Stunt Engraving: Can You Engrave a Putter?

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From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	7 Jul 2006
To:	ALL	1 of 15

4272.1
"Yes. I've engraved quite a few putters." was my answer. Those words marked the beginning of a job, that I probably shouldn't have accepted. Why? There were too many unknowns: 1) I hadn't seen the putter. 2) The customer hadn't decided what the copy would be. 3) Could I hold the piece in my machine? 4) Would I have to diamond-drag, or rotary engrave the item? 5) What's the material? Here's what I did know: 1) The putter would be awarded to a retiree of a corporation at 4:00 pm. 2) It was now 1:00 pm. 3) I wouldn't be able to start work on the piece, until after 3:00 pm. My thought process: 1) I have yet to see a putter, that I couldn't engrave. 2) Risky. If I screw up, I'll be buying a putter. 3) I should be able to finish the job within 30-40 minutes. 4) It's Friday and I want to have dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant. This company will be picking up the tab. I hope. :$ With that confluence of thoughts in mind, what could I say? "Yeah, I can do that job for you!" Note: The picture, because of the lighting, or the angle of the shot, makes the top lines look a little blotchy, but the result was actually quite clean. The material turned out to be a coated aluminum. I would have to route (rotary engrave) the approx. 3/32" high letters. The four grooves that I'd distribute the copy amongst were "U" shaped, meaning I wouldn't be able to use a nose depth regulator, to control the depth-of-cut, nor would I be able to engrave through a sacrificial layer of material. I love a challenge and this certainly qualified. :S Note: There was a price tag, on the shaft of the putter, but I never looked at it. Not even after the job was complete. Engraving on a slightly-curved surface, with no control over depth, other than by sight and feel, isn't for the faint of heart. Add the element of working against the clock and what do you have? Me, working in my comfort zone. :-) I should really stop doing these types of jobs, but I can't. I suppose part of that mindset comes from the looming reality, there will come a day when I'll lose the necessary eyesight and/or motor skills. At $50, it wasn't the money-maker of all time, but meeting an uphill challenge and seeing the smile on my customer's face, made for a very satisfying day. Oh, and dinner was very nice. Cost, with tip = $49. :-) David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA
EDITED: 8 Jul 2006 by DGL

From:	Mike (MIKEN)	7 Jul 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	2 of 15

4272.2 In reply to 4272.1

David:

You should be better rewarded for your "stunts". That's awesome.

Surely you forgot to mention the $35 rush charge.

Mike

Mike
Dist. of LAZER Cutting Grid
St. Louis Laser, Inc.
www.stl-laser.com

EDITED: 7 Jul 2006 by MIKEN

From:	BrianC (INKSQUIRTER)	7 Jul 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	3 of 15

4272.3 In reply to 4272.1

Great job David,

You've got b*lls to tackle that job on short notice.

Of course you've changed the balance of the putter and the guy will never make a putt. >.<

Brian

From:	UncleSteve	8 Jul 2006
To:	BrianC (INKSQUIRTER)	4 of 15

4272.4 In reply to 4272.3
Brian, Not to worry... First off, the guy never used the putter so he doesn't know what the balance should be and second, it was engraved upside down! >.< Besides, the recipient was only planning to stand out in the grass and play with his putter, anyway..... (devil) DOH! "My Karma ran over your Dogma!"

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	8 Jul 2006
To:	Mike (MIKEN)	5 of 15

4272.5 In reply to 4272.2
Mike, When discussing price, the customer asked, "Do you charge by the letter?" I said, "When it comes to a job like this, it's more about meeting your deadline. You can check around (which I later found she had) but it's unlikely that any of the local engravers will be able to do this job today." Note: I'd already quoted, sight-unseen, which is never a good idea. Given more time, one of the local engravers, most who are customers of mine, would have accepted the job, handed it off to me and the customer would have paid much more. David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA
EDITED: 8 Jul 2006 by DGL

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	8 Jul 2006
To:	BrianC (INKSQUIRTER)	6 of 15

4272.6 In reply to 4272.3
Brian, Funny you should mention the dynamics of the putter. The lady asked if I'm a golfer, and if engraving the putter would affect its swing weight, balance etc. My stock answer, in reply to my being a golfer is: "No; and I wish I could quit!" :-) David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	logojohn	8 Jul 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	7 of 15

4272.7 In reply to 4272.6
That is easy to compensate for. x = {q + [q2 + (r-p2)3]1/2}s1/3 + {q - [q2 + (r-p2)3]1/2}1/3 + p q = gram weight amount of fill used r= weight of material removed s= how high to step so you boots don't get full of it. .

From:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	8 Jul 2006
To:	logojohn	8 of 15

4272.8 In reply to 4272.7
Darned messy shoes. There was no 's' in the equation. Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem) When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

From:	logojohn	8 Jul 2006
To:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	9 of 15

4272.9 In reply to 4272.8
That was the test to enter my mensa group. Invitation sent by PM .

From:	clay (CLAY_J1955)	8 Jul 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	10 of 15

4272.10 In reply to 4272.1
you didnt charge enough David.....LOL. A guy from Adams golf walks into the shop, i used to work at, says he needs a complete set of his new product line (TightLies) engraved for King Hussein of Jordan. The guy i worked for says he isnt interested but mabe since im a golfer he could make a deal with me. A long story short, I take 2 hours off the clock do the job, and a week later my new set of TightLies comes in from UPS.

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	8 Jul 2006
To:	clay (CLAY_J1955)	11 of 15

4272.11 In reply to 4272.10
quote: you didnt charge enough David Clay, I agree. Of course, some people reading this thread, probably think I made a killing. The moral of the story is, while state-of-the-art, computerized engraving equipment, should be on everyone's wish list, there's still money to be made, at a fraction of the cost, with equipment that is probably collecting dust in many awards and engraving shops across the country. David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA
EDITED: 8 Jul 2006 by DGL

From:	Mike (MIKEN)	8 Jul 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	12 of 15

4272.12 In reply to 4272.11
David: I 'm sure you're right about a lot of equipment gathering dust. But How many could do that job as well as you. My bet is, not many. Mike Dist. of LAZER Cutting Grid St. Louis Laser, Inc. www.stl-laser.com

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	8 Jul 2006
To:	Mike (MIKEN)	13 of 15

4272.13 In reply to 4272.12

Mike,

You're right. That's definitely an advanced procedure for pantograph engraving and not one I would recommend, to anyone without a lot of practice, in working without a standard means of depth control.

The fact remains, for someone looking to get their foot in the door, there's a lot of relatively inexpensive pantograph equipment out there.

Many jobs don't require "Stunt Engraving" and I like doing those too. :-)

David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri
DGL Engraving
Port Hueneme, CA

EDITED: 8 Jul 2006 by DGL

From:	gt350ed	9 Jul 2006
To:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	14 of 15

4272.14 In reply to 4272.8
Hey, dude! You start smokin again? Look again. There is, indeed, an "s" in the equation. B-) Ed Holley Victor Valley Trophy & Awards Co. and Coffee Mugs Online www.coffeemugsonline.com

From:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	9 Jul 2006
To:	gt350ed	15 of 15

4272.15 In reply to 4272.14

It is so clogged that you cannot see the pile of 's' in the equation.

It surely cannot be that I am blind. :-$

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

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