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Written by William L. Howard
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Page 5 of 6
Handle shapes are usually shaped like a mushroom cut in 1/2 from cap to stem. The shaft is mounted in the stem end with the heel and the flat part of the handle on the down side.
Stamps, dies and trademarks can be made with your new skills. Coining dies, embossing dies for shaping thin metal and a multitude of other techniques are now available to you. You can also do decorative gun engraving, inlay work and a variety of other things which I highly recommend you practice first before you cobble up a valuable shotgun etc.!
Steel is hard and mistakes you make are hard to erase! Try planning your cuts, working some from two directions. This works well with curves. Most cuts work well if you cut from right to left (southpaws may ignore) and you don't have to make a cut all at once. It can be segmented and cut from different angles and directions as with lettering.
Last but not least, use finesse. Most novice engravers try to make a deep cut all at once when a better and more controllable approach is to shave it down in stages. A power slip can spoil hours of work or require the removal of a sharp tool from some part of your body. I know, I've done both. Try and plan your mistakes with the "what if game".
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The Elektric Anvil