Equipment advice needed...

Harpuahound

Harpuahound

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Apr 12, 2007
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Ferdinand, IN
Let me lay it out. I am a three year engraver (I engrave on a daily basis). I engrave at work, with great equipment and set up. Gravermach, Microscope, Powerhone, the whole shabang. What I want is to start engraving at home. But funds are TIGHT (kids, stay at home mom,bills, etc...) Im considering starting out with a System 3 from GRS. I've never used it though and am wondering If I will be seriously frustrated after using the Gravermach all day. Can anybody tell me about there experience with the System 3? Other Advice or Ideas welcome.
 
griff silver

griff silver

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Katy, Texas
Dont Do It!!!!!!!!!

I started with a gravermate, I also had a system 3. as far as i am concerned there no good for actuall engraving unless you "push engrave" I have a gravermeister now and it borderline. If you must, get a graver mate and borrow the handpeice from work. The system 3 cost around 300 or so I think there is a gravermate in this forum foe $350.00. contrary to popular belief you can run one off of a $80 compresser from home depot of lowes to get by you by a while. You will be disapointed in the system 3.
 
Sam

Sam

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Good advice from griff silver. If you started with a 'Mach, you'll like the performance of GraverMate or 'Max much better than a System 3. A good used GraverMate will probably be the closest thing performance-wise with the lowest cost. There are used GraverMaxes out there, but the 'Mate will probably be less expensive.
 
B

bitmaker

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Mar 11, 2007
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59
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Maxwell Ca.
Along this same line, I have a gravermister that I bought on e-bay. It is the only thing I have ever used so I have nothing to compare it to. A saleslady at GRS told me I should upgrade a valve in it, that would double the strokes per min. The cost of that is 250.00. I'm just wondering if I should think about upgrading to a new machine. The more comfortable I get engraving the more I notice things I don't Like about my machine. It seems that after it runs a while, It starts getting hot and guts rougher. I don't know much about this kind of equiptment, and wonder what some of you think?
Jim
 
Sam

Sam

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Jim: you can definitely improve the performance of a Gravermeister with a valve upgrade, but I would advise putting that $250 toward a new machine such as a GraverMach or GraverMax SC. The Gravermeister will get you engraving with nothing more than an extension cord, and this is good for portable use. If you're engraving in your home studio, then some of the other machines are (in my opnion) better choices, but you'll need an air compressor. / Sam
 
Weldon47

Weldon47

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Dec 9, 2006
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1,412
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Welfare, Texas
Good advice from all. After you make your choice, watch the forums & ebay for what you want. Sometimes you can find great deals.
Also, this lady had some equipment for sale recently:
Shirley Wheat
(406) 961-4274
E-mail sewcrazee@msn.com
 
griff silver

griff silver

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me 2

I use a gravermeister most of the time and I find my self waiting on the machine and your right it gets hot!!. But It is dependable with no air needs. I sent mine back to GRS after 6 years and they not only rebuilt it but they repainted it (or mabey just cleaned it good). They stand behind their products well. A tid bit of usless information: If you dont have an aircompressor you can run the max or mate on inert gas (non combustable!!!) with a few adapters in a pinch. LOL. MORAL: send it to THEM to change the valve and rebuild( it will run much cooler for some reason)
 
R

rhenrichs

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Fargo, ND
I've had a Gravermeister for may years. Simply a Gravermeister is a vacumn pump with a rotary pulse valve. The vacumn draws the piston back in the handpeice aginst a spring and when the vacumn is stoped by the pulser the spring drives the piston against the anval behind the graver. The GraverMax and Mach work the opposite. A pulsed supply of compessed air to the handpiece drives the piston to the anval and the spring on the piston is a return spring. I have been told by a fellow at GRS the only difference between the 901(for Max and Mach)and the 915 (for the Gravermeister) is the way the piston is installed, spring up or spring down. I did upgrade to the high speed pulse valve and have experienced some serious hand peice over heating. The one good thing about the new high speed valve is that it has bearings on each end rather of the shaft rather than having a brass bushing. The hand peice over heating is lessened somewhat by running the machine as slow as it will go with the new valve. To make a long story short I solved my machine noise problem and hand piece over heating problem with a Lindsay Classic AirGraver however I still use the Gravermeister almost daily but only for short periods.

Roger Henrichs
 
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