Hammer and Chisel effect

[Rich Hambrook]

Friends in steel,
First off let me wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope all of you had a great and filling holiday!
Awhile back someone had asked me to show some of the work I do at Browning. That is tough to do with the limited time to finish a job and set up something decent to photograph with. My boss wouldn't take to kindly of the amount of time it takes to photograph. This brings me to my next subject. When restoring some of the old Belgium Superposed I have in the past always used a hammer and chisel to keep the authentic look. But like I touched on earlier, my boss would like to see all things sped up. So how do you speed up the engraving and keep the hammer and chisel look? Simple, use a Lindsay Palm Control. I have experimented with different stoke lengths, different "rolling" of the tool and different graver angles. What I have found that works best for me is the stroke adjustment somewhere in the middle, no rolling required and use a standard 90 degree bit with no secondary heel. I believe the non-existent secondary heel is the most critical because you need as much "drag" as possible. With all those ingredients all you do is make simple "plunges" as you go. This is unbelievably faster and looks almost identical to the H&C. The only challenge is keeping from getting flats in your scrolls which I have trouble with anyway.
I have also included a picture of a Browning pump which was in a fire that was restored with the "going the extra mile" touch. If any of you are familiar with the standard rolled engraving on a BPS, you will see that this job will put a big smile on a sad face. I hope.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Rich Hambrook[IMG][/IMG]
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[jack]

Thanks a lot for showing. Happy Thanksgiving to you. We had a white one with about 3 inches of snow. Isn't it something how you are always finding something new that the little Lindsay graver can do. I have been with Steve for about 7 years now, and everyday I am leaning new engraving tecniques with this great tool. You take care Jack

[Rich Hambrook]

As I told Steve Lindsay from the beginning.....she's got the purr of a kitten and a heart of a lion! I have spoken of how amazing and fabulous this tool is and all the great things it can do on other forums but one really has to try it to believe it. Once its in your hands there is no turning back. One thing I didn't realize, probably was told but fell on inexperienced ears, was a foot pedal can be hooked up to the PC as well. Once again........amazing!:whoo:
Thanks again to Steve. I have been challenged this holiday season and, sorry to those who disagree, this PC has help me be more productive. Faster and smoother than ever.

Rich:willy_nilly:

[jack]

My God, his head just got bigger

[Roger Bleile]

Rich,

In the photo with the turkeys, what is the oval with what looks like MC in it below the turkeys beak? Is that a proof mark or inspectors stamp?

Also thanks for sharing the pictures of your work. Very nice!!

Thanks,

Roger Bleile

[Rich Hambrook]

Roger,
Thank you for your compliments. This was a gun I "restored" at work (Browning). A lot of the original pattern was still visible after it was extra polished. The pattern was VERY faint but visible. This gun, I assume, was in a fire or was severely neglected. Most of the guns being produced by browning today have rolled or etched engraving. When guns are restored they are hand engraved. I assume that the "M.C." was the designers initials. I chose to leave the designers initials on the engraving as a sign of respect. When we re-engrave guns to this extent we are authorized to sign our work as long is it won't impede on the overall value of the gun. For example, if a presentation grade comes in that was originally done by a Belgium Master we will do everything possible to restore it and keep the original artist name on the gun. I hope this answered your question.

Rich Hambrook

[Roger Bleile]

Thanks for the answer Rich. Until I saw your posts on this forum, I had no idea that Browning had engravers in the US or that they restored engraving. I'm glad they let you sign your work so that you don't have to labor in obscurity.