If you want to write on steel, the best way is to get it hot and hit it hard. This image shows an initial transfer of design drawing to material. The lines are then incised with a cold chisel. It's important to keep in mind how the letters will "overlap" and only incise the top lines.

Next step: Have a good friend and fellow blacksmith fly across the country to be your "striker". In this case the friend is Chris Gulick who is responsible for my getting into this hobby in the first place, so it's only fitting that he wield the 12 pounder on this bacon press. (Follow the logic?)

Here we are about halfway through the process of personalizing what is most likely the only "post new-millenium" bacon press in this country, and perhaps the world. The finished press came out pretty close to the drawing.

A little close-up.

click for a little bigger close-up.

Important step: Have another good friend fly across the countryfrom the other side for dinner and to help decorate the handle of the press. This man's last name is Barlow.

The press with it's brass-brushed handle finally ready to press several lifetimes of thin, tasty breakfast meat. Ahhh the glory of smithing!

The handle was incised by it's new owner. It's design, a tribute to the ancient character based scripts of the past. Hundreds of years from now, if this is discovered by future scientists they may only be able to come to the conclusion that the pressing of bacon was practiced at least into the twenty-first century if not even later.

Then don't forget to say "Cheese" and go out for a big steak at Erie Cafe.