans Eisbacher engraved[/URL]

That in my book is 50% coverage.
My opinion on what is 100% is like a Colt peace maker that has every last square millimeter covered.
Beautiful rifle though and defiantly not over done for my taste.

I have never had a firearm engraved before. Good points on the comments about all or nothing.
Yes, it is the same rifle used in 2003. You have a good memory.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:

quote:

Engraving in all cases I feel should accentuate the firearm and be a complement to the design Not a focal point.

I agree 100%. I don't like that part-cover engraving on the Lon Paul custom rifle at all. To my mind it would have looked BETTER left plain and un-engraved.

IMHO a gun/rifle should either be FULLY engraved or NOT AT ALL. Excepting a fine double/single line around the edges of all the parts.

Part engraved looks as if you wanted full engraving but couldn't afford it! Some British side by side shot guns were bad in this respect!

No engraving shows a man with the good taste to realise who knows that the capable form and function of his gun/rifle are more pleasing than mere decoration.

Double/single line engraving around the edges as KCSTOTT says accentuates that effect of capable form and function.

To repeat, I collect engraved firearms and, IMO, which is just that, mine, MANY of them look better with less, sometimes, much less engraving than what some would call 100% coverage. I have NEVER seen a 100% engraved bolt action that looked "right" to my eyes. That doesn't mean I can't admire the work or that I won't buy one, just that less is often more when it comes to gun engraving.

Pistols tend to stand more engraving better than bolt action rifles and doubles, either rifle or shotgun, can go either way.

The quality of engraving available today is the finest there has ever been, BUT that quality of engraving is out of the financial reach of most people. Winston Churchill, who is on the short list of the finest living engraver's does really full custom work on a Colt SAA starting at about $150,000. That said, there are many very fine engravers that can do a lion's head on a floor plate for a reasonable sum. Check out FEGA's page, and contact the ones who's work you like, ask them for a quote AND A LEAD TIME.

I think on a bolt gun 25%-50% is the way to go. It looks tastful without being too much.



Terry

Here's a fine example of bulino engraving by the Italian Gabelli on a knife I own, probably done about 15 years ago or so.

Personally, I thing that a little engraving on a bolt rifle goes a long way. A few gold lines or a touch of scroll looks nice but bolt actions covered with engraving turn me off. The only exception is the floorplate, the only big, flat area on a bolt rile. Unfortunately, the floorplate is also the place held by most people when carrying the rifle.

NOTE: Below are examples but these firearms are not mine.

quote:

Originally posted by TC1:
I think on a bolt gun 25%-50% is the way to go. It looks tastful without being too much.

I agree in respect of both bolt actions and every other sort of action...including pistols.


I've owned a fair number of British and European rifles with custom or bespoken engraving....and a few North American ones.

With the exception of one Simson DR in .470 with stupendous deep relief engraving of a tiger drinking at a stream and a pair of Buff in the bush which covered 100% of the action body, I much preferred the ones with only 25% to 50% coverage of the action (and maybe only 3%-10% of the barrels). The ones closer to 25% action coverage ranked highest in my books.

That lion engraving is superb, I won't even ask what that cost, as it is well out of my range.

I have bit my tongue for almost two weeks, in part because I think Lon Paul is one of the top builders, but am I the only one who thinks the engraving shown below is awful? The scroll itself is fine, but the proportion of the oval and the border really seem to clash with the shape of the floorplate.

quote:

[URL= ]b[/URL]

This second example it just about perfect and seems to accentuate the shape of the floorplate.

quote:

Just different styles. Each to his own.

I thought the same thing about the Lon Paul piece. It would look a helluva lot better without the oval in the middle IMO, but hey, to each his own.

srt:

I dunno where you are in Texas, but you might consider checking with these relatively local engravers whose work I selected from Fega's site. I personally have not had any dealings with any of them but did contact Carter who seemed like a good guy, but haven't followed up on it. Gary Halter, San Angelo; Otto Carter, Abilene; Terry Theis, Harper; and Ron Smith, Ft. Wth.;

Jason... Good eye.

I though the same, thing something just didn't look right.

As per Winston Churchills engraving. I've seen some of his work and wondered what skill level like that would cost? Now I know. and Oh My GOD!!!

I was in college when Churchill's work first started appearing. At that time, you could get a pretty nice job from him for a few hundred bucks. What an investmenr that would have been!

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:
And I've also seen a floor plate engraved with a african elephant standing in a "about to charge" stance with grass at it feet and Mt Kilimanjaro or something in the background.
This was done by a very well known engraver who's name escapes me.
Price for the floor plate. $17,000.00

This price doesn`t make any sense to me.The quote I got from a top engraver for ``full coverage`` floorplate is less than a quarter of that amount,and I saw samples of some of his work, which are also displayed on the FEGA masters gallery.

Shootaway
As with anything in high demand or just high end. "It's not what it worth, But how much someone is willing to pay"
Some poor schmuck with more money then brains ponied up and walked out with a beautiful floor plate and less money in his wallet.
There is little justification in the price.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:
And I've also seen a floor plate engraved with a african elephant standing in a "about to charge" stance with grass at it feet and Mt Kilimanjaro or something in the background.
This was done by a very well known engraver who's name escapes me.
Price for the floor plate. $17,000.00

This price doesn`t make any sense to me.The quote I got from a top engraver for ``full coverage`` floorplate is less than a quarter of that amount,and I saw samples of some of his work, which are also displayed on the FEGA masters gallery.

Full coverage scroll engraving is going to be less expensive than a detailed game scene(as KC has described). Also, a "name" engraver is going to be more expensive than a "top" engraver.

I am reffering to a floor plate exactly like KC described.From what I understand the term full coverage is not used to describe scroll engraving alone but a completely engraved floor plate.I have no idea why anyone would think a game scene costs more than scroll alone.Heinz Funk,who some consider to be one of the best engravers in the world does only scroll.You can see his work on Martin Hagn`s rifles.

quote:

I have no idea why anyone would think a game scene costs more than scroll alone.

Because the level of skill and time involved is considerably more. Nearly any competent engraver can do excellent scroll, making a scene "live" is a skill very few possess, and making that scene with "live" human faces in it, cuts it down to a few fingers worth.

It is entirely possible that a game scene engraved floorplate by one of the "greats" such as Torcoli, Galeazzi, Fracassi, at their peak might cost $17,000. I know of several small knives where the engraving by one of the above cost over $13,000 and the surface area is considerably smaller than a floorplate.

``because the level of skill and time involved is considerably more`` Take a look at the Holland and Holland website and you will see the most expensive guns have scroll alone. I disagree with your statement and you state it as if your where an expert engraver yourself.

I think this is in part because you can depend on the best British work to always show exceptionally tasteful design, no matter what level or ornamentation is involved. American work can be all over the map. How many gaudy bullion barges have been commissioned that don't hold their value?

The Lon Paul rifle above, while beautifully stocked, has engraving in a style that shows suboptimal, non-traditional composition and detracts from the work as a whole. Under a microscope, I'm sure it's gorgeous. Too much engraving is made to look good under a microscope rather than 6' away, which is far more important in my opinion.