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  1. AllenClapp

    Source for practice plates

    Earlier today, I saw a request for a source for ordering practice plates, but I cannot find it now. If you go to www.SendCutSend.com, you can upload your own part drawing or use their PART BUILDER program. You can pick your metal and pick a shape style. It will tend to come up with a default set...
  2. AllenClapp

    Cheat Sheet for Checking Heel Length

    Many people are told to use some fraction of a millimeter for heels on gravers used for specific functions but they have no clue how to gauge that length when looking at the heels under a microscope or with a loupe. The easy way is to keep a few pieces of wire of known gauges of wire at hand to...
  3. AllenClapp

    Dot Punch Size Comparisons

    confused with dot punch sizes because some are in thousandths of an inch and some are in fractions of a mm, here is a comparison. A No. 2 NgraveR dot punch used by many who still have them [no longer available] is equivalent in size to a No. 5 Vallorbe beading tool. A No. 1.5 NgraveR dot punch...
  4. AllenClapp

    Corrosion Basics for Gunsmiths

    I have been subscribing to American Gunsmith Magazine for decades. It is a rare issue that doesn't contain something of interest. The February 2023 article CORROSION BASICS FOR GUNSMITHS hit me between the eyes because it showed me why I have seen rust issues on some firearms in the past and how...
  5. AllenClapp

    Marcus Hunt DVD and Book on English Fine Scroll

    Does anyone have a set available for sale?
  6. AllenClapp

    Introduction notes on Affinity Designer 2 for engravers

    Here is a set of notes that I made to help me remember where tools were located on my Windows computer in Affinity Designer 2 and how to use them. If you use a computer instead of an iPad, you may find them useful. Many of the tools are in the same place on a iPad but, because of the smaller...
  7. AllenClapp

    Traditional heel versus parallel heel

    A traditional triangular heel is made with the graver rotated at the same angle that was used to shape the sides of the vee angle. As a result, when the graver is raised to the heel lift angle, only the point touches the hone and the heel is made only at the point of the graver and does not run...
  8. AllenClapp

    Jeremiah Watt video on Preparing Liner Gravers

    Attached are my notes on the video PREPARING LINER GRAVERS by Jeremiah Watt. He has graciously given permission to provide the notes to fellow engravers. Included is the URL for his video. If you use a multiline graver, it is worth your time to review the video and learn how to trim a curved...
  9. AllenClapp

    Resting Deer Photo

    Most engravings that I see feature erect deer. Here are a couple that are resting. The photo was taken by my childhood friend Grover Wrenn in his back yard and is used with his permission
  10. AllenClapp

    Ease of inlaying phosphor bronze vs brass vs copper

    How would you rate the relative ease of inlaying phosphor bronze wire vs brass wire vs copper wire? Same question for sheets of those materials?
  11. AllenClapp

    Pigment inks vs dye inks for transferring patterns onto metal with inkjet print

    The question of which inks work and which do not comes up often. To print on transparencies for transfer to metal, pigment inks are required; sublimation dye inks do not work. Many of the color inkjets use pigment black and dye colors, but all do not. Some use all dye and a very few use all...
  12. AllenClapp

    Graver rotation angles needed to produce parallel heels

    In a couple of recent posts, the subject of graver rotation angles needed to produce parallel heels has come up. A while ago, I worked out the angles and put them into tables. The required graver rotation angle is a function of face angle, included vee shape angle, and heel post angle. These...
  13. AllenClapp

    Question: Cleaning wire after annealing

    What do you use to clean wire after annealing? I assume that it is always best to clean it before either drawing to a smaller size or inlaying. Correct? Do cleaning issues/solutions change between gold, copper, silver, and brass? If starting with new wire of the correct size, do you bother to...
  14. AllenClapp

    Using EPSON Ultrabrite ink for copies

    Good news! The EPSON Ultrabrite ink works with Tom White's Transfer Magic and the transparencies that he sells, i.e., the same transparencies included in the Dubber/Schowe design transfer series. Bad News: office supply stores don't seem to keep ink in their demo inkjets like they do toner in...
  15. AllenClapp

    EFFECT OF BLUING PROCESSES ON INLAY METALS

    I recently saw a question on an engraver forum concerning 24kt gold being turned to a rose color by a nitride process. I became concerned about a multi-metal inlay project I was planning and I corresponded with Turnbull Restoration, LLC to inquire about bluing processes that did or did not...
  16. AllenClapp

    Cleaning annealed inlay metals

    When heated, some metals used for inlay will oxidize more than others. When you anneal inlay metal, do you clean off the oxide before inlaying it. If so, which of the following metals do you clean and how do you clean it? Gold? Fine Silver? Copper? Brass?
  17. AllenClapp

    Using a hardened bronze flat to remove excess gold from wire inlay

    Some time ago, I saw a reference from an engraver that made flats for removing excess gold from wire inlays, but there was no reference to what type of bronze was used or if it required additional hardening. Do any of you use a hardened bronze flat for this purpose? If so, what bronze did you...
  18. AllenClapp

    Question for Sam Alfano re: spring weight in GRS handpieces

    Sam, a few days ago you mentioned that you use the light spring in your 901 handpiece. Would you mind discussing what you get and what you lose by using a light spring versus the standard spring in your 901? Is the answer any different for the Monarch? I'm not sure if there is one for the Magnum...
  19. AllenClapp

    Question: 1-Step versus 2-Step Re-sharpening Process

    I am beginning to question something that I have always been taught, so I would like a reality check. There are two basic reasons for grinding on a graver; one is to reshape it after the point has broken off (or to another shape entirely) and the other is just to make the cutting edges sharper...
  20. AllenClapp

    Millgrain tool for steel???

    Does anyone know of a millgrain tool that will work on steel using a GraverMax? There are lots that are intended to work on softer metals, but I haven't found one available that will work on steel. Is this the unicorn of the engraving world?

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