I had to go and look up the Lindsay templates to see what they looked like and how they're used.
Remarkably simple and if you can use them to get the edge you need, get it quickly and repeatedly,,then it's on big obstacle in engraving you've overcome.
I use a power hone set up and have since I was forced to go to carbide bits about 20yrs ago.
Cutting Winchester 21's made that choice for me and sharpening those by hand and eye like I had always done before w/the HS tools just wasn't going to make it.
Many engravers have a tool face angle for each scroll type they cut. Others again for tools used for shading, inlay work and on.
I keep it simple and use pretty much one tool for everything. A 'V' point I call it, others call it a square bit.
Other than that, a couple of 'flats', some liners to use when needed and that's about it for gravers. Though the bench is full of bits and blades that you accumulate over the years, most make good museum props, some are specialty cutters only like bent shaft gravers for engraving inside a ring and so forth.
Unless the steel says otherwise,,I use a 45* face angle for everything.
I use 3/32 square bits to start. Gone back to HS bits too. I rarely use carbide anymore.
I put the bit in the hone so it lays flat on the grit wheel on one of it's 'flats',,raise it about 5*, maybe a bit more.
Then I turn the bit in the holder 30* and grind that side down and back for about and inch or so.
Do the same to the adjoining flat.
Now you have a 120* included angle point w/ 5* (or so) lift.
I go back and raise the lift to 15*
Turn the bit in the holder to half way between 30 & 35* (I have a little punch mark in the dial to show me where to set it. It's no more precise than that).
Grind back each flat once again about half the distance of the initial grind.
With the bit still set at that 30+* setting,,raise the lift to 20* and put a tiny heal on each flat. I do that w/o even turning the motor of the hone on. Just lightly drag the bit accross the hone for an educated distance.
There's your point.
I cut scroll, do shading, cut lines and figures to be inlayed, do details in figures, lettering,,all with the same tool.
I'd guess it ends up being around a 110* tool,,something in that region.
Grind off the excess on the top to take away bulk material from the bit. It makes focusing on the point easier. You can slim up the sides too. I do it free hand and it shows!, But it's the tiny point that counts.
Some people like cutting w/a smaller angle point, some use the larger ones. Try a few different ones and there'll be one or two that feel more comfortable than others.
The narrower ones I have a tendency to dig in with too much.
From what I can see, it's probably a lot like Lindsays point construction. The double grind at the back gives you plenty of lift for working room and it keeps the heal of the tool out of the work. Especially noticable at the turns when those jagged saw tooth spurs can show up in the work from the heal of the tool dragging it's way around the cut.
For a tougher point you can blunt the tip by turning the tool upright to just shy of 90* with the sharpening surface and on a very hard polishing stone or diamond hone,,drag the point backwards to take the tip off.
You should not be able to see the missing tip w/o magnification,,only the reflection of bright light off of the surface like a dull knife edge.
The fragile tip is missing but it will still cut extremely well and go thru tough alloys w/o fracturing with every 10th hammer strike. I never wanted to be a full time tool sharpener and so I've always found ways to elliminate the tedious exercise when ever I could.
You don't get paid for that anyway.
It will loose it's nice grabbing touch if used for delicate work like shading, but you'll hardly notice it with a hammer other than you're not resharpening all the time.
Increasing the face angle will toughen up the point also.
