The Internet Craftsmanship Museum Presents:

Roger L. Ronnie

Joe Martin Foundation "Metalworking Craftsman of the Year" award winner for 2004

Engraving on Watches and Guns

A receiver and trigger guard for a Miller single-shot rifle show the depth and skill of Roger's engraving work. (Click on photo for larger image.)

Engraving is what Roger is best known for. Although his skills and interests also go in many other directions, this is where the core of his talent is best exposed. His work is in demand among gun collectors who want the very best engraving on their special pieces. With his gunsmithing training, he is also capable of not only engraving a new gun, but also of restoring and re-engraving an old one. More examples of his work are shown below. To see more examples of his miniature guns, see a different link from his main page.

Here are several examples of Roger Ronnie's engraving work:

(Click photos for larger images.)

The back side of a Tissot pocket watch. The small scroll is about 1/16" in diameter. The project took about 125 hours to complete.
This over/under shotgun by Perazzi is engraved with an intertwining early American style scroll. Note the three dimensional "rope" style of the scroll that wraps around from one side of the gun to the other. The inset words in yellow gold don't show up well at this point while the metal is in the "white" stage. Once the gun parts are blued, the gold inlay will stand out better against the darker metal. In the top image the word "Special" is inset. In the middle image the words "Perazzi Mirage" are inset.
The trigger guard for the Perazzi shotgun
Top tang for the Perazzi shotgun
Top view of Perazzi
This Miller single-shot rifle engraved by Roger was awarded as the grand prize at the 1986 Coors Schuetzenfest.
A top view of the Miller action.
A Ruger No. 1 with antelope surrounded by English style scroll with oak leaves.
A multi-color engraving of a white-tail deer adorns this part.
A trigger guard for a Mauser type action. The grizzly bear marks his territory by scratching as high as he can reach on a suitable tree. Just a little higher than this bear can reach can be seen marks made by a larger grizzly, and this one is turning around wondering where that big fella might be. This bit of humor adds an extra level of interest to the artistry.
A cheetah surround by two different styles of scrolls adorns this Mauser type action.
Cheetah floorplate mounted to gun
A rifle receiver and trigger guard get Roger's special treatment, which here includes both engraved scrolls and inlayed color. Note how the engraved scrolls intertwine with the inlaid scrolls.

1/2 size 1910 Lefever "$1000 grade" shotgun

Here is a preview of the engraving that will adorn almost every visible part on the shotgun. On the left is one of the side plates. Covering less than one square inch in area, it is richly engraved with ducks and scrollwork. The words "Lefever Arms Co." are a mere 0.0145" high. On the right is the special engraved gold ornament on the grip cap that identifies the gun as being the rare "$1000 Grade" model. Roger had to grind special gravers to do some of this extremely small work.
 

1. Extremely fine engraving on the top tang is put in scale by the U.S. dime.

2. The trigger guard in progress with birds and inlaid gold hunting dog.

3. The trigger shows the very fine checkering. Seeing the size of the fingerprints helps show how small the parts and engraving really are.

Ruger #1

This is a sample of Roger's latest project. This full-size project involves both gold inlay work and intricate engraving covering almost every surface of the receiver. Roger has been working on this project most of 2013.Note the realism of the gold deer heads, a specialty of Roger's. The gold inlay work will show up much better after the parts receive their blued finish. (December, 2013)
Now that the bluing process is completed, the gold inlay work on the Ruger's barrel shows up much better.
All engraved designs shown are copyrighted by Roger Ronnie and may not be copied or reproduced in any form without written permission.

RETURN TO ROGER RONNIE'S MAIN PAGE

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New Submissions Welcomed

If you have additional information on a project or builder shown on this site that your would like to contribute, please e-mail mecm@craftsmanshipmuseum.com. We also welcome new contributions. Please see our page at newsubmit.htm for a submission form and guidelines for submitting descriptive copy and photos for a new project.

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This section is sponsored by

Makers of precision miniature machine tools and accessories. Sherline tools are made in the USA.

www.sherline.com

Sherline is proud to confirm that Roger Ronnie uses Sherline tools in the production of some of his small projects.

To learn how your company or organization can sponsor a section in the Craftsmanship Museum, please contact mecm@craftsmanshipmuseum.com.

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