Announcement: I have to tell someone!!!

[Artemiss]

Hi folks,

My apologies, but I HAVE to tell someone...

After much pondering and debate with my credit card, I finally got round to ordering the Power Hone and Dual Angle fixture!
And I have to say WOW!!! (major understatement)

It is truly a wonderful piece of kit. It's so good, it actually makes me look like I know what I'm doing!
:big grin: (Looks can be very deceptive!) :big grin:

I cannot praise GRS enough. They were so friendly, helpful and extremely patient with all of my questions.

And the best bit... my large box of various bits and pieces arrived the morning of my birthday, just as I was about to go away for the weekend. :thumbs up:

The order also included Ron Smiths Advanced Scroll book... and again WOW, what an excellent book - and one of the few that I don't fall asleep reading!
So that was duly stowed away into my luggage!

I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone on here for all the good advise given, it certainly reduces the chance of making expensive mistakes.

All the best, Jo :big grin:

 

[Dulltool]

Jo,
First off.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!.... having a properly sharped tool and heel is the single most important task you can do for your engraving.... in my opinion.

Congratulations on both,

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Happy birthday Jo

Yip, it's a bit like being a kid again waiting for Christmas............ but far more exciting!!!

I've just had the same yesterday with a new Meiji microscope, acrobat stand and magnablock.............I'm in heaven

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

First of all a happy birthday Jo, don't know when is yours, mine was on the 27 th
I can imagine what you are telling us, and it could get even worse :big grin:
I hope to see your progress.

arnaud

 

[Artemiss]

Thanks guys,

Yes, 'heaven' is definitely the word.

I can actually start doing some of this 'metal scratching' every one's talking about! :yes

I think it will be a while before I'm ready to show off my feeble attempts but I'll certainly keep you posted.

One question, which I'm sure is written somewhere obvious...
in which direction is the Power Hone supposed to be running? Clockwise or anti-clockwise?

Thanks again, Jo

 

[eastslope]

Congrats on the equipment, and Happy Birthday! I started out running my hone one direction, but quickly switched to using both when I got a feel for it. Try not to gouge the diamond lap with a fresh graver. When you first start out your going to move the graver back and forth across the diamond laps, with the lap spinning in one direction, and soon you will get a feel for what you can get away with on that machine. Either way, you can go wrong with the machine. Seth

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Hi Jo, you're like a kid in a candy store! LOL

Don't worry too much about which direction to run the power hone. Sometimes you'll find that it grinds better in one direction than the other. Also if, when you're learning, you're relying on the grind marks to help balance things out it's handy to be able to change direction.

I've also PMed you.

 

[Roger Keagle]

Happy birthday Jo !

Congrats on the equiptment, tools are the best things to own...I know sounds like a guy thing, but not really...with tools we all can find the vent for all the built up pressure...the need to create...and, yes...like a Kid in a candy shop...it is after all the Kid that we need to find to really do this !!!

 

[Peter E]

Happy birthday and congrats on the new purchase Jo.

I find it works best for me to locate the graver so that it makes contact with the abrasive wheel at 90 degrees, especially when grinding the face. Typically, that would be the 6 o'clock position when the holding fixture is below the spinning wheel.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Sam]

There's nothing like the feeling of getting a new tool! I've got something new too, and I'll be posting a review soon.

Congrats, and happy sharpening!

 

[KCSteve]

Glad to hear you had such a Happy Birthday!

I like to run my hone so the wheel is turning into the edge I'm grinding so if I'm working on the right side of the graver I have it running clockwise and when I'm doing the left I switch to counter clockwise.

Just a habit from knife sharpening where you want to sharpen into the blade to lessen the chance of a wire edge forming. Even if you happened to get a wire edge (a thin little flap sticking out past the edge) on a graver it would take care of itself on the first cut.

I read a tip somewhere about trying to always have the graver aligned so the disk is going straight across the face / heel. That way any scratches left are nicely aligned.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Steve, getting that wire edge or bur used to be common when hand sharpening on a whet stone. If you do ever have it happen it's not advisable to try cutting as it can cause the point to slip across your work. The easy way to get rid of it is to quickly stab the point into some wood. That's one of the reasons old engraving benches often looked like they had woodworm!

 

[monk]

i don't have the dual angle, just the original one, but the thing sure do make quick work of creating quality cutting points.makes me wonder how i ever used the old crocker. or worse yet, what i did before i got the "amazing" crocker contraption. the foto is an actual "graver" i used to do push graving with. prior to getting the meeks book. note the face is nearly 90 degrees. this beast is almost .25" thick !

 

[KCSteve]

Marcus

I can see how that would happen - as soon as you touch the metal the wire will fold under making the point 'dull' again. I was thinking about the graver already in a cut where the wire would be instantly torn off - just like it is when you stab it into the wood.

BTW, this is why you want to finish your knife sharpening with some stropping. You can use the cardboard back of a notepad and it will do just fine. Just remember to either lift the blade off for the turns or to roll across the spine, not the edge.

 

[richard hall]

JO, its nice to get theses packages, kind of like Christmas in July !!!! Being a woman, right off you probably actually took the time to read the directions on calibrating the dual-angle with the little pin that comes with it !! I didnt, we know it all, but my first attempt at the grinding wheel, the 45 deg. face was off center, and the heels were off, so, I went back and read the instructions and things came out nicely. Did you get the two diamond wheels and the ceramic with it ???

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Read the instructions!!!

Now that really is taking things just a bit too far

Cheers
Andrew

 

[richard hall]

Andrew, its part of my D.N.A. makeup !!!!!!! for years I put the heel on with a small stone or I used a bolt layed across my hard stones to put on the heel, both worked with some degree but the dual-angle helped keep things to a closer tolerance and cut better. i STILL, AS A LAST RESORT, READ THE INSTRUTIONS...........

 

[Artemiss]

Ahhhh... Read the instructions... now that is a novel idea!

I guess you're quite correct, as a female it would have been the obvious thing to do!!!

However, if you'd witnessed the speed at which I ripped apart the various packages to get to the 'prize' (teeth and claw marks to prove), you probably would have guessed that there was no way that such a thing was likely I'm afraid! :beat up:

I think I'll take your advice and find that elusive piece of paper!

Many thanks, Jo :thumbs up:

 

[KCSteve]

Hah!

You won't find teeth and claw marks on my packages.


That's an advantage of being a knife accumulator.

 

[Peter E]

Hah!

You won't find teeth and claw marks on my packages.


That's an advantage of being a knife accumulator.

...and you carry one in EVERY pocket:big grin: I was amazed at how many you had with you at Scott's.