Scrimshaw tool

Learned from a wood carver to use a dental drill for scrimshaw. It sure made scrim work easier for me.

My one friend uses a cheap knife that he puts in vise and breaks the blade. Dilly

True Horn Engraving...Not scrim or scrimshaw, is an aquired art form made possible through much practice, trial and error to get it right by hand and knife or stylist tool!...To me and most people who enjoy doing engraving on horn or other materials stay away from Engraving power tools and Carver machine Gizmo's. Why?...Because it really doesn't look like HAND engraving or Scrim on close inspection.

Horn is very soft and easy to engrave and there's nothing more enjoyable...TO ME ANYWAY, than to sit down and hand engrave on a horn! Personally,
I like to see good art, more than fast art!

I know, to each person their own, but trying to substitute any old time skill with modern methods, is like trying to justify a BIC lighter being the newest craze for a Flint'n Steel fire making kit at a PC encampment!

JMHO

horner75- I'm getting ready to scrim my first horn. What tool works best for you, or any others that have tried it?

Hot Iron ; here's what I use for 90% of the scrimshaw that I do, I also use an xacto with a #11 blade for some of the finer shading. I believe that I bought it from the Log Cabin Shop , and it seems to me that it was around $8-$10 .

Hot Iron said:

What tool works best for you, or any others that have tried it?

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I make my own...

I reguarly use several different tools depending on the type of engraving I want to do. Five of the seven are flat cut scribers that I made myself to cut light to heavy veining and shading etc. The No.11,No.16 and No.28 Exacto blades I like for tiny detailing and layout. The main rule of thumb is to keep all tools very sharp!....

Everybody has their favorite(s).....These are mine!

I've tried the different exacto knives, and have a homemade scratcher. But I've found horn to have hard and soft spots that cause sliping of the knife and sometimes ruining a perfectly work. I get better control with the dental tool.

Don, I'm like you. I'm from the school that believes the ultimate product sets the PC level and not how you get there. I believe we can use the technology available at the time. But, each to his own, so I'm not going to judge others. I am a wood carver and have a 300K RPM air carver that does a great job on scrimshawing. I have only done one horn, but it made the job easy and am looking forward to doing some more.
:thumbsup:

Stay tuned all!....Decals,Lazer Etching and Pixie Dust at 11.... :shocked2:

As I said, each to his own method. The ranting on this forum get excessive sometimes, but I still use what I judge as acceptable to me.
:blah: :blah:

Find me one craftsman that totally adheres to the ways and tools of our elders. We use gas and electricity to boil water to mold our horns. And then we antique them by whatever method we find appropriate. When in actuality those old yellow gold horns we all so love are a product of time. You wanta be original. Try to sell a horn that isn't falsely aged.

Don Powell said:

Find me one craftsman that totally adheres to the ways and tools of our elders. We use gas and electricity to boil water to mold our horns. And then we antique them by whatever method we find appropriate. When in actuality those old yellow gold horns we all so love are a product of time. You wanta be original. Try to sell a horn that isn't falsely aged.

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Sorry Don, don't mean to "Toot my own horn", but I have and regularly sell what you call "falsely aged" powder horns. (I think you meant, colored horn). And recently sold three NATURAL UNCOLORED POWDER HORNS on this forum in the last couple weeks and have taken a commission order for one more along with sales to several other forum members in the last year. Those old yellow gold horns you mentioned for the most part were colored dyed in the original state by old time Horner craftsman. Yes, some were not. Please do your research before making a statement like that, as there are a lot of fine craftsman and terrific Horners on this forum.

I look at "to each their own", in the same field as "if they would of had it..they'd of used it"!..I agree, but most people in traditional black powder and history re-enactment try to do things the way it used to be historically! As an example:

The breed of cows inwhich we get those raw horns are not the same breed that were around 200 plus years ago either, but THOSE horns are a fair representation. I guess my main point about engraving, is most of us who like to engrave (scrimshaw) in the hand scribed tradition of our forefathers
get a satisfaction in our effort of learning and practicing the skills associated with the old time American Folk Art form.

Personally, I don't really care if a person is using a dentist drill, wood carver or a Harley Davison engine mounted to a steel toothpick! But engaving or scrimshaw is meant to be by handwork and not machines!

Have a great day, :thumbsup:
Rick

Hot Iron said:

horner75- I'm getting ready to scrim my first horn. What tool works best for you, or any others that have tried it?

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What little scrim work I have done, I used a scalpel and a carbide scribe.

I tried a scribe but didn't like the lack of control. I did this all with a #11 xacto.
Did this horn a while ago.
Lehigh....

LeHigh, when I mentioned flat cut scribers. I wasn't talking about the common Machinist type Scribe.

Flat Cut Scribes or Scribing Cutters are basically a very small double sided chisel blade mounted into a bone or wooden handle. Very simular to the shape and size of and Exacto blade, but thicker. Pressure on the blade controls the depth and width of the engraving. The No.11 Exactor blade is used by alot of newer engravers for all work, as it is easy to control on horn, but a single pass makes the engraving (scrimshawing) look to light without much depth or contrast. As I mentioned before. I use both, but for different reasons. I think the main reason for a person having trouble with any engraving is: (1) Dull tool (2) Trying to work to fast and (3) AND MOST IMPORTANT!...Not holding their tool blade 90 degree's with the cutting surface!


Rick

horner75 said:

Flat Cut Scribes or Scribing Cutters are basically a very small double sided chisel blade mounted into a bone or wooden handle.

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Do you have a picture or link to show me one please. Thank you
Lehigh...

I buy my blades here, then grind them down a little. www.littleshavers.com