Help, please: Need Advice for Bare Bones Equipment

Hi-I'm new to all this engraving stuff, and my budget is tight. I'd been considering purchasing an NGraver and flex shaft to get me started in engraving. However, I just realized that its top speed is 1800 hits per minute...Does that seem distractingly slow? Will a system like this do small detail work? Does anyone use this system?

Hello and welcome, as far as the ngraver I cannot speak for I've never used it.

You can visit my site for some helpful videos that might serve you.

www.gunengraver.net

save your money by the best tools, and you'll only buy once, not that the ngraver is not good juat saying it in general, visit the tips section on tools for beginner's.

And to be truthful get ready to spend, even if you take time to buy tools, they are still expensive, videos, classes, etc... You learn something then realize that you need another tool....it goes on and on forever. .hahha that's the name of the game for tools

Saludos,

Carlos

I'm in the exact same boat as you snappdragon. Looking for a budget system but the lack of reviews is making me hesitant to make any purchase decisions.

The Magnagraver II with the varipact is a good tool, you can do all types of works with it,the only thing that you have to considere is that the hand piece is very large compared with other brands and the flex of the motor maybe is not the most confortable set up to work with.
Exist better tools in the market for sure,but i have see great Jobs made with the Ngraver and bad Jobs made with all the other more sophisticated tools,like ever the best tool is your hand and who hold it.
Maybe if you find a good and cheap used one is a good point to start with, the Ngraver was my first system and i like it and for some type of work is good have it in your workshop.

Type in Weldon Lister in the search box.
Hammer, chisel and a vise.
You can't get any simpler than this, plus Weldon puts on classes to get a basic grasp of how to use them.

I am new at this game of engraving, in it as a hobby and a learning experience. So nothing I say is based on long term experience. You can spend as much money as you can afford to throw at it or as little as you want for the basic tools.

I have had the opportunity to use a friend's Ngraver and Foredom Powergraver, 2 similar machines that work on the same principle. They both did the job, with the pros and cons considered it could be the flip of a coin as to which one to get. Hand pieces are bulky compared to the air powered versions, but the Ngraver has been around for a long time and some great work has been done with them.

What you chose is really dependent on what your ultimate engraving goals are. If you want to be professional full time engraver, then you might want to go the other route, if you are a hobbyist, then this should fit the bill.

I have a theory on tools, there are 2 kinds of tools, "needs" and "wants". I want a lot of tools, but only need a few of them to get the things done that I need to do. The craftsman/artist is judged by his/her work, not by the number of tools he/she owns. The old masters did it with gravers, sharpening stones and hammers.

I got my start with an NgraveR and still use it for some work.
Bulino style engraving is even more simpler with just a graver and a loupe.
I personally recommend a beginners class at GRS or get "hands on" sessions with an engraving teacher.
All of the best (or worst) tools won't compare to the years you'll save by trying to figure it out on your own.

I agree with Brian and cowboy on the classes, but just take into account how much that will cost, just saying because he mentioned the money thing. it boils down to money one way or another, you have to spend in this field of work to learn, plus all the hundreds of hours reading, researching, and practicing.

Brian by the way loved that 1911 you just finished!

Saludos,

Carlos

I started with H&C, advanced to Ray's NgravR, then the GRS then The PalmControl. A lot of investment over 30 years of practice. Now I use the PalmControl exclusively with the occasional return to the NgravR brand, which will give the obligatory "hammer" marks desired by some. In 2004 I took a class with Rex at GRS and learned more in a week than I had in twenty years of struggling on my own. Invest in a class, either at GRS or with a local professional and literally take years off your learning curve, plus you can experiment with all the available tools to see which is best suited to your budget and desires.

Bill