The best gift for any man would be a themed attribute - an engraved knife or any other bladed weapon. Such a gift causes unambiguous delight among all representatives of the stronger sex. A decorative knife is a kind of symbol of recognition of masculinity.
A personalized knife, scimitar, dirk or are perfect for a special occasion. The customer can choose from a wide variety of engravings, ranging from simple options to congratulatory poems.
Under the influence of a laser, hardened metal changes its structure. Engraving on a knife does not affect the quality of the material in any way, since the beam does not penetrate too deeply, but works on the surface layer. An image or text printed on the blade retains its presentable appearance for a long time. The engraving looks very stylish and original.
Features of the technology
The main advantage of the technology is the ability to perform any option - from a simple inscription to a complex drawing or even a photograph. The smallest details will look perfectly chiseled after engraving in our studio. The common method of processing using a drill can never give even an approximate result (regardless of the skill of the engraver). We use innovative technologies - modern laser equipment.
Cost of laser engraving on a knife
The price of engraving on a knife depends on the complexity of the required design, its size, the number of characters in the selected inscription, and the timing of the work. Sometimes the cost can be affected by the weapon itself: engraving on an antique knife or weapon made from precious metals costs more.
At the request of the customer, a gift knife from our company can be decorated with any ornament or decorative pattern applied with a high-precision laser. Laser engraving will turn the knife into an exclusive item.
The resulting image is incredibly durable - it will not fade or be erased even with intensive use.
The minimum cost of engraving is 800 rubles per line and does not depend on the number of characters.
This is due to the application technology. All work is carried out using engraving machines and computers, which implies the need to individually configure them and draw up a sketch. Whether it is 1 character or 20, this does not in any way affect the time required to complete all technological processes. This calculation method is applicable for manual engraving, when a master engraver draws each letter separately, and is economical with a minimum number of letters; with a large number of characters, the cost of such engraving can be significantly higher.
What does the price depend on?
The cost of engraving depends on:
- number of engraved knives
- number of engraved lines of the product - for each subsequent +200 rubles
- engraving content (text only or text with pictures) - for tracing an image or logo + 200 rubles
- engraving area and knife size
- complexity of the work performed (complex technical specifications that increase the average time to complete the work, non-standard knife shape, etc.)
How much will it cost to engrave my knife?
The exact cost of engraving specifically in your case can be determined after understanding your technical specifications (where, how, what and what to apply). To do this, just take a photo of the product and send it to us via WhatApp, Viber, Vkontakte, describing all your wishes regarding engraving.
I want it cheaper. Are discounts possible?
Discounts are available for our regular customers registered on the site. All newly registered users are awarded welcome bonuses that can be used from the first purchase.
The size of the discount depends on the total accumulated amount of purchases and is up to 20%.
Discounts are also possible for orders with a large number of goods or services.
For some, the mention of engraving on a knife evokes associations with award-winning registered edged weapons, for others - pleasant memories of the counters of hunting stores, where “Bear”, “Boar”, “Boar” and other knives with animals skillfully depicted on the blades lie in wide rows.
Hand engraving is on the verge of extinction at the beginning of the 21st century. If you want to get a handmade knife with an engraving, it is best to look for a craftsman at a themed fair. True, you will have to pay fabulous money - more than for an ordinary custom knife. Hand engraving significantly increases its value.
Moreover, it cannot be said that engraving made with the latest technology is inferior in beauty to hand-made - the latter, perhaps, is now nothing more than chic. Let's look at the old and new schools of knife engraving.
The main purposes of engraving today, as well as tens and hundreds of years ago, remain the identification of weapons (for example, putting the emblem of the manufacturer or the name of the master on the blade) and personification (dedicatory inscriptions, symbols, patterns, drawings, sacred signs, etc.).
Basic archaic engraving techniques
Incisive engraving
The first of three types of engraving that we will talk about today. Its historical name is bulino, after the name of the main cutter used in the Italian school of engravers. Of course, now a larger number of tools are used to implement it, but the principle itself has remained unchanged: the master conveys the texture of the depicted object and the play of light and shade, cutting the surface of the metal with pressure of varying strength and at different angles. Moreover, working with a thin needle is even preferable here than with a regular cutter: it allows you to more accurately depict small details that are common in hunting themes - for example, the texture of animal skins.
Once upon a time, the cutting technique was used mainly to decorate guns (this is how it happened historically), and then it was mastered by masters of knife art, and so well that it is now associated, first of all, with bladed weapons, and not with firearms. It is applied mainly to metal parts of sheaths and handles: bolsters, crosshairs, rivets, etc. Although occasionally this type of engraving is used on the blade holomen themselves.
There are three types of this technique: dotted, linear and mixed - from the names it is clear what one or another type looks like. Each master decides for himself personally which technique to work in, but for the most part he has to combine them.
Planar engraving
If you have come across real hunting knives more than once (especially the old type, and even made in a single copy), then you have probably noticed how often floral patterns are used when engraving them. This is no coincidence: once upon a time, each depicted plant had a deep sacred meaning. The lotus symbolizes immortality, the laurel - glory, the oak - power, the palm tree - peace and victory, the vine (pictured below) - the sacrament of communion. It was precisely these ornaments that were most often made using the technique of planar engraving: there was no particular need to create the texture of the same wool or feathers in them.
What is its difference from the previous type? If in the first case, grooves are cut out on the surface (in long lines or dotted lines), then here we create two or more planes, using different pens to achieve the correct shadow effect. For example, an inscription or ornament will seem to protrude from the surrounding surface or, conversely, will be recessed into it.
In the production of edged weapons, such a technique on blades is less common, as a rule, for decorating the device and sheath.
Plate engraving (chasing)
Embossing is half sculpting a rough shape, half finishing the workpiece with the help of hammer cutters (bolshtihels, flachshtihels, spitzshtihels). True, now it is almost impossible to find it; it has been almost completely replaced by casting. Exceptions include, perhaps, the original weapons of the peoples of Transcaucasia.
In the photo below you can see how a roughly cast tiger head is transformed into a highly detailed image on the pommel of a hunting knife.
The head of a tiger on the pommel of a knife: in the first two photos - a newly cast mold, in the last - processed by cutters
For incisive engraving (all three of its types), craftsmen use a diamond-shaped cutter, also known as a grabstichel, as well as a spitztichel with a cross-section similar to a triangle with rounded edges, a steel needle, dyes and auxiliary tools - pencils, whitewash, magnifying glasses and microscopes, a sharpening stone, steel ruler. For other types - the same, but with a wider range of gravers.
As for the materials themselves for engraving, a variety of steels and alloys are suitable (however, here you need to take into account the degree of hardening of the coating on which the work is done), titanium, aluminum, as well as non-ferrous and precious metals.
Performance technique
- Before applying a design to the surface, the master first grinds and polishes the surface, then coats it with white.
- The drawing is applied with a mechanical pencil with a lead no thicker than 0.3 mm in cross-section*.
- The master uses steel needles to outline the contours of the future design. Now the white can be removed.
- At this stage, the engraving work itself begins: with precise movements, the master carves out the desired ornament with dots or lines. For planar engraving, the background is also processed - with special notches that visually add volume. For embossing, the background, as they say, is lowered and processed with a pearl cutter.
- To emphasize the contrast, varnishes or oxidizers are used to darken the carved grooves, and with the help of polishing agents, areas not touched by the engraving are highlighted.
- Burrs that arise during operation are removed using grinding devices with the finest grain that can be found.
In fact, of course, there are several other ways to transfer a drawing to a surface (using plastic film or tracing paper), but drawing with a pencil is the most common option, especially for cutting techniques.
Interesting and useful information about old school engraving
- Engraving, whatever one may say, violates the integrity of the product; if it had corrosion protection, it should be restored. Most engraved products are hardened - this makes the steel more resistant to corrosion; If gold and silver incisions were made during engraving, then after hardening they will look even more beautiful.
- After engraving and hardening, the product is often coated with printing ink - it enhances the contrast of light and shade.
- Most truly worthwhile hand-engraved knives (that is, elite edged weapons) are created by members of the Guild of Gunsmiths, and the products themselves are classified as objects of cultural value by the Ministry of Culture. On November 1, 2002, the State Duma adopted an amendment to the law “On Weapons”: along with civilian, service and military weapons, a fourth category appeared - weapons of artistic value.
- Engraving is also divided not into three, but into two types: line engraving (which in this article is divided into incisive and planar) and armored (plate or embossing).
The modern market for engraving services for edged weapons
From the previous chapter, it probably became clear that real engraving, which was still more or less practiced in the 90s and which was already quite expensive, has now practically disappeared - due to the fact that for much less money you can get even not individual, but more technical and affordable solutions.
All modern methods make it possible to apply perfectly even inscriptions, emblems, logos, trademarks of any complexity to metal in a short time, and some even quite complex designs such as color portraits and landscapes.
Laser engraving and laser sublimation
This engraving is done everywhere and literally in 15–20 minutes: usually, even in small towns, there are a couple of points where you can leave a knife and in half an hour get it back with the desired inscription, emblem, design, and so on.
The prevalence of the method is facilitated by the relative cheapness of the equipment and the small amount of space required for its placement. The general principle of operation is as follows: a laser (light) beam evaporates part of the metal so that this trace becomes visually noticeable; The most powerful lasers cut through the metal completely - this is what ultra-precise and ultra-thin laser cutting is all about. True, this equipment itself can be either simple and limited in scope of use, or more multifunctional.
CO 2 laser engravers are just in the budget category. Most likely, this type of equipment is located in the shopping center nearest to you, where, among other things, they print on mugs and T-shirts. These engravers do not have a particularly strong beam, and they work mostly on wood, plastic, leather, etc. - that is, in our case, on hilts and sheaths. True, they also quite successfully engrave using a special coating, if one is applied to the metal parts of the knife, for example, on enameled brass. Such engravers received the CO 2 marking due to the fact that the long infrared radiation they use is produced by carbon dioxide molecules.
A completely different type of radiation is found in engravers of the YAG, vanadate laser and fiber laser categories. Their operating wavelength is designed to work with metals of the highest strength and hardness. The most powerful (and at the same time transportable and allowing for high-resolution drawings) is the last type, a fiber laser.
Look how different laser engraving is from any archaic technique: here the dedicatory inscription and the Kolovrat seem to have been written in light paint rather than carved out.
These lasers are good in their niche, but they cannot produce color images, because they work exclusively with the evaporation of metal. To apply color to a steel surface, you need a laser sublimation method - a printed transfer is placed on the metal or handle material, which is evaporated by a laser. As a result, the transfer pattern remains on the surface forever. Actually, this is the same technology that is used to create images on mouse pads, mugs, and T-shirts.
Mechanical engraving
Modern mechanical engraving on metal is reminiscent of the old techniques that we talked about, however, it is done, again, not by hand, but by machine. The program guides the cutter according to the pattern that is given to it. The diamond tip works on the hardest materials; For polishing or working on stainless steel, special attachments for milling cutters are used. They not only allow the formation of relief surfaces, but also create carved artistic miniatures on the blade.
At the junction of modern and archaic engravings, there is also manual mechanical engraving - it also uses a rotating cutter (the tool itself is called a pantograph), but it is guided not by a computer, but by a human hand. This is also not a very common type of work, although it is also cheaper and faster than the same traditional cutting technique.
What is good about this type of engraving is that it can work on any type of metal (any hardness and purity), unlike a laser, which is often limited in its scope of use. The price remains almost the same, however, a master working on a mechanical engraving machine has to study much more - the specifics of working with various materials, pressure, etc.
Sandblasting engraving
Externally, finished products with sandblast engraving are most similar to knives made using the old flat engraving technique - like the previous type, it is voluminous (unlike those made with a laser), and even more voluminous, since the metal is cut deeper here.
A stencil is placed on the metal, cut (depending on the complexity and capabilities of the customer and the engraver) manually, on a plotter or with a laser; then the abrasive blasting machine accurately and directionally sprays abrasive powder onto the surface - of different fractions and with different pressures. By changing the indicators of the last two characteristics, we can change the depth of the image and its resolution.
This engraving is also done on other hard materials from which the knife is made - for example, on a plastic or bone handle.
Artistic electrochemical etching
Another way to remove metal particles and form patterns on its surface is electrochemical etching using an electrolyte liquid and the use of an electrode. To understand how this is done, you need to go back a couple of decades - to the times when acids were used on their own, and not as an electrolyte.
The old school of etching already knew how to fake the pattern of Damascus steel - so if you come across a cheap knife with a pattern similar to Damascus, do not rush to buy it, it may be a fake. Such patterns were made using the so-called masking technique, when the part of the blade that was not subject to etching was covered with varnish, and the remaining part was exposed to acids; Lapis was used for stainless steel.
After this came the era of ultraviolet irradiation of the blade, on which a pattern was drawn with a special conservation varnish; After this, the design appeared in caustic soda. Then the craftsmen learned to use not varnish, but a film specially made for this, which, of course, made the work cleaner: such films can be ordered in specialized stores, and they are still working with them.
All the master needs besides this film is an electrolyte (orthophosphoric, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids) and sources of direct and alternating current. This method is suitable when the pattern on the steel is repeated (for example, we are talking about metal marking). Under the influence of current, the electrodes tear out metal particles from its surface; This pattern can be made with any depth.
Electrochemical etching is also called galvanic etching, since the current source is a galvanic battery. It is noteworthy that the modern method is safer for health, since etching due to galvanization occurs quickly and harmful acid vapors simply do not have time to be released.
Laser engraving has a number of advantages over other methods of applying inscriptions and images:
- The laser does not damage the base of the blade, but only applies a pattern to the surface.
- The layout is prepared on a computer and allows you to see in advance how the selected picture or text will look. You can choose from available templates, bring your own, or order the development of an exclusive sketch.
- The laser is controlled by software, which completely eliminates the possibility of defects or errors.
Engraving can be done both on the handle of the knife and on the blade, where inscriptions made in ornate fonts look impressive and stylish. The material on which the image is applied can be of any kind.
Knife engraving options
Engraving, thanks to modern equipment, has turned into a creative, exciting process for our craftsmen. In the Russian Style studio you can apply the following to the knife:
- Any text, initials, dates, dedicatory inscription, in any font and in any language, including Old Church Slavonic writing and hieroglyphs. Thanks to the high resolution of the laser, the inscription will be readable even at its minimum size.
- Image, pattern, drawing with high detail.
- Company logo or contact details.
Have you decided to give a blade to a friend or give a present to a business partner? Are you looking for a place to engrave your knife? The masters of the Russian Style studio will transform hunting, tourist, sports and even kitchen knives, turning them into an original and unusual gift.
The best gift for a man can be a weapon with a personal engraving. Most men love guns as devotedly as women love jewelry. Engraving on a weapon is a simple way to leave a memorable inscription or ornament on any material, such as wood, metal, plastic, etc.
Engraved sabers, knives, daggers and dirks will make them a more attractive and desirable gift for any man. Engraving on edged weapons is a unique way to make a gift truly elite and exclusive; it is an opportunity to make the gifted weapon a high-quality souvenir. Such a gift indicates a special attitude towards the person for whom it is intended.
An engraved knife is a great keepsake!
Engraving is carried out with the aim of imparting special significance; it will help to emphasize your special attitude towards the person for whom the gift is intended. Engraving capabilities allow you to apply inscriptions and ornaments to knives and other items according to the customer’s templates and sketches.
It is possible to apply manual artistic or mechanical diamond engraving of your choice. The inscription created by engraving is not subject to erasure and is distinguished by clarity and accuracy of execution. A combat or decorative knife with engraving will be an excellent decoration for any interior or a special “highlight” in the collection of connoisseurs. Less relief engraving is suitable for a knife that is intended to be used. Engraving will make any item individual and emphasize its beauty, add sophistication, the product will become unique and inimitable.
What to engrave?
Emblems of various branches of the military, government organizations (FSB, FSO, Airborne Forces, etc.).
Mottos (can complement the emblem, for example “Nobody but us”).
Wishes, parting words.
Significant dates.
Catch phrases.
Company logos (if this is a corporate gift).
Just interesting patterns decorating the blade and handle.
You can choose not only the inscription...
An inscription or image can be applied to various places on edged weapons:
On the blade. The engraving on the knife blade looks especially impressive. At the same time, it does not deteriorate the quality of the blade, does not lead to its corrosion or loss of strength. If the butt of the knife is thick enough, the pattern can be applied to it.
On the handle. You can make an engraving on the handle of a knife from any material. Our machine can process plastic, metal, wood, skin (including shark skin), etc.
Applying a picture to a laser allows you to get a very clear image of black color on the blade. The color of the lettering on the handles will depend on the material from which it is made, but, as a rule, it is darker than the surrounding background. The drawing does not fade or be erased.
5 examples of chic engraving
Technique: Engraving, embossing, notching, oxidation.
Materials: Damascus, yellow metal, white metal, walnut, marble, leather case.
The master about his work: “A cabinet knife on a stand can be used as a convenient functional item, while at the same time being a product of cultural and artistic value. The knife consists of three parts. This is a Damascus blade that turns into a guard, a walnut insert and a white metal handle. The blade has a bear depicted on both sides from different angles. The plot is united by intertwining tree branches moving from the butt to the side parts of the blade. On the left side of the handle we see a female deer, frightened of a hungry animal, and on the right side a deer is carefully listening to the sounds of the forest. The knife is decorated with elements of Russian ornament.”
Hunting knife "Duck hunting" in sheath (1997).
Materials: Damascus steel, steel, cupronickel, walnut.
Gives in to illusions more than other senses. If you look at the knife traditionally, you will see only a cabinet knife on a stand, but try to look from the other side and you will see the skull of a prehistoric animal, where the lower jaw is the stand, and the upper jaw and the skull itself are the handle of the knife. You will see the animal's eye sockets burning with fire. Knife “Artifact” (2011)
Technique: Engraving, embossing, electroplating, wood carving.
Materials: Damascus, white metal, yellow metal, gilding, restored Karelian birch, African ebony, pearls, granite, leather case.
The master about his work: “When creating this work, I wanted to play on the illusions of perception. Sometimes our senses let us down, as if deceiving us. Vision: a ring is inserted into the nasal cavity, the front fangs act as a guard. On the right side of the blade is a dragon. The left side has a pronounced Damascus steel structure. The warmth of wood is succinctly combined with the cold mother-of-pearl of marble.”
Knife on a stand "Pre-Ice Age" (2008).
Materials: Damascus, white metal, mammoth bone, petrified wood from the pre-glacial period, found near Nizhny Novgorod, blackwood, ebony, sipo.
Technique: Forging, engraving, notching, embossing, oxidation.
Pair of hunting knives in sheath (1995).
Materials: Damascus steel, cupronickel, walnut.
Technique: Forging, engraving, chasing, carving, oxidation.
Laser engraving - what is it?
There is laser engraving and laser marking. Both of these methods are in great demand. The reason for its popularity is simple - laser markings on weapons look great. It has a noble black color and excellent detailing. Laser engraving is a method of applying an image to any product (including a knife) using a focused laser beam. As a rule, this image has some depth (relief), and this is the main difference between laser engraving and laser marking.
The use of a laser allows you to apply not only text in various fonts in any language, but also images/logos to the knife - which is very popular for corporate clients.
Engraving can be done on most knives. Therefore, feel free to choose any knife with specific performance characteristics and a specific purpose. Adding engraving to a blade doesn’t take much time, and if you don’t know what to choose, our online consultant will always help you. And don’t forget, when ordering a knife in the Rognar store from 5,000 rubles, engraving is free!
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