Doc Mark
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
The recent post by Brian H. got me thinking. I have been struggling with a new engraving on some ridiculously tough unknown type of stainless. It was breaking the tips off of every graver that I owned. I mean, within 15-20 seconds, SNAP goes the tip! Even my favorite Cobalt gravers were no match at 60 degree faces, 120 degree heels and dubbed tips! So I decided to order some Carbide blanks. Tough little buggers to grind away the excess, but they are at least holding their points in the stainless, so far anyway. All this started me wondering, when do you use certain graver metals over another? If Carbide is the toughest, why not use it all the time? I was led to understand that Cobalt and Carbide are more easily fractured, yet they hold up longer against these tougher steels??? What gives? What criteria do you pros use for selecting your graver metal composition?
"Inquiring minds want to know,"
Mark
"Inquiring minds want to know,"
Mark