Many years ago, by pure chance I became a neighbor of Ray Viramontez. It was Ray who introduced me to engraving and got me started on the path of studying gun engraving. So, how did You get started???

Sam Welch
9/11/2006 6:35:41 PM

Sounds like a fun thread Sam.
Like many others, mine started with the purchase of the Art of Engraving. My father was a gunsmith so I was around firearms all my life. I messed with trial and error for a while, would read the book again and then try some more. In a way, my "start" was from Ray as well. I called him as he then ran Hand Engravers Supply and he mentioned the start up of FEGA. I attended the meeting in Tulsa and the hook was set.

Rex Pedersen
9/11/2006 8:30:42 PM

i got started in 1970 there was no body near me who could guide me in how to engrave or even how to make chisels . i made my first chisel from an old triangular file . i use an bald peen hammer and just started cutting away ,my first attempt was engraving grape leaf and vines then .i got in touch with Marty Rabeno Marty guided me along by telling me after he looked at my to just keep practicing to this day i still don't know what he wanted me to practice .. he never did say .. Ron p.

Ron Nott
9/11/2006 9:54:08 PM

For me it was the Meeks book. I brought it at an auction on a whim. When I opened the pages I was instantley hooked. It's pretty isolated down here so I was lucky enough to find the various engraving forums on the web that are great. Then one day John Barraclough e-mailed me and we've been firm freinds ever since. Because of Johns friendship and mentoring as well as the advise and encouragement of the people on this forum and others I've learnt heaps, joined FEGA which is great and coming to Reno next year. Now that I look back on it, it's certainly been a busy year!!!!!

Cheers
Andrew

Andrew Biggs
9/11/2006 10:48:40 PM

OK..I'll bite...

I was always fascinated by engraved guns and was building some flintlock rifles to hunt with . I wanted to engrave the brass inlays but didnt have a clue where to begin. This is like 33 years ago. When Meeks book came out I drove down to NYC where a supplier of gunsmithing tools had one of the first copies. I bought it along with some die sinker chisels. Now I didn't have to use my ground down chainsaw files any more. At a gunshow in Hartford, Ct I ran into Ray Phillips with his Ngraver tools and bought some of his toys. We both had hair back then. Since then I have been practicing mostly on other peoples pieces. I still like to shoot my flintlock and still wish I knew how to engrave. Practice, practice, practice.

Ron...keep practicing

Martin Rabeno
9/12/2006 9:45:04 PM

A few years back, recent enought that my hair was already long gone (I never realized Marty ever had hair) my neighbors started making some knives during the winter when they were'nt as busy farming. They showed up one day and asked me to embellish them. You know schrimshaw or engraving. I didn't know what either one was. They promptly went home and returned with a magazine with engraved knives and my interest was piqued. I nosed around and fortunately for me the local town had an engraver, a navajo indian named Daniel Paul. He was kind enough to let me watch him tap away with the hammer. Typical navajo, his verbal skills were a tad bit quiet but he did let me watch. I went home and found a chunk of steel which I ground down on my bench gringer and found a broken hammer handle which I also thinned down on the grinder and stuck one in the other, bought some cobalt blanks and began the journey. Daniel committed suicide about the time I did my first gun. I don't know whether the two are related. My learning has come somewhat like the rest of you. Trial and ERROR and a lot of generous help from many of you. Your good taste and kindness caused you to laugh behind my back instead of in front. I'm working on a gold inlayed cast iron pot for Reno. Cuts great guys. You should try it. 19.95 at the local farm supply store.

Lee Griffiths
9/13/2006 6:46:50 PM

Surely there are a lot more than 6 of us who remember what sparked our interest in becoming an engraver!!!!!

Sam Welch
9/17/2006 8:17:16 AM

In 1988 I decided I needed a flintlock rifle. My family had been into rondeyvous for about 15 years at that point and I didn't want just any rifle, I wanted a fancy custom one. I was too cheap to buy one so I decided to build my own (a lesson in false economy). Of course, it would have to be engraved so I bought an Ngraver and a few gravers as well as meeks book and proceed to make a mess of the patch box on my recently completed rifle. For a vice, I took an old record player tuntable, took out the guts and propped it up with a 2x4 or two so it would face me and set a machinist vice on it. Sounded like a good idea at the time. Not long after, before completeing my second rifle, I bought a magna block. I am still useing the ngraver but have purchased and am awaiting delivery of a gravermach. Don't know what to expect but am excited about it's arrival.

Cody

Cody Tetachuk
9/17/2006 11:10:59 AM

FLINTLOCKS RULE........

Sam.I guess everyone else is still practicing and can't post. Remember when we did a display of what was my first gun at out show? Now that was scarey

Martin Rabeno
9/17/2006 3:23:41 PM

I have been fascinated by the gunmakers art from my earliest recollection. Having grown up in a rural area, there was not much possibility of learning engraving as a young person. In 1968 I was in the Navy and going to school at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Northern California. Naturally, I had the 1968 edition of Gun Digest with me. In that edition was a rifle engraved by Robert Swartley who lived in Napa which was close to Mare Island. One Saturday morning I showed up a Mr. Swartley's door, unannounced, and asked him if he would show me some of his engravings. He was very kind to do so, and, in fact, he had the very rifle that was in Gun Digest. It had a gold inlay of a fox or coyote (if I recall correctly). He told me about the training and practice involved and also about the difficulties of working for others in the trade at that time.
By the 1980's I had settled down enough to begin thinking about engraving again. I ordered some tools from Hand Engravers Supply and began to hack away. But, it wasn't until a couple of days with Benno Heune at a jewelry engraving class in the the early 1990's that things began to pick up a bit. Still (I was a hard case) things did not really "begin" until I took a class with Brian Marshall in Stockton about two years ago and learned proper sharpening technique for gun engraving. Since then I have been practicing as time permits, usually early in the morning before leaving for work. Even with my pathetic scratchings I'm already farther along than I ever thought possible. I hope to meet Mr. Swartley again, (perhaps in Reno?) and thank him for his kindness. The progress that I'm able to make now I owe to the Guild and the engravers who have been so generous with their knowledge.
Craig











Craig Rasmussen
9/17/2006 3:58:00 PM

One day about a year ago I was cleaning a double barrel shotgun after a good day of quail hunting with my son and daughter. The shotgun is not a high end model and was handed down in the family. I was looking at the engraving and thought "How do they do that?" I got on line and found several of the manufacturers sites and the FEGA site. That's when I realized the engraving on my shotgun was factory stamped and there was real engraving out there. After finding out there was training and equipment available I attended a class in March (thank you Rex) and began the journey. Maybe someday I'll actually be able to engrave a nice shotgun and pass it along to my children.

I'm sure glad this web site exists.

Kevin

Kevin Monahan
9/17/2006 11:13:35 PM

I'm starting to pick up a common denominator here.

Meeks, flintlock (or other gun) mentor and lack of hair. I'm not sure which order they come in, but I qualify for all four!!!!

Cheers
Andrew

Andrew Biggs
9/18/2006 12:48:22 AM

Gee Andrew, I still have some hair. Marty, I remember that "showing" of first engravings...I even think I remember being the idiot that suggested it. I rescently had cause to look at my first gun again and was not impressed. I wonder how I ever thought I could make the grade. Must have been luckely unknowing at the time.

Sam Welch
9/18/2006 7:50:08 AM

I know what you mean Sam. Every so often I get threatened by an owner of one of the early pieces. Either I bumped them up on the waiting list or they will go public with the gun. Heck........and these are my friends

Martin Rabeno
9/18/2006 8:19:34 AM

How did I get started in engraving? Well I must go back in time at least 25 years ago or more. I knew a family that owned a business that made what I considered high-end custom rifles. At the time I did not have the means to own one of these beautiful rifles, so I decided to try and build my own. I got a Mauser action and had it barreled. Then I fitted it to some nice wood. Each step of the way I would go see this business owner and have him look at my work and he freely offered advice as to what to do next and how to achieve it. One of the last steps was to carve an oak leaf pattern in the fore end and grip area. Once I had completed my rifle, it was suggested that I learn to engrave. All this came from a man that I greatly respected in his knowledge of firearms Richard Pedersen none other than Rex Pedersen’s dad. Acting on his dad’s suggestion I asked Rex, whom I known since grade school. How do I get started learning to engrave. His reply was that for starters I should join FEGA, also I should buy Meek’s Book. It was this lead plus being able to watch Rex and ask him questions that helped me along. But the real jump-start came when I attended the FEGA shows and saw what I was striving to do. The men and women of FEGA were real down to earth people and are more than happy to tell just how they accomplished a given task. Many will give the same advice, which still hold true. Practice, practice, practice, and don’t stop trying.

Mike


Robert Bissell
9/18/2006 2:00:27 PM

Gee Mike,
And I thought all this time that it was ME that inspired you....
Seriously, attending the FEGA annual show can really be a great help. You may have someone near you that engraves but perhaps you have an interest in a different style. Being able to see it ALL in Reno is just plain great. And, you won't find a nicer bunch of people either!

Rex Pedersen
9/18/2006 2:38:12 PM

I got my start in 1980. I was using a New Hermes pantograph to mark calibers on gun barrels for noted gunsmith/writer J.D. Jones of SSK Industries.
He showed me several engraved guns in his collection and I became fascinated.
I bought a few engraving tools from Brownell's and spent the next 6 years trying to sharpen one. There wasn't anyone to learn from.Books were almost non-existent.....The Internet didn't exist then, so GOOGLING wasn't possible either. I couldn't do much with engraving except keep it as a hobby until 1986 when I found J.B. Meeks book. I became hooked at that point.
Things didn't really start to happen until 1990 when I found out about the Firearms Engravers Guild of America.
I made my first trip to Reno in 1991 with my first practice plates in my pocket, a few pounds of excitement,and ton of accolades from my best critics---my mom and my wife.(They thought I was getting pretty good at engraving and so did I)
I walked up to the very first guy I saw in the Exhibition Hall and proceeded to impress him with these practice plates. He was very gracious and kind. I thanked him,shook his hand and said "Nice to meet you,I'm Brian Powley".
He smiled and said "Nice to meet you too, I'm Eric Gold."



Brian Powley
9/18/2006 11:03:10 PM

My name is M A Smith. I'm a German born engraver. I've been a member of FEGA for about a year. I've been engraving something or another all my life, but then recently I decided to do it full time upon completing other life time interests. Just recently I along my wife and two children moved to a small town in central Utah, where I set up a small shop and things are off to a decent start. My start came oddly enough in a UK based factory. I started off in the materials department. Upon meeting my mentor/master hoping one day to get into his department. I liked him from the start; he was an onery old fellow German, who did not like working with others. He had quickly dismissed two other apprentices, and I was excited/fearful for an opportunity. After six months I got my opportunity. My first responsibilty was to sharpen a small can of chisels and to sweep up after myself. He showed me how to sharpen the chisels, and then left me for a time. When I was finished, I swept up my work area and noticed that the shop was pretty dirty so I swept up the entire shop. Upon his return, and upon inspecting my chisels (probably not very impressed) but noticing that I had not only swept my work area but the whole shop, I think this impressed him so he instructed me to return tomorrow. The shop was very small, roughly 10 X 20. He accepted my apprenticeship and we quickly became friends. He would share with me stories of when he was a Hitler Youth and other war time stories which would fascinate me. I learned many things from him--he taught me how to make my own tools with the lathe and mill we had in the shop. What impressed me most, was how he could do so much with so little. I miss spending time with him.
This is the first time that I have engaged in a forum, but I have observed this one for some time over the years and I have been impressed with those who have posted here. I'm impressed with the new found enthusiasm of Andrew Biggs and his work. I'm impressed with Ron Nott and his masterfull simplicity. I am also impressed with John Barraclough and his compasionate kindness and willingness to share with others. I was also impressed with Sam Welch and his wisdom and years of experience and his willingness to inform and help others as well. I look forward to becoming a small benefit to the guild, and I'll have to have Andrew show me how to post photos on the forum. I am good at engraving and manipulating metal but have very little experience with computers. I hope Ron Smith has figured out his computer challenges and I look forward to having discussions with him on this forum; I look forward to having discussions with many of you on this forum.
Thank you.

Mark Smith
10/6/2006 8:19:12 PM

My name is Mark Cooper, and I am an engraver. I started out on the soft stuff; lead sheets, but soon I moved to harder stuff; copper, aluminum. I knew I had a problem when I found my self hiding drawing paper and practice plates at work and at home. I finally tried the hard stuff and liked it. I tried to get help from others who have had the same problem, but it just got worse. I was always looking for my next job; pistol, rifle, shotgun, I didnt care. Once you hit the hard stuff, its over. Its hopeless. Im hooked. I am an engraver. My name is Mark Cooper.

Mark Cooper
10/7/2006 12:42:21 PM

I grew up partly in Evansville, In & Madisonville, KY and my Grandpa had four guns that had been engraved by a man in Japan when he was stationed there during his Air Force career in the 50's. I went down to KY to hunt every chance I got and used one of those that was a 410/22 Stevens with silver inlays and relieved scrollwork.

To me they were the fanciest, coolest things I ever saw and always wanted one and admired them all. I knew when he passed away one day that they would all go to my uncles so I figured I'd better figure out "how they did that" if I ever was to own an engraved gun.

I got to fooling around on the internet an looked "gun engraving" up and just followed links and read everything I could find. After that I bought the tools from individuals, GRS, and Steve Lindsay and got started. I'm still a beginner and have been practicing for about a year seriously but not enough. A mentor and friend named Jim Small told me to "cut a square inch a day" at least. You'd be suprised at how much of a challenge it is to accomplish just that with a day job and two little ones to chase around.

I went to my first FEGA expo in 2001 and met a lot of generous people who gave pointers freely. I didn't do much with the info for a few years when I started learning to cut and referring to the notes I took that weekend. Since then I have conferred with Mike Dubber, Sam Welch, Scott Pilkington, and others for direction and critique; I thank them all. I can hardly wait to go to my second FEGA this winter!

Tim Wells
10/7/2006 2:13:50 PM

To Mark Smith.
Not to get too far off of Sam's topic, but it was great to read the story of you start, Mark.
Welcome to the USA, to FEGA and the forum.
You write so well, I look forward to seeing your contributions to " The Engraver" in the future.
Like you, I also hope to learn from Andrew how to post pictures on the forums.
Thank you for your kind words, hope to meet you in Reno.
John.

John Barraclough
10/8/2006 2:46:48 PM

In January 2004, after having the employment rug yanked from beneath my feet for the third time in seven years in the office equipment industry, I decided to learn a new trade or finish college, which I had started in 1969. After thoughtful consideration of the type of work I may be able to do, I decided to become a gunsmith, which was odd considering I had never even owned a gun in my fifty-two years. I looked into training and decided to attend Yavapai College in Prescott in my home state of Arizona. I applied, was accepted, and upon looking at all the gunsmithing classes offered, decided that I would enroll in the engraving class in addition to the required gunsmith classes. It was there that I met Rachel Wells, the engraving instructor.
I now have completed all three semesters of the engraving courses, along with the four semesters required for gunsmithing and obtained my degree (thirty-seven years after starting and attending five different colleges in five different decades, and after raising five kids- four of them have also been in college these past two years).
I have never felt so gratified with my work. I have nothing but gratitude for Rachel, she is a wonderful person. I consider it an honor to have also met her late husband, Fred, a world class gunmaker, and the founder of the gunsmithing program at Yavapai College.

Ken Strong
10/9/2006 2:41:07 AM

Hi Guys

It's really good to meet you all.

It seems we all have some really interesting and quite diverse backgrounds. The internet's a great thing that we can all get to meet one another this way and share our common interests.

Reno's only 3 months away now and I'm really looking forward to the trip and getting to meet you all in person. I can honestley say that I've never done anything with my hands that's quite as rewarding as engraving. The whole things great, drawing, making your own tools and watching a blank bit of metal come alive. It's just great

Best wishes
Andrew Biggs

Andrew Biggs
10/9/2006 4:12:43 PM

To John Barraclough,
Thank you very much for your warm welcome. It is very nice to hear from you. A couple of years ago I met a student of yours in Salt Lake City , I believe he had been in one of your Trinidad classes. He spoke very kindly of you and spoke of your generosity. I look forward to contributing in anyway to the "Engraver" and the "guild". One of the goals I hope to promote in the guild is to educate and encourage a younger group of people about engraving firearms. I hope to meet and speak to each member of the guild in the future. I've always been fascinated how each of us use different tools and different techniques on our steel tapestries (or firearms). It is very refreshing to be a part of a guild or process for which we work in cooperation and not competition of one with another. I look forward to meeting with you in the near future.
Thank you,
your friend M A Smith

Mark Smith
10/9/2006 10:12:53 PM

To Andrew Biggs,
I look forward to meeting with you in the future. I find your enthusiam contagious, and I was very pleased to see your first (I believe it was your first) project was a shotgun--those are my preferred product and favorite. I'm impressed.
M A Smith

Mark Smith
10/9/2006 10:20:34 PM