How to hold a sterling silver cup

[Sebastian duran]

Hello my fellow Engravers. I recently received a commission to Hand Engrave a sterling silver cub with a handle but I’m not sure how to hold it on the vise. Can anyone give me any suggestions on making a Jig so I can rotate the cup while I engrave it.
Thank you

 

[DMM]

I get a fair few christening cups a year. There's a few different ways I hold em depending on the shape. What vice and holding equipment do you have, and what does the cup look like?

 

[LahtiM39]

I have used various trigger clamps to hold odd cup sizes. Most have phenolic jaw pads and you can use wider material across the cup openings if necessary. The arm of the clamp will fit in your vise.

 

[mitch]

Post a photo. Without seeing it, my best guess would be to cover everything but the area to engrave with blue painters tape and sink it a pot of sand.

 

[tdelewis]

I have never engraved a cup. The fixture I use to engrave cylinders for revolvers Is composed of two brass cylinders with a rod running through them. The brass rod is connected to steel fixture that fits in the pin holes in the vice. This allows me to keep tension on the vice that keeps it stable yet allows me to turn the cylinder so that I am working on the top and not over the side. Using that same idea, perhaps a slightly tapered wood cone shape for the mouth of the cup with an extension to fit in the pin hole in the vice. and a cupped shape to fit the bottom of the cup with fixture to fit the other pin hole. I use steel bent in n "L" shape to attach the brass cones. This gives me room for expansion. Like I said I never did a cup, but I am comparing it to doing a cylinder. Also, I have a wood lathe to make the parts.

 

[DDriller]

Layne Zuelke has a YouTube video showing his holder in this link.
watch