December 7, 2003

Mike Cress: Engraver

I looked through the microscope at the working area beneath the lenses. A tiny piece of brass lay there. On it, an elaborately engraved duck was beginning to take shape. Mike Cress had done all the work up to this point.

He stood beside me and handed me the graver [cutting tool] so I could make a line on the wing that needed embellishing. I focused on the duck's wing, lined up the tool and then, pushed down and out gently. At the end of the cut, the graver skipped off the plate, narrowly missing my other hand as I gripped the working platform. The tool could have torn through my flesh and left quite an interesting scar. My husband, who had been standing close to my left side, stepped back.

“It's not as easy as you make it look, Mike,” I said. Then, he picked up the graver and showed me, again, how simple it was to do.

Mike has been an engraver for about four years. He says he is just now getting out of the “apprentice stage.” From the look of some of his designs, and since he's mostly self-taught, I'd say he's underrating himself.

Mike, an Army civil servant that came to Rolla about six years ago when the Army's Chemical School moved from Ft. McClellan, Alabama, to Ft. Leonard Wood, said he desired a craft that he could turn into a business after retirement. Mike has had an interest in engraving for some time, but became serious about learning to engrave when filling spare hours he found while his wife, Marcia, sold the house and moved up here with their children.

So, he took one engraving class where he learned a few basics, such as how to sharpen tools. Since then, he has engraved items running the gamut from small jewelry to a shovel. Yes, he engraved a shovel and said it was probably the hardest (literally) thing he's had to do, since he had to sharpen the graver before every cut.

Not only does an engraver have to develop the right touch, Mike's ability to draw his subjects is an added bonus. Mike has always enjoyed sketching wildlife and birds in particular. His workshop is filled with illustrated books of wildlife and nature. He kept his daughter's fifth-grade leaf scrapbook, which he refers to when he needs to find a leaf pattern.

When Mike engraves firearms, he works closely with gunsmith Mark Harris, of Harris & Co. Outfitters. Mike stressed that the gun must be in good shape before it can be engraved. Mark checks the guns for safety, disassembles them, does necessary gunsmithing, and polishes them. Then, Mike takes over and does the engraving.

Mistakes can be costly in this business where a tiny mistake or slip of the hand can render a valued item useless. Mike recalled one such job when the item slipped and hit the floor, creating a long scratch. Fortunately, the scratch was in just the right spot for background details. Then he did what a master craftsman does - putting his talent to work and incorporating the scratch into a landscape scene. The owner loved it.

On another occasion, a customer asked Mike to try to hide a blemish where water had damaged an expensive shotgun. Mike turned the blemish into a tree, added a birddog, and said, “The beauty of the gun was restored.”

Why engrave guns? Some folks, according to Mike, like the personalizing of firearms; engraving a family shotgun or rifle can create an heirloom. Some other folks just like to make a statement, and might have the family crest or their initials put on the gun.

Mike said engravers have to constantly be aware of the condition of their tools. A dull graver will cause an error, and some errors cannot be polished away. He also works with hammers, bits and an air-powered mini-jackhammer tool that stipples and engraves beautifully.

Although he realizes he probably will never recoup the cost of labor for his efforts, he still enjoys his side business. He says engraving helps him relax after a hard day at the office. His recent business trip to Southwest Asia cost him some time in the learning process. Upon returning to the Ozarks, he picked up the tools, sharpened them, and got back to the business of designing and producing beautifully engraved objects d'art.

Mike and Marcia Cress run their business, More than Memories: Custom Engraving Service, from their home. You may call Mike at 573-341-5982