January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December • Show All Articles for 2009
Rick Eaton makes custom knives, but he doesn't stop there. He also engraves his custom knives, adding flush gold inlay and fine line shading. But he doesn't stop there either — he also teaches other engravers how to do the same....
Continue with Get Into Custom Knife Engraving »
College art students are famous for running low on time and money. Mitchell Lurth, a student in the Engraving Arts program at Emporia State University, cleverly designed one of his graded college art projects so it could also be his mother's Christmas present....
Continue with Art Student Gets 2-For-1 »
A stainless steel key fob is a great way to practice your skills — especially before executing a technique on an expensive piece....
Continue with Practice is Valuable »
A technique dating back many centuries, trompe l'oeil or "fool the eye" is a creative method for making two-dimensional artwork appear as if tangible and three-dimensional....
Continue with A Trompe L'oeil in Miniature »
Sam Alfano has a treasure of knowledge stored up from his many years as a hand engraving artist. One beautiful design technique that he uses is his lumenesque scroll....
Continue with The Lumenesque Scroll »
Using bright cut techniques, engraver Brian Powley finishes out the sparkling surface of these high-quality flutes with engraved designs....
Continue with Musical "Lip" Service »
Ralph Bone was a man with an excellent and remarkably broad skill set....
Continue with A Gentleman's Knife »
Sometimes engraving is the focus of a career. In John Cameron's case, it's the "icing" on his handcrafted woodwork....
Continue with Embellishing Handcrafted Furniture »
Creating a custom piece for a client using existing stones is a great way to turn out beautiful pieces of jewelry....
Continue with Aquamarine and White Gold, Cathedral-Style »
One of the goals of the Featured Photos section of the GRS site is to provide pieces of engraving, stone setting, and similar works so that another artist may be inspired....
Continue with Finding Inspiration »
Alain Lovenberg is a master of many styles. Whether he is working with lines or sculpting, his work is astonishing to say the least....
Continue with What A "Purdey" Gun »
Jean Santos of France is a hobby knifemaker and engraver. Like Tira Mitchell's titanium ring featured in August, Santos has anodized these beautiful pendants to give them a bit of color....
Continue with Japanese Beauties »
It's finally done; Mitchell Lurth has now completed his first custom engraved electric guitar during fall 2009. Previously, in Part 1 and Part 2, you saw Mitch develop the design and then start engraving. ...
Continue with Custom Engraved Electric Guitar: Part 3 »
Recently, Martin Strolz of Austria traveled to the United States to instruct his 5-day Grand Masters course at the GRS Training Center....
Continue with A Masterful Progression »
This knife by Tira Mitchell, who teaches engraving at the GRS Training Center, shows just how you can use less and get more....
Continue with Flippin' Out »
Engravers seem to be by nature artistic, creative, and innovative. Most engravers enjoy finding new ways of going about their business, whether it is a time-saving technique or a new tool geometry....
Continue with Engraffiti™ by Weldon Lister »
Luciano Bosis makes firearms, and he makes them well. A beautiful, well-made gun like this Michelangelo model is perfect and complete when paired with engraving....
Continue with Michelangelo's Bird of Prey »
This small square of metal has been transformed from a practice piece to an artistic engraving, complete with a bouquet....
Continue with Marcus Hunt's English Scroll »
Just in time for these creepy crawlers to make an appearance in all things Halloween here in the United States, take a look at the arachnids of Lee Griffiths' firearm....
Continue with Amazing Arachnids »
This sterling silver loupe is a great project piece for engravers and stone setters. In contrast to the chrome-plated version also sold by GRS, this loupe is solid silver and perfect for engraving and deep enough for stone work....
Continue with On the Border, On the Line »
This knife by engraver and scrimshander James Mitchell shows a simple metal engraving on the bolster and a nice eagle design on the handle....
Continue with Eagle Scrimshaw and Metal Engraving »
This is an example of traditional black ink on ivory scrimshaw work by engraver and scrimshander James Mitchell. ...
Continue with The Elephant »
This green beauty of a ring, with its large tsavorite garnet, is a handcrafted piece by Jura of The Netherlands. ...
Continue with Spirits of Nature »
Many elements must be considered when designing art for an engraving. Whether the design will be organic or geometric, symmetrical or asymmetrical, the details of the design are important to its success....
Continue with Symmetrical Ring Design »
Loyd Freeman, a GRS Tools customer from Georgia, enjoys his time engraving pieces like this neat belt buckle shown here....
Continue with Belt Buckle Art »
In the July 24, 2009 Featured Photos, Ashton Ludden showed a work in process, her second engraved iPod. This model has a stainless steel back; it’s a tough alloy and fairly thin, but a perfect size a shape for engraving. ...
Continue with Custom Engraved iPod – Now Finished »
Creating a design or theme for a firearm that isn't the typical hunting scene breaks free from the traditional idea of what an engraver cuts on a gun....
Continue with Bug Lovers, Gun Lovers »
Those select few engravers who receive the opportunity to study under an engraving artist during Grand Masters will be prepared for the 2009 event like never before....
Continue with Strolz on Ornamental Design Engraving »
There is a subtle difference between a creative artist and a trained professional in the jewelry world. Some professionals exist solely as a means to an end; this person is excellent at getting the job done on time and as requested....
Continue with The Work of A Stone Setting Artist »
Engravers often may work with local artists, leather crafters or jewelers to collaborate on a project. However, sometimes an engraver has the opportunity to work with someone from another country altogether....
Continue with Belgian Stone Setting with Western Bright Cut »
This piece by scrimshaw artist Sandra Brady is a large example of beautiful, made-to-order artwork. In her own words, Brady describes this excellent scrimshaw piece....
Continue with First Stewards by Sandra Brady »
With the fifth annual Grand Masters event just around the corner, looking at the work of past masters can be an enriching study....
Continue with Hunt Buttons »
Hobo nickels have long been a part of the American tradition of engraving. Older United States nickels like this one stamped 1938 are a friendly canvas for many engravers....
Continue with The Bearded, Gilded Hobo »
Time is money. This old adage rings true for nearly every industry, from engineering to medicine to the engraving arts. One time-saving tool for engravers that can also easily create less-than-desirable results is the liner or multiple-line tool....
Continue with Beautiful Use of Liners »
Inspiration for creative projects is available to artists in many different ways. From the plants and animals to the cultures of today and yesterday, the art world has a diverse resource library....
Continue with The Kwakiutl Tribe »
Bart Johnson, one of D.J. Glaser's lifelong friends, owns a small dental lab. "Bart has made every crown in my mouth" says D.J., "and it's intriguing to watch him work." Several dental lab processes are similar to making jewelry, so it's understandable that dental lab techs and dentists often enjoy jewelry work....
Continue with Fun with Dental Gold and a Tiny Diamond »
Andrew Biggs of New Zealand does a fantastic job of capturing the history and culture of his homeland. Whether stylized Maori designs of a mythical legend, or recent and recorded historical events as depicted here, his engravings are beautiful work....
Continue with The Forest Rangers of New Zealand »
While bulino style engraving can capture a moment or scene with detailed perfection, the three-dimensional aspect is represented only on a two-dimensional surface....
Continue with Three-Dimensional Engraving »
With metal prices and the current economy, using multiple colors of metal can be a financial burden when it comes to a small engraving or jewelry project....
Continue with Contemporary and Colorful Metal »
Many artists are visual learners — that's just the way those creative thinkers are hard-wired. Reading instructions in a book on how to engrave is never quite the same as learning it first-hand....
Continue with Bright Bits & Bracelets »
What better way to capture the delicate movement of a hummingbird than with bulino style engraving and fine shade lines....
Continue with Of Hummingbirds and Shade Lines »
Mike Frakes has been enjoying the engraving arts for about five years now as a hobby. Frakes attended a "start-to-finish" firearms engraving course with Rex Pedersen at the GRS Training Center in 2008 where he worked on this shotgun. Recently, he attended a second firearms engraving course with Pedersen in 2009 and had the opportunity to engrave a pistol in class....
Continue with Shotgun Engraving by Mike Frakes »
Magnus Svärd loves to challenge himself at his jeweler's bench. He is not only an expert stone setter and custom jeweler, he teaches these high level skills in his native Sweden....
Continue with Sapphires, Silver & Leather »
We as humans tend to gravitate toward certain ideas when it comes to art: we want it unique, aesthetically pleasing, and creative. One of the wonderful aspects of engraving and jewelry work is the freedom to achieve such things. ...
Continue with Funky & Modern Jewelry Design »
Even though technology has made way for improvements in hand engraving and wood carving, the underlying techniques and designs that create a beautiful work of art remain the same....
Continue with With Engraving Old Never Means Outdated »
Ashton Ludden is a developing artist and engraver who previously engraved her iPod. But the headphone jack developed a problem which meant the music had stopped. Fortunately, a friend had one they no longer needed that was the same model as Ashton's broken one. ...
Continue with Custom Engraved iPod »
Seth Becker, whose gun engraving and stone setting skills have been featured here before, usually creates engraved pieces as part of a fulfilling hobby....
Continue with Bold & Brilliant Bracelet Engraving »
For some engravers, Airtact simply provides a comfortable and natural way to hand engrave with pneumatic tools. For Seth Becker, it allows him the freedom to engrave easily using his hands....
Continue with Engraving with Airtact »
Recently, Sandra Brady's white-on-black cheetah showed the dramatic beauty of a simple yet detailed piece of scrimshaw. Here she has taken the entire spectrum of color and applied it to an underwater majesty....
Continue with Under the Sea »
With tight budgets and hard economic times, traveling for any reason comes with a significant financial investment. Although many students save money to learn first-hand from instructors at the GRS Training Center, more engravers can now learn some of these techniques right at home....
Continue with Bulino Engraving Up Close »
A third-generation artist and craftsman, Weldon Lister is a fine engraver who works with the traditional tools of the trade. On June 29, 2009, the American Pistolsmith's Guild presented his "Charge to Keep" hand-engraved belt buckle (along with the beautiful 1911 pistol engraved by Brian Powley) to the 43rd President of the United States of America....
Continue with A Charge to Keep »
A few years ago, the American Pistolsmiths' Guild commissioned member and engraving artist Brian Powley to design and engrave a Caspian Arms 1911 .45 caliber pistol for U.S. President George W. Bush as a gift. Although federal law prohibited this high-value gift to be given while President Bush held office, Powley himself recently had the honor of presenting the firearm to the 43rd President of the United States on June 29th, 2009....
Continue with A Patriotic, Presidential Pistol »
In the May 1, 2009 Featured Photos, we featured an early "working" print by Ashton Ludden of an intaglio art print with a social message from the artist. At that time, her working print showed only main lines with virtually no shading or visual dimension....
Continue with Intaglio Print with a Message: Part 2 »
Before the advent of power engraving handpieces, there were basically two ways to power a graver through metal: by hand pushing and by using a chasing hammer. Most jewelry engravers used the hand push method while most gun engravers used chasing hammers. While this generalization is not entirely accurate, it does describe the two approaches to hand-powered metal engraving. Of course, many engravers would use both methods as the need arose and according to their personal skill set and preference....
Continue with Chasing Hammer Engraved Gold Pendant »
Whenever an engraving artist is planning on a pattern, many things must go just right in order for the pattern to look nice....
Continue with Working on Patterns »
The GRS MicroBlock comes in a special version just for those creative individuals who like to make the block unique. This one features 77 white stones with a sparkling GRS logo in the center....
Continue with A GRS MicroBlock with Sparkle »
Todd Daniels decided that a scrap of sterling silver low dome rolled wire could be made into something nice while providing several unique stone setting demonstrations. The eight-day BaselWorld 2009 Trade Fair provided an opportunity to share technical advances and a chance to enjoy the company of people who appreciate fine bench work....
Continue with Silver Scrap Transformed During Trade Fair »
"I started in the jewelry business in the summer of 1969 working for a jeweler for no pay," says Ron Finch. "Once I got to the point that I could size a ring with out burning it up I got a small wage."...
Continue with 40 Years of Jewelry »
Printmaking and engraving go back some time in history, hand-in-hand as two parts that were once fundamental for printing. ...
Continue with Printmaking & Engraving »
The nickel-silver tag is a bit different from the average run-of-the-mill subject matter for an engraved work....
Continue with Hills Instead of Valleys »
Which is easier — cutting a straight line or a curved one? Each presents challenges of its own, however you approach it. But here Rex Pedersen shows a few examples of executing basic borders in different ways....
Continue with Going in Circles »
Alexandre Sidorov creates one-of-a-kind, exquisite jewelry. Whether he is planning how to set stones inside a "padlock" or creating a botanically-inspired ring, his work is always done to the highest level of perfection....
Continue with Nothing Plain or Simple for Sidorov »
The April 7, 2009 Featured Photos showed Mitch Lurth starting a new project, customizing his electric guitar with an engraved pick guard....
Continue with Custom Engraved Electric Guitar: Part 2 »
Wood engraving has a different feel to it compared to metal engraving. Like metal, wood can be harder or softer. The real difference for some engravers and carvers can be that the wood was once alive....
Continue with Giving New Life to Wood »
The story of "Maui Tikitiki A Taranga", a demi-god of Maori mythology in New Zealand, comes to life with the hand of Andrew Biggs and a smooth metal surface. He planned the layout carefully in such a way that the stylized elements would tell the incredible story....
Continue with A Cultured Timepiece: Part 2 »
Andrew Biggs loves to engrave, and he is pretty good at what he does. His work often involves bringing out the fantastic culture of his native New Zealand. ...
Continue with A Cultured Timepiece »
One of the caveats of jewelry engraving, especially when it involves soft metals like gold, is the eventual wear on the work....
Continue with An Antique Beauty »
Ashton Ludden loves the challenge of Intaglio Printing from hand engraved metal plates. It's a classic art form, but one that's fully capable of delivering a modern social message from the artist. ...
Continue with Intaglio Print with a Message: Part 1 »
The traditional black pigment on ivory is a well-known look for the art practiced by those on the high seas for years in the past....
Continue with Put Your Scrimshaw in Reverse »
The ancient techniques of chasing and repoussé are experiencing a rebirth among silversmiths, jewelry designers, creative metalworkers, and collectors. For thousands of years, the methods of chasing and repoussé have been used together to create beautiful jewelry and other wonders in silver and gold....
Continue with Chasing A Silver Vase »
Adding a monogram or lettering to a piece of jewelry can take it from plain to perfect in little time. Mastering lettering skills takes a great understanding of how the forms work, not to mention how to cut each one in metal....
Continue with An "F" for Fancy »
We as humans enjoy a balance of variety and stability. The engraving arts (and the arts in general) provide excellent examples of this very fact....
Continue with Precious Metals Everywhere »
In a previous Featured Photos, Ashton Ludden showed how drawing skills helped her engrave a turtle on one side of this brass-headed letter opener....
Continue with Engraved Letter Opener: Part 2 »
Bulino engraving is possibly the most tedious and fulfilling technique in the art when it comes to cutting. Each line or dot has to be placed carefully so that any viewer recognizes the final subject....
Continue with Fine Bulino Engraving »
One of the Artisan Alley members, Mitch Lurth, loves his guitars. So it was perhaps inevitable that he would combine his artful engraving with guitars....
Continue with Custom Engraved Electric Guitar: Part 1 »
Sometimes simplicity is as beautiful as an ornate design. Tira Mitchell cut this quick monogram to test out how well this particular silver pendant works for engraving....
Continue with A Monogram In Silver »
Sometimes an engraver can look at a blank piece of metal and immediately imagine numerous designs flowing on the smooth surface. Other times, deciding on what exactly to engrave can be a challenge. ...
Continue with Before & After: Shading Example Part 3 »
In this second part of an example in shading, this bolster by Rick Eaton shows the before and after steps from unfinished to shaded....
Continue with Before & After: Shading Example Part 2 »
Certain aspects of engraving can be learned from studying the printed words of an expert. The fundamentals of layout and design, the basics of how to use and sharpen tools, and similar principles can be studied and practiced with good results....
Continue with Before & After: Shading Example Part 1 »
One way to lay out a design that takes less time to cut but still looks great is to use larger scrolls. Knowing how to place larger scrolls with vines and leaves around a scene can make or break a layout....
Continue with Covering Large Areas Quickly »
Turquoise is a beautiful stone frequently seen in Native American and Western style jewelry. Although the bright blue turquoise Kit Carson uses in some of his other work is a popular choice, the green turquoise in these "Chola Earrings" is well paired with peridot....
Continue with It's Easy Being Green »
While there are several ways engravers can transfer patterns and images onto metal, nothing beats the speed and convenience of drawing them ... if you know how. Art student and Artisan Alley member Ashton Ludden wanted to engrave a gift. She chose a turtle theme because in her friend's culture, it's a symbol for long life. In a few minutes she found a good photo on the internet that would work for the oval brass end of a letter opener....
Continue with How Drawing Skills Help Engravers »
Featured Photos has shown many innovative stone setting techniques from a jeweler whose creativity knows no boundaries. Alexandre Sidorov demonstrated how to purposely overlap stones as a setting technique and showed his great knowledge of creating jewelry with stone setting on the inside a custom pendant....
Continue with High-End Jewelry Techniques »
Martin Strolz, who will share his techniques and skills with a select few in September 2009, has a mastery of the engraving arts. His five-day course Layout, Design & Fine Engraving Techniques for Firearms is for experienced engravers who are are ready to take their work up a notch....
Continue with Grand Work from a Grand Master »
Western Bright Cut is a very popular technique for engraving with maximum shine. This method produces brilliant designs with a small number of cuts using a highly-polished flat graver....
Continue with Bright & Shiny — Western Style »
Wood allows many freedoms for engravers and carvers. Since wood is available in so many colors, the artist has an open palette. Wood also carries such a mood to any subject that it can be swayed from comfortable to regal....
Continue with Scrolls & Wood »
Hobo nickels are a popular source of artistic engraving that employs deep relief techniques. This practice makes transforming the face of an old U.S. nickel coin a fun way to practice engraving....
Continue with A Nose for Nickels - Hobo Nickels, That Is »
One of the favorite demonstrations used by GRS staff is a star setting. It's fun to watch and fun to do because it's fast, uses several different gravers and tools, and combines an interesting variety of operations....
Continue with Some Stars are Nicely Different »
Mitch Lurth, a recent part time addition to the GRS Artisan Alley, is concentrating on refining his engraving including fine line shading. At the same time, he is testing different graver materials and geometry as part of his Alley work. ...
Continue with Mitch Lurth Shows How to Use Artistically Valid Patterns To Refine Engraving Skills »
Want the recipe for a perfect Valentine's gift that you can make for your loved one? Take some small stones of your choice, a sterling silver heart, and flat gravers polished to a mirror-like shine....
Continue with Sterling, Stones, and Bright Cuts »
The vast number of materials an engraver can turn into something out of the ordinary grows with each generation. Ashton Ludden, a college student at Emporia State University, created a deep-relief engraving out of a common household material....
Continue with Out of the Kitchen, Into the Studio »
A passion for engraving seems to be one that can be passed on from one generation to the next. Marcus Hunt of England has been cutting metal professionally ever since his father, Ken Hunt, began teaching him the trade. ...
Continue with A Master of Scroll & Scene »
Consider a line. It can create a shadow. It can imply a curve. It can even depict mood or motion. James Ehlers, who heads the Engraving Arts courses at Emporia State University, uses line to create a dynamic layout that is full of violent action and high-velocity movement. ...
Continue with The Dynamic Line »
Once you decide to learn engraving, taking that initial first step may be the hardest. Where do I go know? What tools should I buy? How much should I invest in this art?...
Continue with How to Get Started »
Working with a true master can boost your skills faster than anything else. A new engraver can study for years on end without guidance from another more experienced, but the amount of information learned in one sitting with a professional is worth every second....
Continue with Start Out with The Basics »
An age-old art still practiced by many, scrimshaw techniques and methods open up a wonderful world of history, detail, and sometimes even beautiful colors. The most traditional of scenes and techniques used for scrimshaw applications are tumultuous nautical adventures, like the one seen here....
Continue with From Traditional to Tribute: Scrimshaw »
Whether jewelry work is a new passion or a dear old friend, at some point in time a learning experience takes place. For some, it is through years of hard work and tedious challenges. Others gain experience by taking courses like those taught by Todd Daniels at the GRS Training Center. Daniels, who is well-versed in engraving as well as his jewelry work, created this beautiful ring from start to finish....
Continue with High-end Jewelry Engraving with Todd Daniels »
Vlastik Peták is a multi-talented artist living and working in the Czech Republic. He engraves, paints, carves wood, and sculpts. Vlastik purposely embraces both traditional and new engraving techniques in his work. He loves to learn new things. ...
Continue with Extraordinary Combination of Engraving Techniques & Design »
Jake Newell had a problem. He needed presents for his family members and friends and he was low on money. So, he decided to make them. ...
Continue with A Special Hand Made Gift for His Sister »
The GRS Training Center instructor and professional engraver who did this work is well known for fine line Italian-style bulino work. However, he is also skilled in creating and setting custom jewelry like these pieces here....
Continue with Bench Jewelers & Engraving »
One of the hardest parts of learning how to become an engraving artist comes after you figure out just how to control that small piece of metal called a graver. Once you learn control and how to gracefully cut monograms, scrolls, letters, and eventually even bulino-style scenes, how do you know where to put everything?...
Continue with Learn Layout & Design with Lee Griffiths »
Glendo/GRS Tools employee Shane Garriott travels around the world helping GRS Tools dealers at trade shows. Over the past few years, Shane has developed a strong interest in stone setting — in fact, he really enjoys it....
Continue with Trade Show Stone Setting Demonstration Gets Creative »
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December • Show All Articles for 2009
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