Question: What's your favorite metal to engrave?

monk

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forged or rolled brass sheet cuts fairly good. the really yucky stuff may be a casting-- usually always nasty to work with. with the other yucky side, a lot of brass is made with not a whole lot of regard for the quality of the batch.freemachining brass, or that with a bit of lead in the mix will usually cut ok. the problem will likely occur with engraving brass that comes as part of an object, such as bolsters. usually a knife of reasonable quality( such as buck) will cut without difficulty.sometimes a bit of lube can help the situation.
 

LVVP

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Could you tell me, what the best geometry of graver to cut a brass, please?

Thank you in advance
 

Dani Girl

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Thanks Monk. I actually have a guy making a knife at the moment who is talking about casting the brass because he keeps cracking his bolsters... I think I'd better turn him down on that idea if he hasn't already made the thing.

Thank you
 

ahenson

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I definitely prefer cutting silver so far. Fine silver hardened through a rolling mill is nice, as is sterling, though I prefer it annealed before I cut and then hardened afterward. I have just started using Argentium for soldering projects and will be cutting some sheet this week to see how it feels compared to traditional sterling. After that, I like to cut copper and brass. Bronze is next on the list to try! :)
 

Dani Girl

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Bronze manganese

Does anyone know if Bronze Manganese engraves any good, customer just asked and I have no idea :)
 

ahenson

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Yes, I use the EasyGraver 105 when I cut brass, though I use the 120 as well and don't seem to have any problems with that material. :)
 

John P. Anderson

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Bronze is hard, slick and crumbles. A pain in general though it does sculpt well. Trying to cut fine lines is really it's difficult to control the tool.

My favorite metal for pure cutting quality is copper. I like silver when it's finished but it doesn't carve as nice as copper. I don't use power so I haven't worked much with steel.
 

Kevin Scott

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Bronze is hard, slick and crumbles. A pain in general though it does sculpt well. Trying to cut fine lines is really it's difficult to control the tool.

My favorite metal for pure cutting quality is copper. I like silver when it's finished but it doesn't carve as nice as copper. I don't use power so I haven't worked much with steel.

Seems there are many types of brass and bronze alloys. Which affects their cutting characteristics. Also how the object was made is a big factor. Cast, stamped, rolled, annealed etc.

I have brass practice plates that are not easy to push engrave due to the amount of push power needed, especially on flare or wide cuts. They are hard, but not slick, and does not crumble. And the cuts, when done right, look very good.

The bronze plates I have cut much easier, and very nicely. Harder than copper, but very manageable for push power. I like it better than copper. Probably because I am more used to metals that are harder than copper and silver. Like gold filled, which cuts very nicely, and is not to hard for push power, usually. Some gold filled pocket watch cases seem harder and slippery. I think it is due to the forming - stamping process when made versus the alloy etc.
 

John P. Anderson

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I started on a very tight budget using homemade tools and found materials. Copper was great because it was easy to find scrap and it always cut well. Brass was more hit and miss. Some test cuts tell all.

I'm glad my skills and budget evolved and I can justify silver. Funny part, when I started silver bling was the last thing on my mind.
 

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