The Magic of Engraving

I like to post videos on Instagram showing the magic of the before and after transformations of a hand engraved piece.  Through the quick before and after, a blank metal surface is transformed into something unique in a click, blink or wave of a wand.  It's humorous and a fun way to share finished pieces, but my engravings are far from quick magic. 

There are several steps from start to finish in my hand engraving process, the main of which is coming up with a unique design.  The designs I engrave are from my own hand (unless asked by an individual to replicate their personal logo).  I draw my designs to fit the object specifically and enjoy making new designs for specific pieces.

I These small hand planes were a recent commission that were particularly memorable. A father had ordered these planes for his two young girls and asked me to hand engrave a design and their initials onto each plane.  

Shown in the video above is a tape measure engraving from start to finish. I've engraved more tape measures than I can count! What I love about them are the variations in shape and size.  An ordinary, but useful tool, now has a special and unique design embedded into it, made one little cut at a time.