The Art of Hand Engraving can be described as the process in which a sharpened piece of steel, called a 'Graver', is pushed through the metal's surface to create decorative patterns and letters. (www.engravingschool.com)
I've had stars in my eyes about being able to offer you engraved watch cases and dials so, last week, I attended a class to learn hand engraving at the Gem Institute of America (GIA) in San Diego. In the class, I learned to engrave with a pneumatic air-driven hammer which emulates both hand pushing an engraver and the hammer and chisel techniques.
Although I was there for fun and exploration, it was one of the most intense classes I've ever attended. We studied and practiced from 8am-4pm for five days. I had the opportunity to use state of the art equipment and meet extraordinary jewelers.
A master engraver in the watch case world is David Sheehan (watchengraver.com). He says a watch case project like this can take as much as 200 hours to hand engrave. It's quite amazing! Now that I've tried to do this, I have a very deep appreciation for the skill that it took.
My adventure began by trying to follow lines and make circles. Eventually we began engraving traditional scroll and leaf patterns as well as block and script lettering. It required a steady hand, superhuman patience and the ability to move three limbs independently. I learned to transfer patterns, sharpen my engraver and darken the recesses created by deep engraving.
Some people who engrave have hundreds of gravers (engraving bits) for different purposes. There are fine gravers, flat ones, "V" gravers, some that are good for soft vs. hard metals, deep gravers and the list goes on.
Example of hand engraved scrollwork.
I have to admit that class was a reality check. By the end of five days I could sort of write my name. And it was clear I might need at least 1000+ hours of dedicated practice to engrave a beginners version of a watch dial on a flat surface. The curved surfaces of a watch case will undoubtedly take even more time. But I'm off and running!
