Sculpting punch

[sam]

Great Another thing I like about making them from old burs is that the burs are hollow ground instead of a straight taper, so visibility is better. I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but it sure seems better.

 

[Kevin P.]

Rod, I once took a work shop with Marcia Lewis, a wonderful teacher.
She is an expert at repousse and chasing. She had us texture our chasing tools which gave a better purchase on the metal and a lovely texture. We would use another set of punches that were perfectly finished if we wanted a highly finished surface.
Essentially, it's what Sam is doing just on a different scale.
Her book is "Chasing: Ancient Metalworking Technique with Modern Applications" Marcia Lewis; a slim volume with lots of good info.
Kevin P.

 

[Ken Hurst]

SAM ---- what is the size of that pattern roughly ?

 

[sam]

Ken: The one on the steel plate is 2" x 3/4". The ring design next to the punch in my original post is around 1" long.
~Sam

 

[dlilazteca]

Good read, thanks for the link

 

[JOEYS CARVED ART]

I made several just like this a year or so ago. Now I have many that are different sizes , some are more rounded and some are flat , some smooth and some with a profile. That way I have all my stippling, sculpting, and background finishing took care of. These tools are priceless. Happy THANKSGIVING everyone!!

 

[ClarkAndAddison]

Roger: I see no reason why your Gravermesiter can't produce similar results. Of course I use the 901 handpiece which to me is more comfortable and easier to control than the old style long Gravermeister handpieces, if that's what you have. I've not tried one for this so I don't know how easy they are to maneuver for this work, but your stroke speed is definitely in the right range. Keep me posted.

Brian: Thanks

For those that wanted to see the sculpting punch I use as mentioned in the other thread.

I can pretty much all of my sculpting with this one punch which measure .75mm. It's made from a discarded ball bur, and the face has a very slight radius and is textured by tapping it onto a 260 diamond lap. This gives the finished work a soft texture which I like. I also prefer the hammered look and don't smooth the surfaces when I'm done. This is personal preference.

I run my GraverMach at 1400 strokes per minute or less. A high stroke speed doesn't produce the results I'm after. I don't carve the elements into shape first like some people do. I use this punch to push the metal around until I achieve the effect I want. This gives me more metal to work which I find advantageous.

Cheers / ~Sam

Hey Sam I had a quick question, I've been learning engraving since October and just recently started to dip my toes in some sculpting work. I've got your DVD tutorial on jewelry engraving and I'm working on the piece you demonstrated the sculpting portion on. Engraved the outline, deeply relieved the background and I'm just about to go make the sculpting punch you show here and give it a shot. My question is, since this was posted about 10 years back. Do you still use the same sculpting punch shape/geometry? Just curious if you've altered it over the years or found something you liked better? I'm sure your a busy man. But if you get a chance to respond its greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! ♥
-Tom

 

[thughes]

Jeff Parke an amateur! Bwahahaha! I should be such an amateur.

 

[gcleaker]

Holy cow Sam, talk about bringing out the who’s who in the engraving world on this thread. I can’t wait to try this out myself, as soon as I get my smith back from grs 100,000,000 stroke tune up.