Hi from the far north

[haheffernan]

Hello,

OK, here is a first post, since the site has been nattering incessantly and making a real pain of itself for one. Judging from the size, this post should count for at least five or six if not more.

I am new to this entire engraving thing and just casting about to see if I want to try making those "fancy scratches"-a quote from a friend who owns a couple of double rifles with very nice english scroll engraving. (By the way, double rifle folks, even among the specialist rifleman types, are most-times thought of as "a little strange," since two barrels multiply accuracy and other things by several orders of magnitude--but I only have two.)

I am approaching engraving strictly as a hobby for the enjoyment--if it is there for me-at this time. Enjoyment is one of the reasons I do digital image correction and printing, but it helps to do it commercially, especially since I wanted a $3,000 printer and the software is not cheap. Nothing wrong with using part of my income tax to pay for it quite legally. (Part of my job over the last 20 years was to do GIS-computer mapping analysis, and print very high quality maps-which grew into electronic image manipulation for brochures, books, videos, etc. and large format prints.)

I am a retired wildlife biologist living in Fairbanks, Alaska. Since my retirement stipend is existence level in Alaska, I began a small shop where I rebuild antique rolling block rifles (as 'shooters'), assemble and install simple computer systems and do a few other things, such as professional-grade printing on my little 83 lb printer and plotters, and custom alarm systems. The shop is a little unusual; rack-mount computer server in one end, followed by electronic bench, printing set-up, then the machinist shop, ending with a 6,000 lb vertical milling machine.

Currently I make most out of the computer end, with greater satisfaction from the metal machining/gunsmithing end (two mills, three lathes, etc., including, at last count, 17 vises-I've always kinda liked vises it seems, however spelled). Unfortunately the profit is not there.

Appreciate the information from this site, especially that concerning the use of a turntable/swivel with a vise until I can buy or machine a swivel ball vise/engraving vise if I don't devise something I like better. For a trial I can get by with the swivel/vise assembly and gravers I grind from esoteric high speed steel (ebay); very hard, but I don't have to be careful about heating them to even bright blue grinding, since they are made to cut very hot and retain hardness/temper. All sharpening is on diamond laps.

My major equipment lack is a decent binocular macroscope-or that is what biologists called them back when: stereo magnifiers using incident-not transmitted-light, which distinguished them from microscopes, which usually use transmitted light for objects that are not visible to the unaided eye. More specifically, my problem is this: I have spent over 40 years staring through optics, including binocular stereoscope microscopes that were excellent to near best and know I will never like-nor be able to stand-poor optics, but I will never be able to afford a Leitz, Zeiss, etc. I can put up with less than good mechanics, and can even go so far as re-making most microscope mechanics including rack and pinion focusing, etc., but the supply of used scopes is small hereabouts in the far north, and the pitfalls of ebay and other sources are many I am not liable to lay out the bigger bucks I don't have for quality microscope parts that have been abused (few of the excellent ones wear out).

Another item worth considering about optics: If you are going to spend just a few minutes at a time using the instrument then flatness-of-field, color, etc. are not too important if the basic resolution/color correction is OK central field. However, if you will be spending hours and days staring through the optic it is best to get really good optics with nothing but excellent alignment for the eyepieces-and as important, the same power-matched optics in both right and left optical systems (example: a 9.89x for 10x is OK, but a left eye 9.89x and 9.93xright eye usually equals eyestrain). Few things produce eyestrain worse than even slightly mis-aligned eyepieces-or eyepieces that become easily mis-aligned and you began to suffer before you realize it is time for another costly re-alignment. Again: nothing is more important to binocular optics than alignment-for long-term work. Not a big deal for a 'little while,' perfectly acceptable in fact, and I doubt my wife will ever understand why I have a pair of binoculars, that cost well over a couple thousand, until she has to use binioculars constantly through 12+hour days on end.

After a little work on finding an acceptable scope I am leaning toward the Russian LOMO, preferably a used one that has lost knobs, lighting, etc., but has Not had the lenses cleaned with emery cloth. My dream is original optics-that is those not destroyed by 'cleaning', etc., with acceptable working distance that include some focusing mechanisms intact, and no base. (I can create a base in a few hours.) However, my chances of finding this dream scope from a reputable person-to keep from buying true junk-is almost non-existant. So if you have something for sale or trade, please email me. I have a few things to trade, including some sheep horn, fossil ivory, etc. (Before I retired from US Fish and Wildlife Service I had to identify legal vs illegal ivory, etc., so any wildlife items will have the correct legal documentation for the US.)

I suspect I will have to go with a cheap 'trial' scope which will later be for sale if I decide to pursue engraving. So, on to the cheap scopes--and more importantly, a decent supplier, since I see some sellers want at least twice what others do for the same merchandise. Therefore, keeping P.T. Barnum's favorite phrase in mind, I would appreciate knowing honorable sellers. I would like information anyone would like to email me about new scopes usable for engraving. My guidelines are simple and few:
1. No no-name merchandise; must have a brand name, 2. must be returnable for cash refund, after a reasonable inspection period, 3. possess some reasonable warranty, 4. have objectively defined optical characteristics (that is, resolves x at y, etc., and not "our stuff is just wonderful, and just what you need!" . . . then when I examine the garbage I am out at least time and effort-And shipping-not a small item in Alaska.

I have been reading microscope reviews, some of the better reviews to date I have seen are from the Brit Microscope society at http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/...-resource.html

and

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/.../rp-mbs10.html

for the LOMO microscopes. Little danger of finding biased evaluations, or of lots of ignorance about microscopes on this site.


Thanks a lot for your help to-date, and to the generous person sponsoring this website, and for any in-coming information about my supposed needs. (And it would all be so simple if I had a lot of money.)

Best,

harvey

[SVD]

Hi Harvey! :waving:

Sounds like you'll fit right in around here - most folks here seem to be 'handy' types.

Couldn't agree more with you about needing a 'proper' scope. I also can't afford a Zeis so I went with the pretty standard Meji. This being Steve's forum it wouldn't be right not to mention that you might want to click here to see the Omano scope he sells. The price might be more than you're looking to pay but as I'm sure you know it's usually cheaper to just go ahead and buy the right tool first rather than go through three 'cheaper' ones first. 'Cheaper' because that's only true if they were actually acceptable.

I'll toss in the usual beginner advice as well:
1) Read through the forums - especially the Tutorials
2) Get James Meek's The Art of Engraving (you'll probably really enjoy the parts about making your own tools)
3) Get Ron Smith's books on Scroll Design and Advanced Scroll Design

[haheffernan]

Steve,

Thanks very much for the welcome hi and the helpful suggestions. I appreciate it.

More on a scope: I just did a budget evaluation (Bummer! Bad one.) and find that I am looking for low-power binocular scope parts, not a scope per se. (I did look at the Omano, and find that I am about 1,200 short--I can squeeze out only a very few hundred only now. Sigh; disappointment.)

So, what binoc parts? Well, I could get by with only the lower lenses (objectives), and the main body casting, hopefully with focusing attached. I already have usable eyepieces, including a set of 10x Wild (Swiss) from a life of junk collecting, and an 'L' arm stand is quite easy to machine from cold rolled and cast iron. I will be looking on eBray (no mis-spelling; they bray and bray about what you cannot do, etc., ad infinitum), Craiglist and other sources. Any ideas? It seems a lot of parts are available in Great Britian, where they are evidently taking apart scopes and selling parts like an auto junkyard. I will have to relax my 'reputable seller' requirements a lot, but I figure if I win one out of three purchases I am still ahead, considering I live basically in the middle of nowhere-well, not quite, but on a clear day you can see it from here.

And, if anyone has scope parts they want to sell or trade, please email me, haheffernan@yahoo.com. Just remembered I have a few cut stones, raw stones, etc. (past hobby; jewelry was not my thing), including some decent aquamarines (Thailand; I like to travel) from some years ago, and other things-lots of things.

So wish me luck on my scope 'junk' search. On another subject, I read some posts about transfers using various means, and I know of a much easier way using a different printer technology.

Amusing (?) story: I was the printer 'guy,' by default, the one everyone asked why and what and how, for years, at US Fish & Wildlife, Fairbanks, about 130 or so folks. As such I arrived at my only claim to fame. We got a new computer systems person who proceeded to name (advantageous for Windows over an IP address) all of the bigger and special purpose shared printers. Among the three or four large plotters was a HP 5500 in my cubicle (rather than the shared printer space), 42 inches wide, 6 colors etc., all the good options--about 15 or 20 thousand worth, a really nice printer I had gotten purchased for GIS maps. And, I suppose, since I was the person everyone came to for special printer advice I found myself in very high company, namely among printers named Michaelangelo, Picasso, etc. there was "harvey."

Well, guess I will post to the folks using HP Laserjets and Inkjets for printing transfers and see if I can make life easier with cheap transfers. Thanks again for the welcome and, oh yeah, I have owned Meeks' book for years, got it from Brownells, who has a very interesting catalog and a decent website, finally.

I like Meeks book a lot, and his engraving, but my favorite is Nimschke, simply because many of his engravings recognize and incorporate the firearm's required shape and workings into the engraving design. For example, required screws, pins, etc. are frequently incorporated into the engraving design rather than 'just occurring,' or ignored as something that is 'just there' and obviously intrudes upon the engraving canvas. The old Winchester shown at http://www.georgemadis.com/987/memframe.html illustrates this I believe. Function dictates form; a firearm Is a firearm, not free form jewelry nor a practice plate and the engraving can recognize the necessity of its shape, screws, pins and other attributes. Just my opinion; please don't leap on me too hard folks.

harvey