Steve Lindsay

Steve Lindsay began engraving under his father, Frank — a jeweler, gemologist, and watchmaker — turning professional in 1980. He later studied machine tools and die-making at Nebraska Technical College, a background that blends hand-craft engraving with precision machining most engravers never train in formally.

Steve is the inventor of the Airgraver and PalmControl, pneumatic hand-engraving tools now used by engravers worldwide, and was named Craftsman of the Year by the Joe Martin Foundation in 2014. His engraving work — exhibition-grade gold inlay, wildlife scenes, and scrollwork on knives, firearms, and jewelry — has sold to collectors for six figures.

This is Steve's first time teaching at JIA. Students in his classes will be among the first to learn directly from the person behind one of the most widely used tools in modern hand engraving.