QUALITY OF ENGRAVING HAMMER OR AIR TOOL?

[TONY ANTON]

I'm not an engraver but i enjoy reading this forum. I have a question to ask and that is what is the better quality of engraving performed by hand hammer or the use of air assist tool ?

 

[monk]

in the hands of a top notch engraver, i don't think there would be a lot of difference until you put it under the scope. some of the very best work done today is done by both techniques. jmho

 

[Winstonklein]

After a lifelong use of an air-assist tool in setting stones. I would be less productive and less determined if I show up tomorrow to work using only conventional tools. I might even retire. So I think I will keep my original Gravermax unless I get a pulsegraver which I believe is the best versatile power tool for stone setting. Winston.

 

[monk]

After a lifelong use of an air-assist tool in setting stones. I would be less productive and less determined if I show up tomorrow to work using only conventional tools. I might even retire. So I think I will keep my original Gravermax unless I get a pulsegraver which I believe is the best versatile power tool for stone setting. Winston.

air assist would, in my hand, be much faster than h&c. i'd guess most that have used both ways would probably agree. the writing is on the wall. john rohner started a revolution that changed the way most engravers work. for me there's no reason to go back. i've only set a couple of stones but i'd sooner use air than the older methods. i can't imagine me doing stone setting the way you folks do. it would drive me nuts !

 

[Roger Bleile]

Like Monk said, I can tell the difference under a microscope or loupe because of the difference in progression marks. That said, in the hands of a master, there is no difference in quality. Most Europeans are still married to manual tools because that is still the method taught in the engraving schools, but power assisted tools are making inroads. In the USA, the power assisted tools are predominant for a variety of reasons.

Some H&C engravers like to take a superior attitude and are dismissive of those who use power assisted tools but, in the end, it doesn't matter how the chips got on the floor because the proof is in the pudding.

 

[TONY ANTON]

Thank you for your reply's I have an engraver that does excellent work on my COLT SAA revolvers and he uses air assist engraver tool, plus he is very fast.
The big advantage he has over the H&C is he does not need the steel parts annealed and reheated again.
That can be a problem in doing the correct heat treatment, as the frame sometimes crack. Plus the additional time and cost for the work.
I have both types of engraving and without a trained eye I can not tell the difference. Roger says its the superior attitude that the Europeans are trained at which I agree with! I'm just a mechanical engineer and can only think of progression marks between the two methods used. I would think the air tool would have more uniform marks. One comparison would be in using an numerically control machine as to a hand controlled milling machine and lathe to make a mechanical part.

 

[tdelewis]

Because of the rapid impacts of an air engraver, the cut can be much smoother. However, if you want the air engraver to look more like H&C just turn the machine down to a very slow speed so the impacts are similar to the speed of H&C.

 

[tdelewis]

The Pulse Graver may be the only one that can be slow enough to mimic H&C.

 

[monk]

The Pulse Graver may be the only one that can be slow enough to mimic H&C.

i never had the pulse graver so don't know. i will say the gravermeister and lindsay air assist would be hard pressed to do this.

 

[John B.]

The variable speed Ngraver Magna Graver 2 V impact handpiece can produce engraving that has the same progression marks as most hammer and chisel engraving.
With a skilled operator using this Ngraver handpiece I think very few people could tell the difference in the work.
Ray Phillips, the inventor of the Ngraver machine and owner of the company, would demonstrate this at shows for clients who were interested in the hammer and chisel engraving look in their engraving.

 

[tdelewis]

If you have not heard of the Pulse Graver check it out. Tira Mitchell's Hand Engraving Tools, Jewelry Tools and Stone setting tools (engraver.com)

 

[oniemarc]

There is also the Super EZ graver which you can build yourself. I would think it comes pretty close to the pulsegraver, being solenoid driven. You can set the speed and power to mimic H&C.

 

[Big-Un]

The Pulse Graver may be the only one that can be slow enough to mimic H&C.

I have a very old NgraveR shaft drive handpiece and it replicates H&C very well.

 

[Winstonklein]

Pulse Graver is the top choice for any stone setter. Its fine-tune is unique. The Burst mode gives you some uncomparable control that I haven't seen in any other assist graver ever.