Engraving - maybe not such a lost art

It seems engraving is making a comeback. Might be the current escalated cost of a firearm making causing engraving to appear more reasonable, could be a greater dedication to personal firearms, may even be an extension of the current trend toward tattoos. I’m not sure.

I think there are a lot of new people coming into the craft. You can tell by the lion heads that look a little like squeezed lemons, or the scroll engraving that sort of wanders around the gun, then heads of to the end of the barrel, finds it can’t go any farther, and is forced to stop. There are even some interesting images that may not be consistent with firearms, like the Union Insurance Company Commemorative Winchester Model 94, complete with gold plated receiver and a photo etch of salesman of the year emblazoned on the side. But then again, new or experienced engravers, there are some who are just terrific.

Periodically I’ll visit the Firearms Engravers Guild of America, stare at the Ron Smith .600 double and wonder if there is some obscure logic that would allow me to cash in my IRA and… But I don’t think that’s going to happen. There is an engraving photo gallery for Sam Alfano and his very unique style, which also tells us a really nice small folding knife can cost $9,000. More recently, I ran across a site that represents some of the best work I’ve ever seen, current or historical pieces.

If you have a moment, you may want to visit the photo gallery atEngraving Arts. Tiz Pozzobon heads up Ontario Canada’s Engraving Arts, a shop that appears to be able to deliver basically every significant style and type of quality inlay and engraving you could imagine. Personally, I’m very partial to the examples of fine line Bulino engraving that appear on the site, like this amazing cape buffalo.

The web pages are packed with information. I learned that Bulino engraving may be comprised of millions of micro dots per square inch and that it is possible to get 5 – 6 levels of gray scale in an engraving.

The text goes on to  explain what establishes the cost basis for various types of engraving, and even offers tips on how to identify quality work. Engraving Arts offers information on prepping a gun for engraving and, if desired, guidance in selection of pattern or design. Very nice people, and very helpful – something that is refreshing these days. I’d have them capture and make immortal the game I’ve mostly hunted over the years, only I’m not sure even Tiz could make a ground squirrel look majestic.

If you’d like to see just how good the work is at Engraving Arts, you might try comparing this work to the high end work coming out of Krieghoff. What was nice about this Internet exploration, was to see this level of engraving has not become a lost art, and that artists as accomplished as Tiz Pozzobon are still out there.