KCSteve
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
As Doc Mark explained, with the GRS and Enset systems there's a 'magic box' that puts out the pulsed air stream. The Lindsay system is a miracle of design where all the goodness is in the handpiece. GRS & Enset have adjustments the Lindsay doesn't. The Lindsday uses so little air you can run it off of a paintball CO2 bottle for several hours. Haven't had the joy of playing with an Enset but I'm confident in saying that each system works great.
But magic costs money. If you really want to start cheap Steve Lindsay has a cheap starter kit over on his site (start at http://www.airgraver.com and if you can't find it there drop into the forums). BUT you're going to have to put in a LOT of time. They're not kidding when they say years.
There have been two great advances in engraving starting around the 1970's. Everybody fixates on the air-assisted gravers and they are wonderful things. But IMHO it's the sharpening systems that have really made engraving so much easier to learn.
My quick summary of the situation (and I'm sure I'll be corrected where wrong):
Hand push, hammer & chisel, or air assist, even someone like me can have you making cuts in less than 10 minutes. The difference is how long it will take you to cut good lines and have control over them. Air-assist you should be getting into pretty good shape in a few days (that's why the 5 day classes are so popular). In my, very limited experience I've found it easier to get good lines playing around with H&C than push (except for shading lines and other very fine work). My clumsy paws have yet to master the fine line between pushing hard enough to drive the graver though the metal without it winging off to try to drive through my hand. H&C I only occasionally play with but even so I can tap a reasonably nice line. Not always where I want it or how I want it though.
Learning to sharpen by hand, on the other hand, is something I would recommend you avoid. Spend the money on a system. The GRS Dual angle is infinitely flexible. I feel (and others disagree) that it's best to have someone take 10-15 minutes showing you how to sharpen a graver. Others feel that the nice tutorials Sam has here (among others) are more than enough. The Lindsay template system is nearly idiot proof but you can only do the points you have templates for and making small changes to those points can get a bit arcane. Then again, so can figure out how to form a particular 'fancy' point using the Dual Angle.
Learn to sharpen a 90, a 120, a flat, and a round and you can do a lot of engraving. In fact, I think I'll go start a thread on what the minimum set of gravers is. Should be fun.
But magic costs money. If you really want to start cheap Steve Lindsay has a cheap starter kit over on his site (start at http://www.airgraver.com and if you can't find it there drop into the forums). BUT you're going to have to put in a LOT of time. They're not kidding when they say years.
There have been two great advances in engraving starting around the 1970's. Everybody fixates on the air-assisted gravers and they are wonderful things. But IMHO it's the sharpening systems that have really made engraving so much easier to learn.
My quick summary of the situation (and I'm sure I'll be corrected where wrong):
Hand push, hammer & chisel, or air assist, even someone like me can have you making cuts in less than 10 minutes. The difference is how long it will take you to cut good lines and have control over them. Air-assist you should be getting into pretty good shape in a few days (that's why the 5 day classes are so popular). In my, very limited experience I've found it easier to get good lines playing around with H&C than push (except for shading lines and other very fine work). My clumsy paws have yet to master the fine line between pushing hard enough to drive the graver though the metal without it winging off to try to drive through my hand. H&C I only occasionally play with but even so I can tap a reasonably nice line. Not always where I want it or how I want it though.
Learning to sharpen by hand, on the other hand, is something I would recommend you avoid. Spend the money on a system. The GRS Dual angle is infinitely flexible. I feel (and others disagree) that it's best to have someone take 10-15 minutes showing you how to sharpen a graver. Others feel that the nice tutorials Sam has here (among others) are more than enough. The Lindsay template system is nearly idiot proof but you can only do the points you have templates for and making small changes to those points can get a bit arcane. Then again, so can figure out how to form a particular 'fancy' point using the Dual Angle.
Learn to sharpen a 90, a 120, a flat, and a round and you can do a lot of engraving. In fact, I think I'll go start a thread on what the minimum set of gravers is. Should be fun.