Basics for getting into engraving ? ? ?

[jeep4x4greg]

Hi all.....

I searched the forum and the web...but haven't found much....all i found was a recommendation to get a "wood graver handle and a graver"......so i searched for those and came up with dozens of different styles....and i don't know what I'm looking at. i foudn some gravers but then i find different tip styles and dont know where to go from there.

soooo.....what do i need as a minimum to get into the world of engraving?.....i don't mind spending money...but i don't want to buy thousands of dollars of equipment when I'm not sure if I'll like it...or if I'll be any good at it.

my end goal is to be able to engrave some of my firearms and maybe some other stuff like knives or even jewelry........really i just like to make stuff.

I'm decent at drawing and could draw things on par with some of the fancy scroll-y stuff I've seen here and elsewhere.

so whats the basics i need.....i don't mind starting with hand tools. I have enough metal scraps around that i could easily find some good smooth practice pieces to do some scrolls and lines and get a feel for it.


any info is appreciate.....if you have tool specific recommendations that would be great.


or if this has been covered to death and i just missed it, please point me to a link

thanks
guys and gals

 

[Swede]

ND, I don't think he was saying anything bad... he's just saying he is stronger in artwork than in the rest.

The engraving world is moving towards power (pneumatic) tools, and unfortunately there's no way to get into an air tool short of a few hundred $$ minimum. It's pretty much recognized that a good pneumatic tool will take years off the learning curve when it comes to cutting a clean, bright, and even line.

GRS and Lindsay both make varieties of pneumatic tools. One of those, and 4 or 6 gravers, will see you well on your way. You'll need to be able to sharpen the tools, and to do so well without spending months (sharpening is yet another true art) you'll need a double-angle fixture and a power hone. There's another $400 to $600. So it's not the cheapest thing to set up with even the most minimal equipment.

The other option is to use a hammer, and push gravers. A few of those, plus an optiviser, can be had for less than $100. But trust me when I say that a setup like that will take a long, long time to master.

 

[sdcoxx]

Greg, I'd recommend that you take a basic engraving class, first.
The experience will help you make a decision on whether to pursue this artform....
Once you are hooked, the tool decisions will be a lot easier.
Have Fun...
Stephen

 

[jeep4x4greg]

Neo-Dutch,

I wasn't saying anything of the sort....not sure how you got there, but thats not what i meant. i was saying is that I'm good at drawing.....thats it. I mentioned that because i imagine its easier for someone with some semblance of drawing talent to make nice engravings than it is for a person who cant draw anything....


Swede,

I guess i was looking to get some stuff for under 500....maybe i can pick up some used equipment i guess

do you (or anyone) have suggestions for online sources of new equipment? that way i can be sure that I'm ordering from somewhere decent....and can compare prices of used vs new equipment.

i have a large compressor in my garage/shop....and i'd likely be putting a work bench in there, so i have at least part of the equipment

as for hones...are there non power hones that might cost less? i sharpened knives with some pretty nice manual hones before....but i realize that slightly different.


lastly...you mentioned hammers and push gravers....do you have a source for those by any chance........maybe my internet search skills arent very good (or i dont know what im looking for) but i'm having a lot of trouble finding things.



Sdcoxx,

I looked around at some classes but the only local thing i can find is at local colleges and universities....so they all have several prerequisite classes....which i really don't see myself doing to be honest.

i saw some of the GRS 5 day classes, but i wouldn't be able to take one of those (in Kansas) for a while still......maybe mid next year.....since i just started a new job, i don't feel it would be smart to start taking vacation time right away



thanks for the replies guys.....much appreciated!

 

[maryw]

Greg, I agree with Stephen. Take a basic class. I've taken two at GRS and have not been disappointed. Instructors are really great!! This will either tell you you're headed in the right direction or you're not. Either way, it's a great experience. I know that engraving is what I want to do - just has taken me a while to get back to the program.
Mary W

 

[Sam]

Jeep: Rio Grande is an excellent source for gravers, hammers, and other engraving supplies. Their site is www.riogrande.com

For sharpening you can buy just the fixture and use it on a whetstone until you can get a Powerhone.

Cheers / ~Sam

 

[gtsport]

Jeep,

I started out doing hammer and chisel engraving using a ball peen hammer and home made chisels. If you can use a bench grinder with some accuracy, you can make your own chisels out of 3/16 high speed tool bits from Wholesale Tool company out of Warren, Michigan. They are $1.70 each so you can have a variety of shapes of chisels for just a few bucks. I also made my first gravers by grinding some 1/16 inch drill bits (on the non-twisted end) to shape, sticking the opposite end in a cork and wrapping them with duct tape. Add a pair of optivisors and any one of a variety of vises ( I use a lathe chuck mounted in a bowling ball) and you can get started for well under two hundred bucks. Watch Ebay and some of the engraving groups and you can sometimes find deals on pneumatic engraving equipment. I picked up a Gravermate for $150 because the previous owner rehosed the internals and did it wrong. I also added a variable speed DC motor and a bleed valve to it and now it has the power range of its big brother Gravermax. I won't say that my tools are as good as the best stuff that is available, but with practice, they get the job done.

Joe

 

[Billzach]

Jeep,

I started out doing hammer and chisel engraving using a ball peen hammer and home made chisels. If you can use a bench grinder with some accuracy, you can make your own chisels out of 3/16 high speed tool bits from Wholesale Tool company out of Warren, Michigan. They are $1.70 each so you can have a variety of shapes of chisels for just a few bucks. I also made my first gravers by grinding some 1/16 inch drill bits (on the non-twisted end) to shape, sticking the opposite end in a cork and wrapping them with duct tape. Add a pair of optivisors and any one of a variety of vises ( I use a lathe chuck mounted in a bowling ball) and you can get started for well under two hundred bucks. Watch Ebay and some of the engraving groups and you can sometimes find deals on pneumatic engraving equipment. I picked up a Gravermate for $150 because the previous owner rehosed the internals and did it wrong. I also added a variable speed DC motor and a bleed valve to it and now it has the power range of its big brother Gravermax. I won't say that my tools are as good as the best stuff that is available, but with practice, they get the job done.

Joe

For those of you that may not have seen Joe,s carved coins, they [tools] more than get the job none for him, he is a super coin carver..

 

[Bama]

I am a long way from calling myself an engraver yet but I started with some basic graver tools bought from Mike Lee. I started out with an engraving hammer that I bought through a place that sells parts for building muzzle loading rifles. Not knowing any better this engraving hammer was about 3 times heavier than is needed plus the fact that I am a red neck from Alabama and down here we hit everything hard when we use a hammer. I was breaking graver tips like it was going out of style. I finally talked with someone that was more experianced than I about engraving and the first thing that went was the heavy hammer. Anyway back to Mike Lee he sells a nice small hammer and square gravers that are sharpend correctly and in a handle. He sells these reasonable. You will need some sort of magnifaction I would recommend the Opti Visers in 10 power. You will also have to sharpen the gravers for which you will need a loupe to magify the tip enough the see if you have sharpened the tip correctly and some fine stones. With these tools you can start to learn how to engrave.

At first you will cut lines not having a clue what you are doing and then you will notice that the graver is not cutting as well as it was when you first started using it. The graver has become dull or the tip has broken. so then you will try to sharpen it not knowing how to propery sharpen it by hand without the aid of a dual angle sharpening fixture. If you are like me you will do a poor job of it and the graver still cuts poorly. I eventually figured out how to shapen a graver by hand but it was not easy. You can not do good engraving with a poorly sharpened graver. There is some good info on Sam's site about sharpening gravers, look it over good as it will save you a lot of agravation.

There is a lot of info available on how to engrave get as much of it as you can afford plus there is a great amount of info that is available on the net, again I will mention Sam's site - GREAT INFO - be sure to look at it.

Here is a list of tools

Chasing Hammer
Mike Lee square gravers - I reccomend getting 2 so you can look at one when trying sharpen the other
No. 10 Opti Visor
Jewelers Loupe
Sharpening stones
How to books

All this can be had for under $200 bucks.

This is the route I started with and after 2 years of banging my head against the wall I enrolled in a GRS class and learned more in one week than I did in the 2 years. The cost of the beginners class is worth it when you are taught how to properly sharpen a graver all the rest that is taught in the class is a bonus.

 

[Bill Tokyo]

Mike Lee

Does Mike Lee have a website to contact him?

Here in Tokyo I'm going to the local jewlery school to learn Japanese style engraving. I've skipped the last three classes because I'm waiting for some chisels to be made to the size of my hand. Japanese engraving is
entirely hammer and chisel. The standard size chisel is only 80 mm long, so I am having 10 chisel blanks ("kabu"
in Japanese) custom made for me at 110 mm long. The cost of 10 chisels is a roaring $25.

If nothing else, the beginners kit for Japanese hammer and chisel engraving sure has cost to recommend it,
running about $80 for everything.

Bill

(PS I would like to take a stab at Western style hammer and chisel work too. they appear totally different)

 

[jmcutting]

Jeep4x4,

As a fellow begineer here, I have been playing with the idea of engraving for a little over a month now. I started out with a few gravers that I purchased off of ebay. I was so frustrated at first I was about to quit. Then after talking for about 10 min. with a TCAA Member I learned more than I did the entire last month. If I can pass along some advice he gave he maybe it will help...

First off sharpening is the most important part, at least from what he told me. I started with a set of gravers that had no heel. I might as well have been driving with the parking brake on because I was getting now where. The heel made more difference than I could have imagined. Once I got that figured out I was actually able to make some resonable scratches. Or at least respectable enough that I decided to make my first big GRS Order that I am hoping arrives tomorrow!!!!!!

Being in a similar situation, not wanting to spend thousands of dollars right away, I started with a power hone, Mega Vise and various quick change gravers and a QC handle. Figure then once I save up a little more then I'll move towards the power assist. I figured no matter what I'll need these even with the power assist...

All and all as long as you start in the right direction you really can't go very wrong. Just start practicing, and once you get tired of practicing, then practice some more. It becomes addicting and you'll be hooked! If you can find an engraver around there or at least call someone it'll be worth it!

-justin

 

[monk]

till you can take a class, or buy a bushel of dvd's- an excellent first step is the james b. meek book. this book will give you a heads up on most all the various disciplines required of the engraver. drawing, tool sharpening, heat treating, inlay work, lettering, practice plate work ( very, very important ), and scroll development. there's also a chapter in the book on the grs gravermeister, a machine which has revolutionized and changed the way many of us work. these machines will not make you better ! they will make you faster ! practice will make you better !!

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

Hi Greg,
I engraved for years with simple tools that looked like the ones in this pic. I am sure you could round it all up through Rio Grande for a couple of hundred. There are many good instructors, books and classes available as others have previously stated, and of course, try to get to the FEGA show in Reno.
Good luck, Barry

 

[jeep4x4greg]

thanks Guy...

sorry for the late reply....work has had me whooped lately....


I'll check out some of the DVDs/videos i've seen advertised

I checked into RioGrand....looks like i need to set up an accoutn with them over the phone.....hopefully that wont be too envolved.

I'll see if i can get some basics and try by hand to help me get motivated......if not motivated to engrave...at least motivated to spend more money



anyways...thanks again guys ...i'll be around reading...so keep sharing info amongst yourselves