Ralph H. Houghton. A Catalog of Engraving Services. May 2004

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1 by Ralph H. Houghton A Catalog of Engraving Services May 2004

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents... 2 CUSTOM DESIGN ENGRAVING... 4 Introduction... 4 Templates... 4 Profiling Templates... 4 General Templates... 5 Classic Templates... 5 Levels of Detail... 5 Level I... 5 Level II... 5 Level III... 5 Levels of Detail and Finished Size... 6 Template Materials... 6 Tracing Lines... 6 Classic Templates... 7 Description... 8 Pricing... 8 Local Commercial... 9 Description... 9 Pricing... 9 Engraving Time... 9 Artwork... 9 Trademarks Description Restrictions Pricing Artwork Sailing Description Pricing School Mascots Description Pricing Swapmeet Templates Description Pricing XXX Templates Decoratives Description Pricing Proof Tracings Using Classic Templates GENERAL ENGRAVING Introduction

3 Services Policy Equipment RUBBER STAMP SERVICE Introduction Services Equipment HOT STAMPING SERVICE Introduction Services Equipment APPENDIX 1 NEW HERMES FONT GUIDE APPENDIX 2 NEW HERMES TYPE FONT ASSORTMENTS

4 CUSTOM DESIGN ENGRAVING INTRODUCTION Custom Design Engraving (CDE) is a sole proprietorship dedicated to specialty engraving projects and the production of manual engraving machine templates designed to fit any manual engraving machine on the market, past or present. My work will also include a few items from the industrial tool and die engraving category such as Mylar stencils used in electrolytic etching tasks. I will also be preparing a number of master pattern sets for creating type fonts not available currently available such as the Cherokee Syllabary and unusually decorative fonts. There are thousands of True Type and Post Script type faces available. One of the services I propose to provide is creating template sets of commonly used phrases made in coordinated type faces. CDE was originally established in Tampa Florida in 1974 for the same kind of work described above. At that time, I was an active duty U. S. Air Force serviceman and subject to many movements. TEMPLATES The tracks on the templates I make fit one of two profiles. New Hermes style templates use a 20 cutter with a.020 tip. Gorton style templates use a 45 cutter with a.010 tip. The primary differences are that smaller, more detailed templates may be created in the Gorton style and the style is used on nearly all industrial grade pantographs. By changing the tracing pins on your engraving machine, either profile may be used. The New Hermes style is used on several different machines. If you need a special tracing profile, you simply need to define and request it. The copy slides for New Hermes style type fonts may be mounted on most industrial grade machines and New Hermes style fonts employed for engraving. However, the reverse is not generally true. The only way to use industrial fonts on a New Hermes machine is to use double coated tape such as 3M #410 which is available in 1 or 2 rolls from most industrial supply houses. Profiling Templates Any template may be configured for profiling. Profiling is a procedure where the core internal image for a project is engraved first followed by a final cut using a line completely around the image in which the cutter is set to cut completely through the material. 4

5 General Templates Most custom templates for business logos and trademarks are made with only the image of the logo in the template. The size of the template blank is determined by the level of detail in the image being engraved. Classic Templates Classic Templates follow one of several series of subject medallions used by trophy and plaque suppliers to dress up their products. Each template has a double ring to allow for profiling. LEVELS OF DETAIL Custom templates will be priced on a relative level of complexity which corresponds to the length of time required to prepare the template. Shown below are examples of the three levels I will use to make this determination. Your engraving time will vary significantly between the three levels and your subsequent finished work pricing should be adjusted accordingly. Level I The template on the left is my family coat of arms as used by Thomas Houghton in the early 1600s. The detail in this template is reduced from a much more detailed photograph of the original. Templates in this category are made on blanks larger than 6 square Plexiglas and the time to engrave finished work is significantly higher than the other two levels. Generally speaking, it takes over 30 minutes to trace one of these templates. Level II The center template is an example of what I consider a Level II template with engraving times between 15 and 30 minutes. Most Classic Templates fall into this category. Level III These templates are simple designs which may be engraved in under 15 minutes. Level I Level II Level III 5

6 LEVELS OF DETAIL AND FINISHED SIZE This is an example of the size and detail which may be achieved by using the Gorton style of tracing profile on a New Hermes ILK II small form pantograph. The pattern used in the right image was about 4 wide and the one on the left was about 1 ½. The tiny image on the left is at the limits of most manual engraving machines on the market today. TEMPLATE MATERIALS The majority of templates are cut in 1/8 thick clear Plexiglas with centerlines scribed for easy alignment with manual engraving machines. Pricing in this catalog are based on use of Plexiglas as the primary material. Brass is also available for those requiring it. Templates may also be engraved on Gravoply or lamacoid (bakelite) sign stock. Call for specific pricing. As a guide, brass will cost about 10% more while lamacoid or gravoply will be priced out at 10% less than Plexiglas. Template thickness will be kept to 1/8 for lamacoid stock due to its brittle nature. Brass and gravoply will be 1/16 unless specified otherwise. TRACING LINES Tracing lines making up the template image are engraved to a depth of.025 to.030 to provide a more positive feel for engravers, especially new engravers who have a tendency to slip frequently. New Hermes type and template stock generally were engraved at.020 and resulted in frequent slips at the production speeds often required in trophy and plaque shops. When the image being traced is complex, the.025 depth will be the norm, while simpler designs can safely be cut to the.030 depth. 6

7 CLASSIC TEMPLATES 7

8 DESCRIPTION Most of these designs follow the catalog of Classic Medallics struck medallions. The Classic Template design includes a 5 pattern engraved to New Hermes format track on a 6 clear Plexiglas blank. Each template has a center point (shallow dot) where possible and a scribed centerline for easy alignment with your copy table. The blanks are not beveled and do not fit any known New Hermes type holder. The images may be engraved with or without the outer rings. This size arrangement allows engraving on a full range of metal disks from 2 to 7/8. The smallest image on the newer New Hermes Gravographs at 7:1 is 5/8. At 6:1 on the older machines, the image is about 7/8. In addition to metal discs, the templates all have a double ring for use in making profiled disks within the range of your pantograph. The internal ring and image are engraved first into the surface. The final cut uses a cutter depth setting which goes completely through the plastic. The starting point is ALWAYS at the lower left as the engraving operator faces the machine. The reason will be obvious if the wrong location to start the cut is used a small nick in the profiled piece will appear on the finished piece. Classic Templates provide a good answer for small engraving shops that do not have funds to support sufficient inventories of the Classic Medallic medallions in each of three sizes and gold, bronze, and silver forms. A competitor of the Classic Medallic series provides their medals as an enameled version in gold or silver and generally in the same sizes. Where possible, the finished results using the real Classic Medallic coined inserts is preferable to an engraved result, however, the engraved form is feasible for end customers that are cost conscious. Also please note: templates do NOT count as inventory for tax purposes where the struck metal inserts do. PRICING Pricing on these templates is set at $12 each, plus shipping and MI sales taxes where applicable. Customized pricing is $20 if the request follows this design. The finished template is 5 with two sets of rings with the legend as shown. Most of the images in this catalog may be rendered into this form except for the more complex designs. Contact Custom Design Engraving for other customization pricing. 8

9 LOCAL COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION These and trademark templates are normally the highest priced of all templates when you send off for quotes because they are of limited use. The expenses for these are usually born by the end customer as an art or setup fee. The template is retained by the servicing engraving shop. There are rare occasions where the image owner purchases their own templates for quality control purposes. PRICING Contact Custom Design Engraving for a quote. Prices will vary from $75 to $200 depending on the complexity of the design. Quotes will be provided in writing for negotiation with your customers. ENGRAVING TIME Some templates require a significant amount of engraving time and your finished work should be priced accordingly. ARTWORK Vector art files are preferred and in the WMF format. Other formats may be converted up to a point. Some conversions are not satisfactory for this purpose. The images must be enlarged to hand cut engraving size; however, it is best if you furnish current vector art files from your local customer to be sure the most current artwork is used. 9

10 TRADEMARKS DESCRIPTION These templates vary in size to accommodate the level of detail. Specify your maximum size or indicate the specific engraving machine the template will be used on. These are in New Hermes standard tracing pin style. RESTRICTIONS Many of these designs are trademarks with significant restrictions on their use. It is your responsibility to contact trademark owners prior to using ordering any of these for specific work to determine any restrictions. It is wise to get written authorization to use the trademark for local work. Please submit a copy of any written authorizations obtained with your order. PRICING All trademark templates will be engraved at a minimum of $75. CDE reserves the right to refuse trademark template orders. ARTWORK I have sources for over 10,000 trademarks in vector form; however, it is best if you furnish current vector art files from your trademark owner to be sure the most current artwork is used. 10

11 SAILING DESCRIPTION A number of these were engraved from engineering drawings for the specific model of sail boat belonging to an owner member in a sailing club. Two were just because I like sailing craft. PRICING Pricing for these as special orders are $35 each, you furnish the artwork in the form of a factory design sheet or by supplying the URL for an internet source for the image desired. 11

12 SCHOOL MASCOTS DESCRIPTION The bottom line shows how these may be customized for specific schools. The finished templates follow the Classic Template design being engraved to an overall size of 5 on a 6 Plexiglas blank. Simple customizing is in the form of adding an outer ring set with upper and or lower text. PRICING Simple designs where the pattern is already cut are available at $12 each plus shipping and MI taxes where applicable. The price is $18 for a first time template if a design is submitted under this classification that has not been previously cut. Simple customized templates are $12 in addition to the base price. 12

13 SWAPMEET TEMPLATES DESCRIPTION The bottom line shows how these may be customized for specific schools. The finished templates follow the Classic Template design being engraved to an overall size of 5 on 13

14 a 6 Plexiglas blank. Simple customizing is in the form of adding an outer ring set with upper and or lower text. PRICING Simple designs where the pattern is already cut are available at $12 each plus shipping and MI taxes where applicable. The price is $18 for a first time template if a design is submitted under this classification that has not been previously cut. Simple customized templates are $12 in addition to the base price. This customizing consists of installing a double set of rings with text for a specific organization. XXX TEMPLATES I have a collection of templates I made for a motorcycle club in Tamps which qualify as X Rated. I will send a separate catalog of available templates on request. 14

15 DECORATIVES DESCRIPTION Decorative designs are used when laying out various presentation awards and special jewelry engraving projects. There are very few of these available from New Hermes. It is our intent to make a very wide array of designs available for manual machine engravers to help compete for work. There are several hundred corners and line divider decorative designs available from the various vector graphics clip art collections. PRICING Single designs where the pattern is already cut are available at $8 each plus shipping and MI taxes where applicable. The price is $14 for a first time template if a design is submitted under this classification that has not been previously cut. Special sets of decorative designs will be engraved at 5 lengths on 6 Plexiglas and offered at a significant savings. They will be offered in sets of 5 or 6. 15

16 PROOF TRACINGS These plates contain images from templates proving their suitability for sale. This is an internal quality control measure to insure all templates work as advertised on the engraving machines they were intended for. The first five show commercial local and military work done mostly in Tampa Florida. The majority of my template work was done for Brown s Trophies for resale to their remote customers. 16

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18 USING CLASSIC TEMPLATES Raised disks in color 7/8 to 2 Shows range of sizes and customization More examples 18

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20 INTRODUCTION GENERAL ENGRAVING I do not propose to compete with local trophy and jewelry shops for routine engraving. CDE is primarily interested in highly customized work which would not be possible elsewhere. SERVICES I envision a mix of highly customized work in the industrial and general engraving areas where special techniques, not normally found in trophy and jewelry shops, would be required such as very tiny work on charms and a limited amount of industrial type work such as Mylar electrolytic stencils and some panel work. Specific services might include: Ultra miniature finished work Plaques with nonstandard materials and vintage style layouts Crystal hand and machine cut Cutter grinding services Limited machine repairs and modifications Inside ring engraving Supply small quantities of cut to size metal, bakelite or plastic engraveables Sales of used engraving equipment - limited Provide training for engravers o Extending beyond basic equipment o Cutter grinding (advanced) o Job setup and alignment o Using templates larger than copy slides Gun engraving (machine only) Rubber stamp molds Others 20

21 Need bigger New Hermes machine for these. POLICY Pattern was longer than rifle. Should I sell a local business template to a sign, trophy or jewelry shop, I will not engage in competitive work which might preclude the shop from return on investment in the template. This is limited to those services and products normally sold by the firm and customized by use of the templates. I will provide quotes for work using the templates which might be beyond the capabilities of these shops. For example, most trophy and jewelry shops do not provide rubber stamp or hot stamping services to their customers. EQUIPMENT CDE work is based on a floor model industrial 2 dimensional engraving machine. I own an Alexander pantograph and a Deckel cutter grinder. The Deckel prepares both carbide and high speed steel single lip cutters commonly found on New Hermes engraving machines manual and computer controlled. 21

22 CDE also has several New Hermes type pantographs to field test all templates prior to shipping. This provides clean tracing lines so the template is ready to use when received. 22

23 INTRODUCTION RUBBER STAMP SERVICE I do not propose to compete with local retail sales shops for routine rubber stamps. CDE is primarily interested in highly customized work which would not be possible elsewhere. SERVICES Any pattern I have templates on may be engraved into a simple mold from which rubber stamps may be produced. Rubber stamp services I will provide include the following: Address stamps which include special designs Specialty stamps for swapmeet venders, in resale bulk quantities EQUIPMENT CDE equipment for rubber stamp production includes only a small Warner Electric Compa ny vulcanizing press; however, it is fully capable of making limited qualtities of rubbe r stamp dies within the size range up to 3 by 5 from engraved molds. 23

24 INTRODUCTION HOT STAMPING SERVICE This capability was purchased primarily to apply business information to the templates created here. A complete range of hot stamping service is available: however, I generally keep no stock of things such as napkins, matchbooks and other items normally personalized with these machines. SERVICES Hot stamping services I will provide on request include the following: Book marking for private scrapbooks, homemade bookbinders, wedding albums and similar work Matchbooks Pencils (need to order holder) Ribbons Leather products (requires special 24 kt gold foil) EQUIPMENT CDE has a nearly complete Howard Personalizer Model #45 hot stamping machine with the capacity for using dies up to 5 wide. A limited number of type fonts are available. Custom logos will need to be sent out to have cast dies made. Art and setup charges will apply to this type of work. I have a stock of various colors of film. 24

25 APPENDIX 1 NEW HERMES FONT GUIDE The following four pages were passed out as free handouts at product fairs where New Hermes had display tables set up. They were created on clear overhead transparency film and used for quickly determining finished engraving sized. There were so popular, venders on Ebay are offering several of them for sale. They are provided for you here in this document free of charge as New Hermes originally intended them. Simply get some overhead transparency material suitable for laser jets and copiers and either print from an electronic version of this catalog or photocopy them on a copier using the transparency film. Contact me if you would like a full copy of the 1968 catalog these came from. This document provides an interesting comparison for the original font prices as well as a guide for Ebay bidding. Remember current pricing of these fonts will be based on 2004 dollar value rather that what the dollar was worth in I also have catalogs from Bellco and Alfred Harbish two other sources of type and templates. 25

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30 APPENDIX 2 NEW HERMES TYPE FONT ASSORTMENTS This is the definitive word on the composition of each font sold by New Hermes. It applied to all fonts sold after 1968 as well. This chart may be used to determine the extent of missing pieces in used font sets and to tell which set it was. 30

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