Airtact looks pretty cool.

[Sandy]

I have been playing with it all weekend. It is really a net attachment for the system. Soon as I can get my camera and computer to talk to each other I'll put some pics of it up. sorry for taking so long but I have had a lot of computer troubles. Just got it to hook into the system. I think the computer doesn't like Nevada. Cant even get it to cange to pacific time.

Do not want to get envolved with a tool war. picking your equipment is like picking your wife. Everyone has something in mind when they go looking. Each has his own wants and needs.

The adjustment thing is on a personnal leval. You have to play with it a little. Once I was able to adjust it to my own touch I found it to be far more responsive then the foot peddle ever could be. There are several ways to set it up. Pressure by pushing forward, foot control or a thumb system. It works by cutting off a second airflow source. It can be very sensitive. I was able to make delicate cuts that I have not been able to do. I have the Magnum hand piece. GRS does not make a kit for it as yet. Mr. Glaser took a moment and was able to have a Magnum running on the system with things he had at the table.

Sam, How was your trip? Get any good pictures? And can we see them if you did

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Hi Sandy,
Does this set up use 2 tubes? I've been looking at the website for ages and the palm controlled unit has two tubes coming out of it so I take it that the trigger unit does too? If so doesn't/won't it lead to a spaghetti tangle of tubing? The way I could see around this is to run one tube inside the other. I must admit the thought of having another box and yards of tubing doesn't appeal one bit. I've been engraving shotgun barrels today and its bad enough with one tube! But the freedom to work without a pedal....that is mighty tempting.

cheers,
Marcus

 

[Billzach]

Marcus, i was talking to Otis at grs last week about the replacement foot pedal for the gravermax and was going to order one next week, but working without a pedal is tempting to me too, if it gets good reviews i,ll go with the thumb control.

 

[Sam]

Marcus: yes, there's an additional tube that runs next to the other handpiece tube. In my limited experience with Airtact (one week) I was honestly unaware of the 2nd tube. Yes, there's another box on the bench (or under the bench if you choose to mount it there). I can't speak for others, but I found there was virtually no learning curve switching to the Airtact handpiece. You simply hold it like you would any hand graver, place it to the metal, and it begins to stroke as it's pushed. It would be a deal breaker for me if Airtact had anything less than flawless startup and control, and I found that it exceeded all my expectations. I'm very anxious to get one in my studio.

It should be mentioned that the system can be custom configured by anyone. The touch element that activates the handpiece can be modified or relocated to suit individual needs. For me, I found the standard knob mount to work perfectly. You can also easily switch to and from the foot pedal when you're engraving. This obviously provides a lot of flexibility, but I did everything without the pedal during my short test period.

All GraverMax, GraverMach, and GraverMate users can retrofit their machines.

Here are a few shots of work I did with the Airtact.

 

[Mike Cirelli]

Sam I have the precision air reg. and progressive pedal hooked up to my Max. Does Airtact offer any additional performance to the hand piece other than the obvious controls. Also is the regulator even needed with this Airtact hookup.
Mike

 

[Sam]

Mike: I don't think there are any benefits to Airtact other than control differences. In other words, if you prefer to use the foot pedal, you should probably just stay with what you have now. Airtact does have a very low profile foot pedal though.

Not sure about the regulator question. I'll see if I can find out about that. / ~Sam

 

[pilkguns]

OK, I'll bite , what technique are using in body of the letters? Like the "n" that you have maganified? looks sort of like some stippling with a broad round punch? but you must be working at a deeper level somehow to get that extra darkeness down in the ends?

 

[Sam]

Scott: Nothing special...just a carbide punch sharpened to a needle point. You're right that the stippling is more dense at the tops and bottoms of the letters, and feathers out toward the middle. The trick is to keep the punch suspended above the work so you can stipple lightly where you need it.

The night before I did the stippling I was channel surfing in my hotel room and stopped on the Discovery Channel where a tattoo artist was lettering someone's back. The letters were darker at the tops and bottoms, and I thought that might look cool on the plate I was working on.

 

[Kerry Bogan]

This looks real promissing.
I like to stand up and work around the vise (an old hammer and chisel habit) and also use Neil Hartliep's "potter wheel" that I made using his design. Without the foot pedal I can go back to those methods.
Sam, which control did you use, thumb or palm or both and how did they compare?
Kerry

 

[Sam]

Kerry: I used the palm element mostly. I did try an early prototype finger element and liked it a lot, but I did most of my testing with the knob. The finger element I tried was a bit different than the one they're going into production with. I'd like to try the latest version.

 

[Billzach]

Sam, be sure and keep us updated, the thumb control is what appeals to me, but the palm might be better..

 

[Tim Wells]

Show Off


Here are a few shots of work I did with the Airtact.

[/QUOTE]

 

[SharpGraver]

Sam are you sure thats not Lyntons thumb?

 

[Tim Wells]

In a few days I'll post a link to a video of a man "popping a chip" out with the Palm Control Airgraver so it will remove all doubt about that should there be any question.

But for now I'll just say that I own equipment from both Lindsay and GRS (Gravermiester & Gravermax) and I use em' both to my advantage as they are both wonderful apparatuses (is that a word?) Just trying to be funny.

I tried the palm activated version that Sam mentioned and did a complete scroll pattern on a practice plate with it. I didn't care for it that much due mainly to the fact that the spot on the palm pad that activates it is small in other words you can't actuate it by pushing just anywhere on the handpiece with your palm, it is more like a button under the palm that has to be positioned under the meaty part of the palm and not say under your "Life Line" for all you palm readers out there who may want to take up engraving.

To clarify; imagine the rubber palm pad as a round watch dial and the button part of that pad is in the place that the 12 would take up on the dial, the rest is just for grip. If the 12 is in the crack of the hand it won't work unless you push hard enough to flatten the palm enough to make the necessary contact to make it act upon the air that it is controlling. The trouble with this is that if you push that hard you're liable to goof up and send a graver skidding accross the work. I tried this in several positions in my hand and it seemed to work best right under the fat part of my hand.

All in all it operated and I engraved with it but it isn't nearly as responsive or as sensitive as that Palm controlled Airgraver just by design. I tried them both and gave them equal time at first to give a fair evaluation and I came to my conclusions based solely on their respective performance doing the same thing on the same material using MY graver sharpened the way I'm used to feeling it to rule that factor out of the equation.

I went to the annual banquet for FEGA and the Custom Gunmakers guild and took one of those Palm controlled airgravers with me and a little Co2 bottle and engraved part of a practice plate and changed the silverware pattern on one of the spoons right there at the table. (after asking permission from my table mates of course) Now that's portability! The people around the table got a kick out of it too but I had to quit once the MC took the stage and everyone stopped chatting.

I love that little thing and I'll end up with one when the time is right for the same reason I bought my first Classic airgraver; they are a marvel of invention, ergonomic & operating engineering. Quite simply a masterpiece in my humble opinion. Nobody paid me to say any of this just for the record and yes I did flip a chip or two on the table cloth right next to the "registration Lady" ... ya think she'll let me in next year?

I didn't try the finger piece but it looked like it would work. Be on the lookout for a book about Winston Churchill engraving a colt SAA. They had a preview version of it at the show (GRS had it) and it will be a must have when it comes out. He pictorially goes through step by step, the execution of the engraving and inlay on this 1st generation Colt Single Action Army. Geez, his inlay cavities look better than my best finished work.

 

[Sam]

Tim: Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. You are correct that the activation area on the Airtact is small, and this is exactly what I like about it. It's very easy to bias the hand pressure since a small portion of the knob is sensitive as opposed to the entire knob moving. This allowed me to work the handpiece in different ways with varying amounts of hand pressure for different applications and effects. The touch element can be modified to suit, so a user is not locked into one configuration. Lots of possibilities there, and as time goes by we'll probably see some interesting adaptations.

Different strokes for different folks. Use what works for you and enjoy the journey! / ~Sam

 

[Tim Wells]

I never thought of that Sam.

As with all these great things we get to play with nowdays some take getting use to and like you said eveybody has an idea of how to go about things. You took what I considered a disadvantage and made it an advantage for you as I'm sure others may.

Different strokes like you said. That's why some play the banjo and the rest of us have the good taste not to Sorry buddy I couldn't pass on a good banjo joke, heck they're all good.

Thanks for letting us talk about this stuff... and rib you now and then; we ain't got nothin' but love for ya brother!

 

[Sam]

Reminds me of the time when my son was a little boy, and he came up to me when I was practicing and said "Dad, when I grow up I want to be a banjo player!"

I said "Son, you can't have it both ways."

 

[Tim Wells]

I needed that belly laugh! You one upped me again. That was a new one on me, can I use it???

Who wants to grow up anyway...

 

[Ray Cover]

Has anyone tried to order one yet? I called to get one for the school today and was told it would be 2-4 months before they are ready.

Ray

 

[Mike Cirelli]

2 to 4 months what is it a WII or PS3 game system You may have to camp out in Emporium to get one when they open the doors.
Mike