Gun collectors tend to be the customers who order full engraving, Hester said. Less ornate designs are more attractive to most shooters. They’re also more aff ordable.

What’s left is a design that is his own, a pattern of swirls and lines. After 42 years of learning and practicing the art of gun engraving, the white-haired man has perfected his practical approach.

Lutz does fancy engraving work on rifles, shotguns and handguns-a business that has developed out of a hobby, more of necessity than by choice. A native of the metropolitan Milwaukee-Waukesha area ...

"So engraving, if done nicely, can really add to the value and the look of the gun," Sundstrom said. "A lot of these guns have done nothing but appreciate in value over time.

All of the work, from the design to the engraving, is done by hand specifically for each client, he said.

“I started engraving belt buckles about 3.5 years ago as a hobby to give as gifts,” he said. “I found I liked this art form and decided to do some engraving on guns. It was then my hobby soon turned ...