that's really beautiful. how big is it? how did you do the layout for the saw work -- did you print something and glue it to the brass, or draw it out, or? and how did you engrave the leaf bits? and is the center symbol soldered and the read is riveted?
For layout--I took this gif and fiddled with it in The Gimp and Inkscape to get a larger version with smooth (unpixelated) lines, and pasted it on. I've found that doing this is worlds better than drawing on the metal! No more second-guessing my sharpie lines (or worse, rubbing them away by mistake).
The leaves aren't actually engraved--the straight lines are from stamping with a screwdriver, and the curved ones are built up by using this little tool that makes a kind of a ( shape. (It came in this box of assorted watchmaker's tools, many of which are useless or overly specialized, but a few are perfect for chasing or stamping.) The center symbol is riveted also, but something about the slight curve of the overall piece meant that the center rivets were much smoother and more invisible.
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how did you do the layout for the saw work -- did you print something and glue it to the brass, or draw it out, or?
and how did you engrave the leaf bits? and is the center symbol soldered and the read is riveted?
apparently i have all the questions today :)
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Here's a shot with a sharpie in the picture for scale.
For layout--I took this gif and fiddled with it in The Gimp and Inkscape to get a larger version with smooth (unpixelated) lines, and pasted it on. I've found that doing this is worlds better than drawing on the metal! No more second-guessing my sharpie lines (or worse, rubbing them away by mistake).
The leaves aren't actually engraved--the straight lines are from stamping with a screwdriver, and the curved ones are built up by using this little tool that makes a kind of a ( shape. (It came in this box of assorted watchmaker's tools, many of which are useless or overly specialized, but a few are perfect for chasing or stamping.) The center symbol is riveted also, but something about the slight curve of the overall piece meant that the center rivets were much smoother and more invisible.
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