Transferring design

[gabe drueke <gdrueke@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Norman,

I very recently joined the list but I might have some info regarding your
cutting serifs that may be of help. Sorry, I'm no help with transferring the
design as I use the carbon paper method.

First off, like anything else worth doing, it takes some time to really
figure out how to cut the serifs. I've been letter carving for about 6 years
now and it took me 3 before I really started to understand how to make the
serifs clean. I'll admit that my letters don't stand up to the work of the
Kindersleys yet but Judy is right, their book is great for getting you
started.

 From my experience, every lettering chisel I have purchased has too wide of
an angle to suit my needs and provide the results I'm striving for. To
modify it I start with a very coarse diamond stone and make the entire angle
of the blade a great deal narrower being careful to maintain a very narrow
"A" shape. This may take awhile for larger chisels but is well worth the
effort. For me, making the chisel angle narrower allows better control and
produces cleaner lines especially when it comes to cutting serifs.

I finish the cutting edge of the blade with a steeper angle using a very
fine diamond stone. The razor sharp tip should have a slightly more polished
look that is only about 1/32" (about the width of the edge of a business
card). The corners of the blade are extremely important as well. If they are
rounded or broken in any way it tends to flake the stone when starting the
tips of your serifs. When this happens to me it's a sure fire sign that I
need to sharpen my chisel.

Now, to the stone. I always start my letters at the very tip of the serifs
and work inward, carving them all before I start any of the downward
strokes. This ensures that my chisel is sharp and the corners are true which
increases the likelihood of getting a clean serif. Go slow and use a light
touch with the mallet when starting and I'm confident you'll have better
results.

Out of habit, I sharpen my chisel after each letter whether it needs it or
not. Once you have the angle right on the chisel it's easier to address with
subsequent sharpening. Remember, if your chisels aren't sharp, your breaking
the stone, not cutting. Slate regardless of its hardness isn't very
forgiving when you're working so small.

Another helpful hint:  Do not try to carve the entire depth/width of your
letter in just two or three passes of the chisel. When I letter carve in
slate it can take me upwards of an hour to carve a 1"-2" letter because the
slate tends to fracture or flake if I get too aggressive.

I can send you a picture of some of my chisel angles if it will clarify all
of this. Let me know.

Sorry so long winded. Hope this makes sense!

Gabe Drueke
< http://www.wishstone.net  >