Hi, I'm new to hand engraving and knives.

SarahLadd

SarahLadd

Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
320
My name is Sarah and I have been repairing and making fine jewelry out of gold and platinum for 12 years. I recently took a class from Ray Cover and decided it was worth my while to invest in the tools of the trade, and got to work immediately on a few budget knives.

Attached are photos of my second knife. I'm having fun. Jewelry is so small and knives are huge canvases for artwork. I would like to get started on my next knife project, which will be either the Böker Scout Solingen or The Böker Lancer 42 in steel. I thought this community looked like the correct place for me to be to connect with other people doing this kind of thing and get feedback and sell the knives I engrave.

Thank you very much!
Edit: Does attaching files not actually work on this forum? I have tried everything.

Here is an IMGUR album.

https://imgur.com/a/6aTRcQl
 
Last edited:
SarahLadd said:
My name is Sarah and I have been repairing and making fine jewelry out of gold and platinum for 12 years. I recently took a class from Ray Cover and decided it was worth my while to invest in the tools of the trade, and got to work immediately on a few budget knives.

Attached are photos of my second knife. I'm having fun. Jewelry is so small and knives are huge canvases for artwork. I would like to get started on my next knife project, which will be either the Böker Scout Solingen or The Böker Lancer 42 in steel. I thought this community looked like the correct place for me to be to connect with other people doing this kind of thing and get feedback and sell the knives I engrave.

Thank you very much!
Edit: Does attaching files not actually work on this forum? I have tried everything.

Here is an IMGUR album.

https://imgur.com/a/6aTRcQl
Click to expand...
While I generally am not "into" engraving and such, your work looks amazing! The upper end of that 110 is what I would enjoy on a knife... very, very nice work....

Oh, and the way I attach files is to open the pic I want to post, and copy the "BBCode" link, then paste it into my post. I use IMGUR sometimes, but mostly Lensdump. I imagine any of the image storage websites would work the same way.

I'd love to see more of your work....
 
hornetguy said:
While I generally am not "into" engraving and such, your work looks amazing! The upper end of that 110 is what I would enjoy on a knife... very, very nice work....

Oh, and the way I attach files is to open the pic I want to post, and copy the "BBCode" link, then paste it into my post. I use IMGUR sometimes, but mostly Lensdump. I imagine any of the image storage websites would work the same way.

I'd love to see more of your work....
Click to expand...
Thank you! I only have a sample size of two right now. I am brainstorming ideas for the Scout Solingen. I hope to have some solid designs started in Illustrator by the end of the weekend.

The other knife I engraved is a Kershaw Leek. I stole it from my husband as my first try engraving a knife.
 
SarahLadd said:
Thank you! I only have a sample size of two right now. I am brainstorming ideas for the Scout Solingen. I hope to have some solid designs started in Illustrator by the end of the weekend.

The other knife I engraved is a Kershaw Leek. I stole it from my husband as my first try engraving a knife.
Click to expand...
hmmm..... I just happen to have a couple of Leeks that I would graciously allow you to practice on.... I wouldn't even charge you.... 🤣

seriously, though, I'd like to see what you did to the Leek...
 
hornetguy said:
hmmm..... I just happen to have a couple of Leeks that I would graciously allow you to practice on.... I wouldn't even charge you.... 🤣

seriously, though, I'd like to see what you did to the Leek...
Click to expand...
I actually have a couple stainless Boker knives on the way because I have a vision for a new art and I must have stainless for pure gold inlay. I want to engrave a kingfisher, inlaid in pure platinum and pure gold, sitting on a thorned branch with pure gold flowers, with yellow diamonds nestled in the flowers at the foreground. Relief raises the foreground, in the background I inlay more thorned branches, and pure gold flowers, oxidized to be dark to make the foreground pop. Surrounding the scene are local native plants styled like traditional intaglio for acanthus or fiddlehead scroll. I am excited to get started on this piece, but I may do the Boker Solingen first, as I recently finished this buck in brass and my hand memory is suited now for fine brass work.
 
SarahLadd said:
I actually have a couple stainless Boker knives on the way because I have a vision for a new art and I must have stainless for pure gold inlay. I want to engrave a kingfisher, inlaid in pure platinum and pure gold, sitting on a thorned branch with pure gold flowers, with yellow diamonds nestled in the flowers at the foreground. Relief raises the foreground, in the background I inlay more thorned branches, and pure gold flowers, oxidized to be dark to make the foreground pop. Surrounding the scene are local native plants styled like traditional intaglio for acanthus or fiddlehead scroll. I am excited to get started on this piece, but I may do the Boker Solingen first, as I recently finished this buck in brass and my hand memory is suited now for fine brass work.
Click to expand...
I imagine it would be a breeze to do aluminum.... I have a Buck 110 with aluminum bolsters, and I'm sure other makers make them as well. It might be better suited for just "regular" engraving, though, instead of the oxidizing, etc... I'm not sure how aluminum would take that.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of your work....
 
Freaking crazy Classy......
I agree too, that I'd let you practice on anything.
Wow, you're good!
 
hornetguy said:
I imagine it would be a breeze to do aluminum.... I have a Buck 110 with aluminum bolsters, and I'm sure other makers make them as well. It might be better suited for just "regular" engraving, though, instead of the oxidizing, etc... I'm not sure how aluminum would take that.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of your work....
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about aluminum. I have my eyes on the buck ranger. The details I see say "nickel silver". I'm not sure how that cuts. I have cut on brass, copper, silver, platinum, palladium, 14k white gold, 14k yellow gold, 18k yellow gold. I have engraved on a cheap, terrible clipper off of amazon. I hate palladium the most. Titanium is uncuttable. It breaks every tip I sharpen.
 
SarahLadd said:
I'm not sure about aluminum. I have my eyes on the buck ranger. The details I see say "nickel silver". I'm not sure how that cuts. I have cut on brass, copper, silver, platinum, palladium, 14k white gold, 14k yellow gold, 18k yellow gold. I have engraved on a cheap, terrible clipper off of amazon. I hate palladium the most. Titanium is uncuttable. It breaks every tip I sharpen.
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Welcome to Bladeforums, Sarah!

I am very much into engravings on knives. Your work looks top notch! You are well on your way.
Nickel silver is pretty soft, so I think that you will find it a breeze to engrave.

A couple fine gentlemen who do engraving for me have said that NS cuts like butter. :) I hope that helps.

Stick around, keep posting your beautiful work, and if/when you have been around a while, I will definitely be interested in send one of my pieces for some of your extravagant work.

Again, Welcome!
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
Welcome to Bladeforums, Sarah!

I am very much into engravings on knives. Your work looks top notch! You are well on your way.
Nickel silver is pretty soft, so I think that you will find it a breeze to engrave.

A couple fine gentlemen who do engraving for me have said that NS cuts like butter. :) I hope that helps.

Stick around, keep posting your beautiful work, and if/when you have been around a while, I will definitely be interested in send one of my pieces for some of your extravagant work.

Again, Welcome!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Ray was a very good teacher and I am privileged to have been able to sit in one of his classes. His work is breathtaking and I would like very much to take more classes from him on bulino and inlay in the future. In the interim I am learning by watching others and hoping that I can experiment and produce a fair quality result.
 
Is this your work??? On titanium?? Wow. Brilliant. I don't understand it yet. I am too new at this.
edit to add. I have tried cutting grade 5 titanium with zero success using the sharpening jigs I am familiar with. I have Ray Cover's complete set. I have used it for everything I have attempted so far but this is only my second knife and the rest was practice plates or small jewelry running leaf style engravings. If my understanding is correct, commercial grade titanium cuts like stainless, but as soon as vanadium is part of the alloy it is too hard to cut for my tools and my cutting edge shatters. I do not know why this happens, yet.
 
SarahLadd said:
Is this your work??? On titanium?? Wow. Brilliant. I don't understand it yet. I am too new at this.
edit to add. I have tried cutting grade 5 titanium with zero success using the sharpening jigs I am familiar with. I have Ray Cover's complete set. I have used it for everything I have attempted so far but this is only my second knife and the rest was practice plates or small jewelry running leaf style engravings. If my understanding is correct, commercial grade titanium cuts like stainless, but as soon as vanadium is part of the alloy it is too hard to cut for my tools and my cutting edge shatters. I do not know why this happens, yet.
Click to expand...
I wish I could take credit for that engraving. Lol. It was done for me by Jake Newell. He also teaches engraving. It may be worth your while to look him up. :)
 
Welcome Sarah, beautiful work look forward to seeing more of your work.
 
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