Here is what $20,000 or so of Engraving Looks like

Ok, but for that price I want matching carvings on the chokes and the barrel interior.

Can he do buckshot too?
 
Jim mentioned Kusmit engraving above...Nick Kusmit was the famous Winchester engraver, I have seen folks asking $75,000 for his guns...notice, how Jim stated, the openness...I use the word simplicity...of the scroll and the stiffness of the dog...compare to the photos above....

12623-2R.jpg


That is not to say that Kusmit was not an artist in his own right, but compare the technique that Jim shows versus the well known vintage engraver.

WilditsartgmoneyitsartAlaska TM
 
That dog in the B&W image is LOW GRADE as far as realistic and detail. The one your buddy did is incredible, both the head and full dogs.
Brent
 
Hey Wild.... next time you talk to your engraver ask him how he feels about doing some work for me,,, I am thinking $20.00 bills would be a good start..
:D
 
Now that is some exceptional engraving!! Did you guys notice the level of detail in the background surrounding the dog? The knot and bark on the tree, the barbed wire fence, not to mention how lifelike the engraving of the dog is.

Thanks for the great pictures.
 
Just for kicks, I just looked at my Browning Grade VI with the gold work and engraving. The Browning doesn't even come CLOSE to that engraving you showed pics of, not even in the same park.
That man has talent. Just check the scrolls, they are perfectly symetrical, no out of round cuts. I really have to admire this guy because, there is no putting steel back on a bad cut and doing it over.
 
You know, it strikes me that the artistic aspect of this piece is a byproduct of the technical skill. Just my opinion. The details specifically mentioned by Skans make me wonder if this is not a once in a lifetime achievement even by the engraver's standards.

Very special. This could be the only one of these that will ever exist.
 
That is absolutly beautiful, But just to play devils advocate, while we are drooling over an engraving job, does that set us close to the mall ninja's that dress up their tacticool stuff for looks:confused::)
Just kidding! I did resist the urge to tell you nice "shotty":p
 
You know, it strikes me that the artistic aspect of this piece is a byproduct of the technical skill. Just my opinion. The details specifically mentioned by Skans make me wonder if this is not a once in a lifetime achievement even by the engraver's standards.

Very special. This could be the only one of these that will ever exist.
Click to expand...

As to this design.......absolutely.

As to the once in a lifetime...wait for the photos of the SAA pair I will be posting:D

WildoyeahAlaska TM
 
Here's a note I got from Jim this morning:

"Thanks for all the appreciative posts. Engraving is not for everyone and maybe even not for all guns. My own mint 70 Series Colt Gold Cup and conversion kit has only sambar grips added and is uncut. I have plans on almost all other firearms I own, but for some reason I can't bring myself to break its lovely surface (I might buy another Gold Cup and cut it!). I ended up building my own firearms and eventually entered engraving because I couldn't afford my own tastes for beautiful guns (I build my first rifle stock at age 17). I don't go to art museums, but I'd walk a few miles to see fine engraving.

We Americans with our Second Amendment freedoms have been fortunate to not be restricted in the amount of firearms we possess (I pray this may continue). Europe has had strict control for many years and thus sprung the drillings and various combination guns so one firearm could do several tasks. It was natural that since one could own a single firearm that it be heavily decorated. Most of Americans would rather have ten firearms than put that same amount of money into a single one. Still, there are some who would prefer to own one of the finest than ten straight from a factory (I cannot look at a single factory firearm without visioning some change to it). Buyers choice.

I've been engraving since 1983 (part time until 1992), but evidently thousands of hours of cutting and thousands of hours studying other engraver's work (both in past and present) must have coalesced about nine years ago (I guess you could call me slow). It seems in looking critically at my own work, there was a quantum leap in my engraving quality, and I did my first bulino at that time. The other skills must have spilled over, because that first effort on a pocket watch won top place at the National Association of Watch Collectors show in New Orleans.

The comment about technical skill being revealed in the 21 is correct. That particular pattern demands it heavily because there are large areas where the pattern mirrors itself on the opposite side, which can be seen and instantly compared (top tang, top of receiver for example). This is time consuming in both layout and cutting. I believe part of this particular gun's charm comes from symmetry.

When Howard Carter broke into King Tut's tomb, Lord Carnavon asked him if he saw anything. His answer was "Yes, I see wonderful things!" If allowed by the Big Guy Upstairs, I hope to continue to improve and get better. I too, see wonderful things. There are a handful of engravers who are given a commission with no stipulation as to time or cost. I have yet to receive such, so remain convinced I have yet to do my finest work. I could live another lifetime and still not get all the engraving projects I want to do done!

Jim White "

I personally wish I had the money to tell him to go to town :) I have to content myself with a lightly done High Power

I have two more guns to show you guys, give me a few to get organized

WildilovethisstuffAlaska ™
 
Compared to what some of the top Italian engravers get for their work, $20K for this engraving is actually cheap. Thing is, if this engraver continues to turn out work like that, you are making one heck of a good investment.
 
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