The engraver's craft: chisel, pantograph and laser

Engraving is the art of cutting a line in metal so precisely that it becomes text or image. Engraver is an independent specialism within the blacksmith's trade, ranging from traditional hand engraving with a chisel to modern laser technology. What all methods have in common is the requirement for clean line work and understanding how the depth and angle of the cut changes how the light plays in the finished work.

§Hand engraving with graver

The classic method is hand engraving where the engraver guides a tool (also called engraving steel or burin) through the metal and cuts out a chip. The tool is held in the palm and pushed forward by hand force or driven by an air-powered hand tool that gives fast, controlled blows. Hand engraving gives a unique, personal mark and is used for exclusive tasks — jewellery, weapons, trophies and fine ornaments — where each cut contributes to the whole.

The engraver's chisels

• 01Spidsstikkel (V-formet): fine linjer og konturer
• 02Flat chisel: wide cuts and filling
• 03Round chisel: soft, round grooves
• 04Bulino needle: thousands of micro-pricks for image engraving (dot engraving)

§Machine engraving with pantograph

Pantografen er en mekanisk gravermaskine, der kopierer et forlæg (skabelon eller skrifttype) i en valgt målestok og fører en roterende fræsestift gennem metallet. Metoden er hurtig og ensartet og velegnet til skilte, navneplader og serier, hvor teksten skal være regelmæssig. Snittet efterlader et fræset spor, der kan farvelægges. Pantografen ligner det traditionelle håndarbejde i princippet, men bruger maskine i stedet for stikkel.

§Laser engraving

Laser engraving is the modern, non-contact method: a concentrated laser beam removes or discolors the top material layer and creates the mark without any physical contact. The method is very flexible, can reproduce fine details, photographs and barcodes and is used on metal, plastic, glass, leather and wood. For industrial marking and large series, laser is fast and wear-free, but it lacks the characteristic depth and gloss that a hand-cut incision gives.

“A good engraving does not just read — it catches the light.”