Aluminum Knife Engraving

[davidshe]

Just finished engraving another aluminum knife handle and this time I spliced together some video clips and created a 2 1/2 minute youtube video of the process. It has taken me some time to learn to cleanly engrave through the anodized finish but now my customer is pretty happy with the results. I have done a dozen knives for him now. Hard to cut really fine detail through this finish so I tend to use my version of Anodized Aluminum Flare Cuts! Feel free to critique my work. I always love input and ideas that can help me improve as an engraver.

Here is the Youtube link: http://youtu.be/oxplANMcOqc

Happy Holidays

~David

 

[scott99]

Hi, interesting contrasts, seems to be very nice clean cutting.Thanks for the look.

scott99

 

[Ron Spokovich]

My posting, yesterday, didn't make it on for some reason. Your enlarged photo of the aluminum knife is excellent, and I'm surprised at the crispness of the cuts where they meet anodizing. One would normally expect some degree of chipping or flaking, because anodizing is actually cutting through aluminum oxide, with or without colorants. The tool, angles, and spm must've been just right. All anodizing may not behave the same, and Mil-Spec is another matter. I've drilled many an anodized item, and you'll hear a "crunch" when breaking through the surface, as you're cutting into, in effect, a grindstone. Excellent job!

 

[monk]

kinda nice look you have there.

 

[davidshe]

Thanks for you kind comments. I know this engraving is different than what one normally sees on this forum but my customer, who owns the knife company, really likes as much bold engraving as possible on his knives. I chose this style because of the anodized finish and Ron, as you mentioned it is not easy to make clean cuts through the anodized finish without chipping. But, I find that once I get it right, the result is an amazing brilliant contrast that you cannot really appreciate in the pictures. It really dazzles but I do have to sharpen more often and I also use a ceramic stone to polish the heels. I am about to start a new one from the same knife company that has no anodized finish, just a polished aluminum handle. I will try more typical relief type scroll engraving on that one.