What do I have? Hand piece

[Rockingkj]

I had won an online auction for some engraving equipment. Mainly a GRS standard ball vise. Had bid on a box of stuff mainly because there were a few wood handle push gravers. This hand piece was in the box along with gravers that fit it. No makers mark. So the question is what have I got and what will it take to use it? Thanks

 

[monk]

my guess: an air assist handpiece. probly a knockoff.possibly made by hand. the two industry biggies ( grs & llindsay) would surely have marked the unit. u will need a small air compressor and foot pedal to make this work. youtube may show how to make a pedal.

 

[Old Gunsmith]

Try taking a picture of it with Google Lens. This thing identifies tons of stuff.

 

[Rockingkj]

Yup tried that or came up with some wild and incorrect ideas. Including a dental polishing tool and some sort of pump to transfer oil.
It mounts the gravers with a same fixture currently used by GRS. Also came with two different power hone fixtures marked Glendo Corp Emporia KS. Which is part of my thought maybe earlier GRS product

 

[AllenClapp]

It may be an early version of the GRS 901 handpiece that worked with the GraverMax and I think the GraverMate. It has a GRS Glensteel graver held in a GRS graver collet in the unit. I checked my notebook from my 1994 GRS class. One handout had a drawing (not photo) of handpiece parts that looked like the barrel might be ribbed like yours but the back of the unit was cylindrical and without the later bulb shape. However, the color catalog that I got at the class or before shows a smooth, shorter front end along with a similar bulb back end.

 

[Rockingkj]

Thanks. Not sure how the fellow powered the hand piece. There was no control or foot pedal listed on the auction. But it was a poorly run sale with one picture of each item or lot and a worse description. I know he used it since there were several pistols on the sale he had engraved. In retrospect should have made a better effort to buy the GRS power hone but did not know the fixtures were in a different lot. Actually only bid and got that lot because of the chasing hammer in the lot.

 

[Leland Davis]

Tim, you have a handpiece for a GRS system 3. They are sold as stone setting tools. I bought one years ago it was my first powered graver. They work for engraving sort of. I learned to use it and even did some work that wasn't too embarrassing with it but they are quirky. It will suddenly speed up or slow down if you are aware you can control it. Monk is right for that one a pedal and a regulator with a oil trap is all you need. And some sort of dry lube for the piston inside. I still use mine for wood carving sometimes.

 

[Rockingkj]

Thanks Leland. Looks like a might be edging my way towards power. Despite watching videos and reading for some reason have a hard time understanding the mechanics of the foot control and regulator. Oh I know the purpose but how they work borders on some dark art. Lol.

 

[Old Gunsmith]

Tim, you have a handpiece for a GRS system 3. They are sold as stone setting tools. I bought one years ago it was my first powered graver. They work for engraving sort of. I learned to use it and even did some work that wasn't too embarrassing with it but they are quirky. It will suddenly speed up or slow down if you are aware you can control it. Monk is right for that one a pedal and a regulator with a oil trap is all you need. And some sort of dry lube for the piston inside. I still use mine for wood carving sometimes.

It is a GRS System 3 handpiece. I dug mine out and the handpiece looks just like the photo. I use mine for fine wood carving also. I think GRS still has some of the foot pedals available yet.

 

[Rockingkj]

Thanks. I will have to check on that.