How to sharpen knife graver

[Marcie Rae]

I have the GRS power hone and the dual angle sharpener, but I haven't found instructions for how to sharpen a knife graver. I'll be using it in setting stones.

Thanks!
Marcie Rae

 

[Paulie]

Hi Marcie! As far as I have experience with a knife graver (I have one but don't use it very often). Just for removing background, especially for cleaning out the really narrow corners. My knife graver's face is sharpened with a 'traditional' 45° angle, with just a tiny bit of 'heel' near the tip.

 

[Sinterklaas]

My knifegraver for micropave setting is made from an old burr. I have shaped it using the GRS angle thingy. Mine is 30degrees. So you can use the guide from GRS. But change the angles to 15degrees on each side to give 30degrees.

For bright cutting along side the stones I use a 60degree graver.

On the GRS website I thing they have a document on how to use the Dual angle thingy.

https://grs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/LIT-181_DualAngleSharp.pdf

After the graver is shaped and 600 or 1200 grit is the last wheel I use on the hone. Then I use diamond discs (I think GRS also has these) in my micromotor. This will give the graver a perfect mirror polish. So all cutting you do will leave a super nice shiny reflection.

These are the wheels. Most jewelry suppliers sell them. They are not made by GRS but by Edenta.

Yellow Rubber-Bond Diamond Polishing Wheel - GRS

The Yellow Rubber-Bond Diamond Polishing Wheel provides a perfect mirror finish on carbide and HSS gravers. Mounts in a micromotor...

grs.com

There are also green and a blue wheel. I have all 3. They are different grit. You probably want all 3 because if you only buy the yellow, the finest grit, you will be wasting a lot of time because it is not grind but polishing. So you want to work from the coarses wheel of the 3 down to the last one. After you have done this you would only need to use the yellow to remove tiny scratches on the graver that you get from using.
If I break the point I also wont go back to the hone. But simply get the coarsest wheel and fix the graver. And polish it again.

I would really recommend the 3 wheels if you dont already have them. When doing pave.

 

[Sam]

I use knife gravers to make micro flats. They're excellent for that. For my engraving work I've not found any other use for them.

 

[Marcie Rae]

Thanks, Sam and all, for the responses about how to sharpen the knife graver. I'm a jeweler, currently taking Kent Raible's online class on stone setting, and he uses a knife graver when setting a square stone. After you've made the seat in the bezel, you cut through each corner about a half mm, inside to outside, then outside to inside. This gives just enough space when you set the stone that the corners come together perfectly without mushrooming. His work is gorgeous - see https://www.instagram.com/kentraible/

 

[Sinterklaas]

The 30degree graver are also used when micropave setting stones in a circle layout. It is then used to cut between the prongs. Because they are to close to be using a tapered burr.