New To Forum

[Buster_K]

Hello Everyone! My name is Buster Kincaid and am from Texas. I came across the forum awhile ago, but am just now getting around to registering. I am really interested in getting into Hand Engraving and would really like to be able to do it for a living. I have had a few bad years since Nov. 1, 2005 as that was the day I was injured on the job and have been disabled since. I stress fractured my foot in 2 places, diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and tore a disc in my back 40% into. Due to insurance continually denying me surgery in hopes for me to be able to get back to some what of a active life I've been unable to do all the things I was use to doing before I was hurt. While being confined to my home for over the last 3 years and finally getting the OK from insurance to have surgery I was able to have surgery on December 18, 2008. Even though after authorizing the surgery and confirming that authorization twice the day after surgery they sent out a letter denying coverage of the surgery. It's been a mess and now I am recuperating from back surgery and after 8 weeks will start physical therapy that will go for 6 months. All the specialists I have seen have told me I will never be 100% again and cannot ever do the type of work I was doing before I was hurt I have to find a new carreer. I am hoping after physical therapy I will be able to get around well enough to attend Gunsmith School in Colorado. I've heard it is the best gunsmith school in the nation and since I have a very strong passion for firearms I am hoping I am physically able to achieve the task. This is what brings me to finding the forum, because along with learning the trade of a gunsmith I would love to be able to incorparate engraving into it. I would like to learn the art of making custom built rifles along with repairing or customizing the publics firearms brought to me for repair.

I find engraving very very interesting and I know it will take time to master the art of it, but in being somewhat of a perfectionist I think I could do well at it. I have done custom leather work for many years as a hobby and have dabbled in wood burning nature scenary, so I would love to learn the art of engraving. I have looked at many of the projects rhe folks on the forum have done and they are truly amazing works of art. Hopefully in the future once I am physically able to do so I can purchase what I need to get started and share my projects with everyone as they do.

I know I am long winded and if my introduction is to long winded for some I apologize, but I guess that is what happens when you are forced to be couped up and have to lay flat of your back for over 3 years. You get long winded and when given the chance you tend to be long winded. I look forward to getting to know everyone and soak up all the knowledge ya'll share!

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Buster

[SVD]

Welcome to the Forum! :waving:

Sorry to hear about the troubles you've been through - hopefully things are on the way back up. :thumbsup:

There seem to be a lot of guys who take up engraving after getting knocked out of more active careers so you should be in good company.

One thing you coudl do for now to give yourself a head start would be to start drawing. Ron Smith's books on Scroll Design are pretty much required reading - especially if you want to do gun engraving where traditional scrolls are big. James Meek's The Art of Engraving is the 'bible' of engraving, even if it pre-dates air-assist (well, he did get a chance to check out a very early unit). It gives you a sense of where the art has come from and an appreciation for where it's going today.

Reading through the forums will give you a lot of good info. Beginners like me post our work in part so we can all feel better about where we are compared to the Masters who share their work with us - they show us where we might be, someday.

[Buster_K]

Thanks Steve for the welcome... I will look into getting that material to read soon as I can move about better. I have done leather work for many years as a hobby and done scroll work on leather over the years, so I know to some extent the demand for it and the time that goes into it. I know metal vs. leather is a lot different and the techniques are probably as different as day and night, but I figure it is kind of a starting point of having dealt with some scroll work as far as the design of scroll goes.

I just find the art of engraving very interesting. I have searched the internet and watched many of the media files of some of the folks demonstrating their work over and over, including Steve Lindsay's demonstrations and I could literally watch him work for hours and hours on end. I am very intrigued with it and want to learn the art so badly I can almost taste it. I just have to get better first so I can physically tackle it as it deserves to be done. Right now under doctors orders I am limited to sitting for only 10 to 15 minutes and standing for no more than 20 minutes and that is to attempt to walk for 20 minutes per day. I'm hoping once the surgery recuperation and physical therapy is over with later in the year I will be able to set my goals and purchase some equipment and start putting it all together. I know it will take some time, but I'm having to literally start my career life over at 39 yrs old. I may as well do something I love from now on. I've always heard the saying... "If you do something you love you will never work another day of your life" I believe in that saying and hopefully I one day I will be able to live it.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and I look forward to seeing your work and many others in the future~!

Buster