Techniques of metal decoration :

The copperplate engraving : The simplest, yet the most difficult. Like calligraphy, the original line shows the art and personality of the engraver. To succeed in copperplate engraving, it is necessary not only to have a skilled and precise hand but also knowledge of the outline and its effects. Each mark by the engraver is indelible. The engraving should show only neat clean attacks by the graver, supple and regular yet without monotony. Useless lines are to be avoided at all costs because of the tired and overworked appearance they give the job. A strict technique, it is nearest to pure line drawing and was called by the old masters the "Beautiful Work". Much used in light decoration for rendering images of scenery and landscapes, it was also used for the production of printed engravings which are called "burins" to distinguish them from "etchings" or "dry-points".

The deep engraving or damascening : Used mainly for the ornament, this process consists of carving all around an engraved drawing so as to give the impression that the drawing stands in relief upon the background. These grounds are then worked to create a contrast between the the background and the polished relief. Where the grounds are latter filled with enamels, this process is called "champlevé".

The carving : When a decorative element is to be produced wholly from the face of a solid piece of metal, as distinct from the element being formed in a casting process, chisels and gouges are employed to remove metal as necessary. This is comparable with bas-relief sculpture. The hewn faces of the metal are then modulated by chasing tools, a long process designed to remove all traces of the original chisel marks

The inlay : This technique ( sometimes also called damascening) "allows" both noble and base metals to be inlaid by pressing them into designs cut with dovetailed incisions. The design may be laid flush or left raised. The technique provides a means of producing designs in various colours.

These different techniques are often found together on the same piece of engraved work.

The Medal and the Seal engraving : This is a rare and difficult speciality outside of the gun engravers usual field. Requiring considerable mental and manual dexterity, the engraver is forced to work not only in a "hollow" dimension, but also in mirror image or "negative" sense to create a die for stamping metal or a seal for pressing sealing wax. In this work, right becomes left and left becomes right and relief and hollow are reversed. By this means, a die can be produced to stamp a serie of the same model. This is the technique I have adopted for the production of sets of hunt buttons.