Duane Wiebe approached me with the idea of doing a funeral style engraving job on his client's shotgun.

The client is a professional hunter who has been using the shortened 10ga. Aya double for many years as his backup gun for cats. He decided to have Duane turn it into a proper African stopper. Duane restocked the gun, added extended tangs and false sideplates along with a new triggerguard.

My job was to inlay the clients name into the sideplates with Old English lettering, border and stipple the top of the action and engrave what seemed like a shoe box full of various sized screws.

Here's the finished sideplate:

First thing after layout is cutting the fine lines and the outline of the thick stems. The fine lines are about .008" across and the thick stems are roughly .020"

The gravers I use for this work are the 110 degree V cutter for the bulk of the cutting. I use this wide graver to get the clearance I need to cut the tight radii without tearing up the side walls of letter stems. The cutter with the long face is a 60 degree graver with the point dubbed off to make a very small flat. I use this tool to knock in the keys that mechanically lock the gold into the cavity. I normally cut the dovetails, but the turns are just too tight to allow cutter clearance in lettering.

Here's the lettering with the cavity cut for the thick stems:



Close up of the same with the flat graver:



Another close up with all the corners and edges cleaned up and ready for the dovetails. Clean up was done with the 110 degree V graver.

All the dovetails hammered into the lettering with the 60 degree graver:



Close up for more detail:

This photo shows the begining stages of inserting the gold. The inlay requires that the wire fits the cavity fairly closely. Otherwise, it won't fill the cavity or flow into the dovetail properly. Here's 3 different sized wires used in the space of about .040".



With this pic you can see that all the segments are started. Where the individual pieces meet, I cut a shallow V so one piece won't flow over the other as I'm hammering the gold.

Gold all hammered in except where it will meet a new piece of wire. It's important that all new segments are seated at the same time so there won't be a joint line.



All the overflow cut off with a wide flat graver. I lean the graver toward the edge so it leaves the gold domed in the middle. I do this to confirm that the gold has completely filled the cavity. If there's a void, I have enough gold domed in the center to completely fill the inlay with a bit more hammer and punch work.

All in!

In this pic, I've gone over all the gold with my punch one more time just for the assurance that it's all seated. Then another once over with the wide flat graver to flush the gold with the base metal. Makes for less stoning work.

Polished with a 400 grit stone and oil:



Now it's polished with a very soft water stone. This stone breaks down very quickly and doesn't load up with gold. The stone is known by various names. The label says Tam O'Shanter. I call it a scotch stone (They are made in Scotland).



Finally, polished with 2000 grit wet or dry and oil.

Done!

Wow! Great photos and one heckuva tutorial. Thank you.

That is a dump truck load of work.

What magnification optic do you use to see such fine work?

I am very impressed.

5-6x for the general work and 10-15x on the detailed work.

OK, I used to use 8x for fine surgical work. Much more would cause a headache. Thank you so much for sharing your work and technique - fascinating.

The owner hasn't even seen this yet...Wow! Roger...are you going to show the balance of engraving? This is fantastic stuff!! And...not a bit bashful about showing the technique. Hell... how many could do it anyway?

I'll keep my day job...that is amazing!

Roger, that gives me a better appreciation for my bill! Beautiful.

Masterful work!

Amazing, I take it you don't drink coffee!

My head hurts.

Roger this is a great tutorial!! I was in one of John Barraclough's class at TSJC years ago and he taught very similar to your tutorial.

What Microscope are you using? It would be good for you to show your setup.

I hope someone young enough will take an interest in engraving and maybe become a great engraver in say 10 to 15 yrs.

Les Brooks, retired gunsmith

Thank you roger! I appreciate your work even more!

Thanks for sharing Roger. Posts like these generate greater appreciation for the time and attention to detail it takes to do custom projects right the first time.

The gold lettering looks pretty "simple" from a finished prospective. Seeing the behind the scenes sausage making really sheds some light on how much work is really required.

I would like to see a picture of the whole gun

James,

Works out to an hour per letter. Almost 2 for the cap.

I think Duane will post photos of the completed gun when he gets it assembled.

Mr. Kehr -

Your work is truely amazing. Reminds me of a quote I heard recently:

Talent is what you are born with, skill is earned.

You have both talent and a huge amount of skill. When it comes to engraving, I have neither, but can appreciate that of others.

Thank you for sharing.

Roger, there is a vast difference between a mechanic that replaces parts and a true CRAFTSMAN. You sir are a true Craftsman! The sad thing is that we are loosing our Guild quality Craftsmen faster than the next generation coming up to fill their shoes. That truly is a sad day. I am grateful for the privilege of seeing your kind of skill in my lifetime. You don't get this kind of skill punching computer keys like this next generation. Craftsmen are like flowers, it's been a privilege to enjoy your garden!

You are blessed with a real talent...Bravo!

Roger, I know I speak for others here who really appreciate not only showing pictures of your beautiful work, but also sharing how you do it. Question: how long did it take you to learn to do really good engraving?

Thanks!

MK160