Engraving ss

[Cbaker1019]

I tried to engrave on stainless and am having trouble cutting. Any tips? I have only engraved mild steel and silver.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Cbaker,Try a 116 graver with a 50 degree face. J.J.

 

[mitch]

SS comes in a wide variety of grades/alloys and heat treatment/hardness. they range from fairly pleasant to engrave to impossible. how to tell the difference comes with experience.

 

[jdh]

Where does 304 stainless fall in the hard to engrave classes?

 

[thughes]

Evil

 

[T.G.III]

Where does 304 stainless fall in the hard to engrave classes?

The material is hard, It is entirely cuttable, though not sure if it's worth the effort. One of the jewelry supply outfits had a ton of those cheap China 304 stainless money clips, cheap being about a buck seventy five a piece, I bought a bunch of them and cut quite a few of them, I'll stick by my "not sure if they are worth the effort" clause.

 

[monk]

unlike will rogers, i never met ss that i liked !

 

[thughes]

416 is not bad at all.

 

[papart1]

a lot of the side arms I have looked at are not marked with the type of ss present, gotta go to manufacturer and hope they tell you.

 

[LahtiM39]

Most manufacturers are forthcoming about the types of stainless they use in a particular firearm and will generally give you a Rockwell hardness as well. A telephone call is a good way
to avoid a potential catastrophe.

 

[Doctorslava]

I think I made a wrong choice picking a stainless steel watch bracelet as my first engraving object. I use a tungsten carbide rod with 120x46x15(hill) degrees and it shatters every minute or two. I use a self-made air engraver and it cuts absolutely butuful all other metals including mild steel. It seems the stainless used in a bracelet is 316. Is anybody had an experience with this steel before? what kind of graver material should I use on it? Thanks. Slava

 

[John B.]

To add to the misery, watch band links and parts a usually formed by machine stamping which also adds to their surface tension and hardness. And being thin, hard metal they tend to vibrate away from the impact of the graver and increase the graver point breakage.
Not the most fun things to cut.

 

[papart1]

Like Mr.JJ says the 116 and 50.......and I recently got the Bulldozer from Steve and after getting the hang of using it..............works pretty slick, I use cutting lube to. 50% hydraulic oil,50% diesel fuel. paps

 

[Doctorslava]

Thanks. It is serious. With Bulldozer and coolant.