Historical San Francisco engravings on bamboo

I :heart: old maps/documents and I’ve scoured the internet to collect a hard-drive full of old scans. Most files take a bit of work to prepare, but so far I’m really happy with the outcome. (The GUI was really unhappy trying to process the street scene and it took forever to get it loaded, but finally got it to go :confused: ) The bamboo makes for some crisp lines, but it doesn’t engrave evenly. Going to have to try this on some nice PG hardwood.

The street scene was 100 P/850 S/340 LPI FS Greyscale 0 min/100max. It was just a tad darker than I wanted and would likley do it at full speed next time. It just boggles my mind that you can read some of the tiny lettering on the store fronts. :slight_smile:

The SF label lost some detail and is defiantly a little dark in places. It was at 100/640/340 FS Greyscale 0 min/100max. The original scan was really muddy and needed lots of adjusting and clean up. (Still needs a little cleaning in areas.) Of course, leaving all the discoloration etc. might have made for a cool effect as well.

SF MAPS 081117 (2 of 7)SF MAPS 081117 (1 of 7)

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Just incredible work here. Excited to see what you come up with next … something to emulate when my GF arrives.

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Wow! Can’t believe the detail you got on that! Great job! :grinning:

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Stunning detail! These are simply gorgeous.

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Nice work on the prep! Turned out great :sunglasses:

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How long did it take to do the engraving?

About 1:05 for the logo and 0:50 for the street scene.

That is incredible. Where are you finding all of your maps and documents for engraving? I am trying to find some cool ones like yours. Also, what is the size of the bamboo?

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I started at the link below and then spent hours and hours downloading :slight_smile: I have a few favorite links, but I’m at home and don’t have them handy. I do know that The David Rumsey site will blow your mind though. Incredible amount of stuff there! The board was about 10 or 12" long.

https://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/hist_sites.html

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Those are beautiful

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Thanks for sharing!
These images have presented me with a completely new direction on one of the first projects I would like to undertake after receiving my GF.

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It’s really cool to hear I have inspired you a little! I hope you get your GF soon so you can share what you make.

I play a game with 1/1000 or 1/1200 model ships of the Napoleonic era. Movement is done with a deck of cards. My original plan was just a simple box with two compartment and some sort of sliding lid. Information as to the contents would be engraved on the lid. Now I’m thinking of incorporating some scrimshaw embellishments for period flair.
One good thing about being in the delivered by November group is that I will have time to plan and perfect.

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