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Factory Tour: Engraving
Russell Wilkin, Technical Director - Gunmaking, describes a fascinating stage in the manufacture of a "best" London gun
 When our clients visit the factory at Harrow Road they never fail to marvel at the number and variety of craft skills required to build the shotguns and rifles that are justly considered to be amongst the best in the world. Lock, stock and barrel, every element of the weapon is made and finished out to impeccable standards of mechanical function, handling and form by specialist craftsmen. Engraving is one of the most intriguing of the skills and plays a vital part in the sporting gunís appeal to its owner. Indeed, more time may be spent on discussing the subject and execution of the gunís engraving than on the practical and functional features of its mechanics.
The engraving of steel is no easy matter and is infinitely more time-consuming than work on soft metals such as silver or pewter. As a consequence, the training of an engraver requires patience and determination from both pupil and tutor. The fundamental requirement is mastery of the graver, the tool that actually cuts. The engraver works with light ñ or rather the lack of it. Light angled across a perfectly polished surface reflects with a bright and ëwhiteí effect. A V-shaped cut across this surface will reflect the light at a different angle, and cast its own shadow in the cut. The reduced intensity of the reflected light appears to the eye as a dark line: this is the effect with which the engraver works. His palette, therefore, consists of numerous types of cut and the regulation of their intensity. By finely cutting a series of closely spaced parallel lines it is possible to reduce the reflected light so as to create a truly dark area. Additional stippling and matting will intensify the effect.
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