General discussion > Gun Building
Opinions on this engraving vise
Mattox Forge:
The GRS vise I have is a 25 pound one. I bought a nice antique vise from the forum here, so mine is surplus.
Mike
kutter:
It's about the size ans weight of what we used to call a Jewelers Engraving Vise.
Small capacity. The light weight was/is fine as most all the engraving work that was done in that profession was by use of a 'Graver'. Meaning a hand pushed graver tool,,very little hammer and chisel work.
I used a GRS for about 25yrs. Hammer & Chisel being the primary cutting method.
Even then I found it a bit light weight for the task.
So around '92/93 I made a vise for myself and still use it.
It weights just under 50lbs.
Used it for 30+ yrs as a full time engraver and restoration gunsmith.
t.caster:
That one is too light and too expensive. Ebay and Amazon have a big variety of them. You would do better with a 20+ pounder like Mattox Forge showed above, that's what I use, at half the price.
I might add: don't buy from a dealer who ships it from CHINA, you will have a very long wait. Quality is Ok though, unless you are a professional, then you want to spend bocoo bucks to impress everyone.
T*O*F:
If you click on the first url given, you will also see a milling machine vise with a swivel base. If you are only doing flatwork glued to a block of wood, it will serve your purpose better than an engraver's ball. Firmness and stability are of paramount importance during engraving. One of those vises, screwed to the corner of your workbench will provide that. You will have 270 degree access to your work and 360 degree access by rotating the swiel base. Since H&C engraving is best done while standing, affixing it to a heavy log or an upright post screwed to the floor will provide 360 degree accessibility. Many master engravers use such a set-up for H&C engraving. If you later progress to pnuematic engraving, then is the time to progress to an expensive engraver's vise.
Scota4570:
The machinist vice is a great idea. I did something similar. I cast about 50# of lead in a round bottom salad bowl. I made a wood doughnut and fastened that to a lazy susan. That attached to a wood base. I mounted a drill press vice on it. It allows me to swivel the work smoothly with no effort. I can also tilt it to a degree. The mass resists the impact of the tool.
I do use a pneumatic engraver. For my skill level it seems to work good.
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