Hammer graving (longrifle style)

bergermeister · Sep 25, 2014

I have done some hammer graving on longrifle mild steel and brass. I was curious if anyone has taken the same tools to a hard anodized aluminum receiver ? If'n so, how did it work out..:hammer:

monk · Sep 26, 2014

welcome to the forum. i've only done 1 gun that was an aluminum alloy. it was cranky stuff to work with. perhaps a member with more experience could chime in here. got any fotos of your work ? if you do, send a few.

LVVP · Sep 26, 2014

bergermeister,

Welcome to the forum.

thughes · Sep 26, 2014

Hi Berger,
I made the mistake of trying to cut some aluminum knife scales that had been anodized. It was a real pain in the butt. I won't do that again.

Riflesmith · Sep 26, 2014

From my experience it's better to steer away from anodized aluminum unless you can completely strip it and find someone to anodize it when you are finished.

GTJC460 · Sep 27, 2014

I've engraved it without problems in the past. You do need to know what you are doing though. Not to say the other posters don't know what they are doing. Every engraving project should be approached with caution and knowledge. The best advice on all engraving is learn proper tool making so when you encounter problems you know how to adjust your graver geometry to meet the needs of the job best.

For instance, I'm currently working on a SAA (single action army). I've modified my graver face and heel angles at least a half dozen times in the course of this job and I'm only about 3/4 finished it. This has been done to deal with inconsistent metal hardnesses and clear obstructions.

Hope this helps.

bergermeister · Sep 27, 2014

Thanks for the welcome

monk said:
welcome to the forum. i've only done 1 gun that was an aluminum alloy. it was cranky stuff to work with. perhaps a member with more experience could chime in here. got any fotos of your work ? if you do, send a few.

I consider myself to be a perfectionist in what I do. My hammer Engraving is NOT anywhere near!

bergermeister · Sep 27, 2014

Thanks to all for the warm welcome. Being new here, there are some pictures waiting for the Mod. to authorize before they are posted.

I tried fooling with some scrap aluminum and it seems 'sticky' and more prone to suck-in the graver than brass or mild steel. I think mild steel has been the easiest medium to work with.
I was afraid that the 'hard' anodizing might create a further problem to deal with than just the 6061 aluminum. Appears that it does! I have to put a line of alpha-numeric data on an aluminum receiver that has already been hard anodized. Perhaps surface milling the anodize off of a strip where it would be hammer graved would be the best idea? Or, maybe just taking it to a trophy shop to be laser cut..
bergermeister

monk · Sep 27, 2014

i'd shy away from the laser. i own and use one. i f you go the laser way, give the operator an aluminum sample to do a test burn on. esp on old style guns. the laser will deliver perfect results that will likely look like crap ! the laser has a valued use in my shop, but not on guns.

Ron Spokovich · Sep 27, 2014

As was mentioned on a past posting, anodized aluminum can chip and flake along the length of the cut, on the width. One engraver did a great job on, I believe, a folder with no chips and flakes. Everything has to be just right. Keep in mind that the steel in a hand held chisel, such as a Grobet brand) is completely different from HSS and the carbides. The Grobet steel is formulated to resist impact, or shock, and inconsistency in each hammer blow as you cannot to it the same time after time. I think the grade is something like S5 or S8 (I forget). If you can, obtain some pieces of the material you're to engrave, and experiment with different grinds and angles, and different hammer blows. The anodized coating, aluminum oxide, is a whole different animal, and is akin to engraving a grindstone. Good luck.

bergermeister · Sep 27, 2014

Great advice folks. I was afraid that the hard anodizing would cause problems. I found when clamped in a jig the small milling flakes caused bright spots in the anodizing. If doing it again I would use a sheet of typing paper between the part and the jig. A good baking enamel will cure all of those ills after the engraving is finished. I do not have access to a milling machine per se but have a small Palmgren attachment for my lathe that should be able to be set up to make a 3/8 to 1/2 (depending on the end mill) inch surface clean-up swath to allow the hammer graving to only address the bare aluminum.
Thanks again..

Ron Spokovich · Sep 27, 2014

As an aside, anodizing can come in a clear coat, too. Best is to remove it first, if that's an option. Here's what you may experience if you try to cut through it. If using a drill press, a slow speed, with a sharp drill, you'll feel resistance and hear the sound of a 'hush' or a 'hiss' slightly, and then a slight crunching sound. This is the sound of the anodized coating GRINDING THE DRILL BIT. If using a milling machine, the sounds are the same and you're grinding the end mill, which should be center cutting if making a plunge cut. NEVER use an end mill in a drill press, or in a lathe, as that's courting disaster. I've done the correct procedure many times over the years, when the conditions dictated it, and never had any problem except for dulling the face of the end mill which was then used for other purposes, or resharpened. Engravingwise, anodizing's a problem.

bergermeister · Sep 28, 2014

Thanks Ron, you have been a great help

I have a hunch this anodizing is soft. I drilled some holes with the drill press on high speed and had absolutely no chipping. That assumption is also based on the small chips leaving bright silver spots where clamped.
Unfortunately, this is 'cold turkey'; no [same] material to experiment with. Practicing in other aluminum materials to try to get the feel of its peculiarities.. not exactly encouraging results.

bergermeister

DKanger · Sep 28, 2014

NEVER use an end mill in a drill press, or in a lathe, as that's courting disaster.

Ron,
I assume you mean only in anodized aluminum. I've been using end mills in my drill press on brass and steel for years.

DakotaDocMartin · Sep 28, 2014

1770 Isaac Haines PA Longrifle

Here's the naked patchbox on my 1770 Isaac Haines PA longrifle I built in 1993. Three months of 10 hour days and 15 dinner candles (for lamp black) later I had it finished. I think it nears perfection as rifle buildin' goes.

It's a tack driver and one of my pride and joys. But, here it is 21 years later and I'm still sort of scared to engrave it. :handpiece:

There's only one chance to do it right. Hopefully, I get it done before I kack off.

:biggrin:

DKanger · Sep 28, 2014

It's a tack driver

I always thought that was a stupid expression. Any gun is a tack driver IF you can hit the tack. I was at a rendezvous in Natchez once and they had a bunch of tacks in a board at 25 yards. Nobody could hit them, until Matt Avance (TVM) took a lucky shot. We all agreed thereafter, he could advertise that his guns were tack drivers.

DakotaDocMartin · Sep 28, 2014

DKanger said:
Any gun is a tack driver IF you can hit the tack.

Well, some rifles are less accurate than others. I always like them to be better than I can shoot... so I can't blame the rifle. Of course, some guys can't hit anything no matter what they have for a rifle.

Here's one I decided to frame. 25 yards, one single shot on edge, patched .54 round ball and GOEX black powder pushing it:

LVVP · Sep 28, 2014

Doc,

Good shot! :thumbsup:

Marrinan · Sep 28, 2014

One time I took a 16d nail and drove it into a telephone pole in may parking lot. I have a 1964 Rugger Rotary Ten with a Bushnell 3 by 9 wide angle mounted on it. I pounded it in about a half inch. Set my shooting bench up in my cabinet shop. Hit the nail head on the third shot, Over the next year I continued to drive that nail from about 100 feet away set up on the dead rest. Friends joined in from time to time. Shot a hole clear through that pole. Must have used 3 or 4 500 round bricks and the hole was about the size of a nickel. Tired to light a kitchen match but all I could do is shoot the head off them. Burn up a lot of shells but hey it kept me out of the bar part of the time. That's tack driven- Fred

Mike Karkalla · Sep 28, 2014

Hand Engraved PatchBox

Fabricated from a Brass Door Toe Kick

I've engraved a couple fore Plates on The type of metal you refering too. was chippy and very hard for hammer and chisel work.
Had to use GraverMeister!!! Filled design with gold. spent more time resharping and going over to correct cuts.

Hammer graving (longrifle style)

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