Welcome to Roger Sampson Engraving!
After forty years at the engraving bench I feel it is time to slow down a bit. I hope to spend May through September for the next few years enjoying the Minnesota summers more and rest of the year engraving on a limited basis.
I began the knowledgeable study of engraving in the early 1980's. In 1981 the opportunity to take a series of 60-hour evening Adult Education classes at a local Technical School presented itself. Master Engraver Emma Achleithner taught the program. Emma had her training at the Ferlach School of Gunsmithing and Engraving in Ferlach, Austria. The training was in the use of the traditional hand tools and methods. The hammer and chisel are the method of choice for scrollwork. The burin or push engraving was taught as the most realistic method of producing the game scenes. I obtained my Federal Firearms License and joined the Firearms Engravers Guild of America (FEGA) in 1984. In 1989 my work was accepted into the Firearms Engravers Guild of America at a status of Professional Engraver. This accomplishment is awarded by a peer review of an engravers work. As of January 2009 FEGA's Professional status was changed and upgraded to FEGA Master Engraver. As an active member of FEGA I have served as a board member of the guild for ten years off and on over a twelve-year period.
Because of the classic style training under Emma Achleithner as well as the continued study under Americas best and contemporary European Masters, I am able to execute an engraving in a variety of styles. The photo gallery will display my treatment of American, German, and English style scroll. In addition antique scrolls, bulino scene engraving, sculpted styles of work (both scroll and three-dimensional scenes), and all manner of precious metal inlay are at my disposal to create your functional work of art.
Engraver Mark