As the week draws to a close, the students in the Intermediate Firearms Engraving course are hard at work putting the finishing touches on their shotguns. To start out on this project, the students practiced cutting lasered patterns on metal plates to get a feel for the designs.

When it was time to get started on the real thing, each student had to disassemble their shotgun and then sand the metal to remove any unwanted manufacturer's marks. For beginners, it is good to note that engravers typically leave maker's marks on high-end and expensive firearms and remove those on a low-end, usually depending on the client's wishes.

After sanding the metal, some student used calipers to draw on borders before transferring the pattern. Several students followed the patterns provided by instructor Rex Pedersen, though some designed their own. The near-finished results look great, showing a thorough grasp of the skills needed to complete an entire shotgun.

Finishing your first real engraving on a such a substantial surface like this firearm can really give you the confidence the start engraving for clients. Watch for Part 3 with more from this interesting course coming next time.