Hi Jim,

Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you again for sharing your engraving techniques and experiences in the engraving classes last week.  I was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information you were able to supply us with in such a short time frame.

I had been a researching about a year for equipment, information and engraving classes and had actually decided on a different course when I happened upon your website.  I liked the fact that you offered multiple engraving classes for different systems so we could try each without a “hard sell, have to have” approach.  I also liked the fact your engraving classes were not more than four students at a time so I knew there would be plenty of one on one instruction.  What I hadn’t counted on was your ability to teach.  After viewing your picture gallery I could see you are a very talented gun engraver but many times talented craftsmen are not good teachers.  I was pleasantly surprised.  You are a great teacher!  You have a wonderful way of offering encouragement and constructive criticism at the same time.  As a beginning student, those words inspire me to work harder for perfection.  Your syllabus is also well suited for beginners.  You introduce the concept, show us how, allow us to try, then built on that concept to the next.  By the end of the week we have enough information and practice to move forward on our own.  The rest is up to us.

Thanks again!

Dear Jim,
First of all, thank you for your hospitality. I enrolled in your beginning engraving classes several months ago, I knew you a little bit from meeting you at shows, but I really did not know what to expect. You created a warm atmosphere in your home and made all of us students feel welcome and relaxed.
I have never touched engraving tools before these engraving classes. Your teaching skills used classic adult learning principles: first, you showed us how to do it and how to draw the design, then you had us do it and draw the design, then had us do it some more! Your style is encouraging, but realistic. If we did not get it right, you told us to ‘do it over’ and that after a few thousand times…….
We all made mistakes and you helped us learn from them. I goofed on sharpening a tool with too much heel, saw the results, then you coached me on cutting it correctly and seeing the results. We all came away with examples of our work and I know that there is a lot of practice involved.
The best part of your course was that you made us all do the basic cuts, letters, numbers, shapes, and then you took us to scroll. That put it all together on the last few days. In addition, I knew nothing about inlay, scrimshaw, and about transferring design. You taught it all in basic form. We even learned chasing and other techniques (which made us appreciate the modern equipment even more).
I really enjoyed the range of equipment you had available: GRS’s Gravermeister and Gravermax along with Lindsay’s foot and palm control engraving tools. We got to try them all and decide which we liked the most.
My personal thanks to you for selling me your used equipment at reasonable cost. That , in addition to your ‘real world list of what you need’, the reference materials, and the simple but most important drawings of scroll cuts, leaf cuts, and their order of cut really made it clear to me the ‘how to’s’.
Thanks for offering to be a continuing coach and give honest feedback. I hope to practice a lot and send you some plates someday for your critique. Thanks again to you, Nancy, and Tater for the hospitality and good learning experience.

Jim,

I want to thank you for taking the time to provide the private engraving classes this last week. I was not sure what to expect when I arrived. You provided an environment conducive to successful learning, and the encouragement to try each technique presented. You were able to present the next method in a way that was clear and concise. You would then physically show me the method on the material being worked. This made it easier to follow suit and attempt to replicate the technique. While it is clear that a lot of practice is necessary to become good at each step, I was able to see progress in just the few days in the engraving classes. You always provided praise when appropriate, and constructive criticism where needed to ensure that good habits and correct procedures were learned and used.
The ability to try tooling from multiple manufacturers made it possible to determine which tool would be best for me to purchase. With the costs associated with this tooling it is nice to know that I can make that purchase with certainty that I made the right decision. I feel that I have the knowledge and experience to continue with my learning on my own. I know that it will require a lot of practice, but I have the foundation I need to be successful. Thank you for the opportunity to learn, and your willingness to share your skills with others.

Best regards,