Recommend an engraver

[Backpacker33]

I have a blue Python I would like to have engraved. I could use some recommendations for an engraver.

I have a custom design I'd like done, along with some traditional designs.

I don't have a fortune to spend but can handle a couple thousand or so.

What I don't want is to ship it off and wait so long it's only back in time for my funeral. Months. Maybe a year if I'm blown away. Not longer.

I don't want laser engraving. What I've seen looks like a waste of money to me. I will shoot the gun; I don't own a museum. I've seen laser engraving rub away.

I have an engraved S&W 29 I use to shoot black powder loads, and an engraved PPK a friend likes to take out to play. Only my 1878 Colt shotgun (lettered to 1882) is a safe queen. Superb engraving, excellent condition and waaay too valuable.

 

[MMCSRET]

In Hamilton Montana, Master engraver named Mike Gouse.
Contact the American Gunsmith Guild and ask for referrals on engraving.
There is an engravers guild but I have no info on it. Google?

 

[dclevinger]

Go to www.fega.com and look under "Engravers and Photos" You'll find pictures of work and contact info for quite a few engravers from all over the country. The "Regular Members" section is for any member of the guild to show his/ her work. The "Masters" section is only for engravers that have been judged by a group of their peers to be a true master of the art.

 

[BADUNAME27]

Dear OP.

If your looking for traditional engraving then I cannot help you.

If your into something more "modern" and/or a little different then I may be able to. I own a couple CNC milling centers and I do a lot of engraving work on them. Both for custom applications and my own products.

I've adapted some software to be able to take a JPEG image and then "wash" it through the CAD/CAM software to generate line geometry that can me interpreted by CNC milling centers. It's a pretty simple process although time consuming and tedius.

Here are a couple samples. My favorite little guys are Marvin the Martian and the Original "Mr. Horsepower" by Clay Smith. Here they are "gettin with it" on the barrel of my 6mm BR 300 meter International Free Rifle and my 300-338 Lapua Magnum heavy varmint rifle.





If you'd like to chat more about it, just give me a shout.

Cheers,

Chad

Chad Dixon
LongRifles, Inc.

 

[SilverDollar]

Here's a good place to look for an engraver.

Firearm Engravers Guild (FEGA) is the best place to look for a gun engraver. You can also sign on to this forum and ask:
http://igraver.com/forum/


While on "igraver" there is a list of guns that indicates which are easy and which to stay away from for engravers. You can look up your Python and see how hard it is to cut.

Do a little research on gun engraving and insist on seeing examples of the engravers work. I've seen a number of $600 guns engraved that are now worth $300.

SilverDollar

Member FEGA

 

[Brian Williams]

Wayne D'Angelo

 

[P97]

Here's a couple of using Guns that Orval Mahan, Panama, Ok did for me. Phone 918-963-2270

 

[alemonkey]

Question...can a firearm that is already blued be engraved? If so does it need to be refinished after the engraving is done?

 

[dclevinger]

alemonkey,
It depends on what you are having done. If it's just lettering, some engravers will cut a finished piece but there is always a risk of slipping or tool breakage. If you are wanting scrollwork done, it is best to remove the old finish, engrave it and then refinish it. None of the professional hand engravers that I know will cut scrollwork on a finished gun. Too much risk and it is considered to be an amateurish practice.