Author Topic: Shaping a scratch made graver  (Read 2555 times)

Offline rich pierce

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Shaping a scratch made graver
« on: April 27, 2018, 05:08:53 AM »
Tonight I got going on a wide 135 degree graver. I want to try it for nick and dot borders. Generally I would roughly file a graver “blank” (round piece of O1 drill rod) to shape then harden it then finalize angles. That can be laborious. Tonight I got the idea of shaping it with a sharpening tool before hardening and tempering using a file, not stones. It seems efficient.



Andover, Vermont

Offline Chowmi

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2018, 10:50:05 PM »
Now why didn't I think of that??

Great idea!

Norm
Cheers,
Chowmi

NMLRA
CLA

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2018, 11:35:45 PM »
I like the way you think...most efficient, and precise.
D. Taylor Sapergia
www.sapergia.blogspot.com

Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline PPatch

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2018, 06:01:35 PM »
I like the way you store your chewing gum on the file Rich.  ;)  :P

Looks like a good solution for quick shaping.

dave
Dave Parks   /   Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Offline rich pierce

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2018, 01:47:03 AM »
Graver came out ok but I cant make it work for nick and dot.  Could only work for the tiniest of nicks I think.  This was for trying the Schippers method of making a cut straight in toward the line.  Going back to the square graver. 
« Last Edit: April 29, 2018, 01:47:35 AM by rich pierce »
Andover, Vermont

Offline Nordnecker

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2018, 02:10:29 PM »
I tried (practicing) the method of cutting straight toward the line. It seemed to make sense. It certainly made for very uniform triangles. But I didn't like the way it raised a bump that had to be filed away. It's been a while and I don't remember all the details, but I went back to rolling the graver on it's side. Actually, I just got a brass kick plate off an old door. I need to practice some more.
"I can no longer stand back and allow communist infiltration, communist indoctrination and the international communist conspiracy to sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids."- Gen Jack T. Ripper

Offline jerrywh

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    • Jerrywh-gunmaker- Master  Engraver FEGA.
Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2018, 07:56:53 PM »
   One thing that beginning engravers should know is this.   When cutting a straight line a graver with a wide belly is a disadvantage. Why?  Because, often when cutting a straight line the graver will very in depth. This causes the cut to very in width and even though the line may be straight it will not appear to be.  The wider the belly on the graver this more pronounced this effect will be. Wide bellied graver are good for special effects such as what engravers call flare cutting. They are also good for dark shading but it takes an engraver with a lot of experience to use them effectively.
Nobody is always correct, Not even me.

Offline kutter

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2018, 01:55:13 AM »
I use a very narrow V tool for most of my cutting,,well all of my cutting. It's 70* included angle. It works for making lines or if you want to flare the line to widen I just roll the tool. But the narrow point doesn't get you in trouble as Jerry has described in his post by cutting an uneven width that is easily seen as you cut an uneven depth. The latter you try not to do of course!.

Using the same tool for nick&dot,,just roll it over & and pull it up/out in an even cadence as you go along. No need to leave the surface of the piece. The burr should pop right off as you work along. Once in a while one will hang in there but you can go back and cut it off.

If the V sharpened tool still doesn't feel comfortable to you in cutting the nicks & dots and similar little triangle type decorative cut borders, try using a simple flat graver.
It has to be the simplest point to make up and sharpen. Keep it small, not much larger accross the face than the cut you are doing. Make sure the sides are truely perpendicular  to the face so it doesn't form a wedge type action went entering the metal.

Sharpen with a steep face angle so you can see well what you are doing. Put a very slight heel on it so it doesn't dig in and stick there.
Think of it as 1/2 of a V shaped point but w/o all the hassle of the shaping and sharpening of the V.

The flat gravers cutting face is just about perpendicular to the surface you are cutting when doing the triangle cuts. Tip the tool up on one of the edges and cut into the surface at that angle to form the triangle cut.
A nice clean easily seen cut.  Either come back to the end of the cut to complete the diamond shape,,or at the end of the original cut start to lift/roll the tool back out as you continue to hammer and complete the diamond that way.

You have one cutting edge but two points to stand the tool up on to. So you can cut from either side of a border or line. Try both, one will generally feel more comfortable than the other to you,,ie rolling you wrist back towards you or away from you as you hammer.

You can cut a lot with just a flat graver. Lines, flared lines, borders like the above, ect. It's really nothing more than 1/2 a V shaped tool as I said. But it is so much more easy to make, sharpen and keep sharp. Especially for a beginner engraver or someone who just wants to occasionally cut a few lines and not make a career of being a professional tool sharpener.

 

Offline Craig Wilcox

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Re: Shaping a scratch made graver
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2018, 02:31:30 AM »
As a newcomer to building and decorating a long rifle, I very much appreciate the details that you include.
Yes, reading Schippers' very nice book IS teaching me so very much.  Was eagerly waiting for my tools to arrive today - got some brass plates ready to pencil on.  Was drawing his "#1" design earlier, and actually enjoying it.  But - my gravers didn't arrive, so I continue to fill up empty pages in my sketchbook.
As usual, tomorrow is another day.
I have been building more modern firearms for quite a while, so I am switching genres' to a seemingly easier time.  I say "seemingly", because I am learning that there is a whole lot going on here that I do not know anything about!

But the learning is fun, and age 72, I am all for fun- and learning!!!
Craig Wilcox
We are all elated when Dame Fortune smiles at us, but remember that she is always closely followed by her daughter, Miss Fortune.