Help, please: beginner: will pay for help in newark, de/ elkton, MD area. willing to travel

mcengraving

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Messages
33
Location
cecil county, md
Hello everyone, I'd like to start off by saying I admire all of your work and knowledge... needless to say I thought this looked a lot easier then it really is. I recently purchased a collection of engraving equipment from my boss, who's father was an engraver for the Franklin mint before he passed away. I have an entire lifetime worth of equipment that this gentleman collected. Currently I'm running:
  • Sil-AIR 50-15
  • graversmith
  • grs 710 handpiece
  • grs 720 handpiece

I also have several foredom motors and handpieces.

I'm having several problems with my equipment due to beginners errors made by myself. When transporting the compressor I placed it on its side not only ruining the carpet in my trunk but leaking all of the oil out of the compressor on my way home. I refilled the compressor but it's running really hot and I can see condensation in the lines running to the regulator. I just purchased a brand new graver smith from grs and it seems to be running inconsistent. I've tuned the handpieces per the manual but it seems that I have a lot of air coming from the pedal when I engage it. My hand pieces seem weak and I find myself hand pushing them to achieve and kind of depth in my lines. I will pay for help if anyone local in the area can come and look at my setup and I'm willing to pay for lessons if anyone is interested. Im not trying to let this opportunity I've been blessed with go to waste. Thank you for any and all input it is greatly appreciated!
 

monk

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Feb 11, 2007
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10,857
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washington, pa
welcome to the forum. indeed you have been blessed. initially i'd contact grs and the compressor company to get you up and running. i use an ancient gravermeister that still works as good now as when it was new. their equipment is good, solid stuff. i'd think your problem would be as simple as a loose hose connection. it would be to your advantage to avail yourself of the giant load of info located in the tips section get a looseleaf notebook and take notes. suggested headings::. tool sharpening. optical aids, layout/transfer techniques, scroll design/development, workbench ideas. and a bit of early advice: learning to draw is as necessary to success as is all the other disciplines combined. you'll see many here use computers. such can save time . but, as one advances in this art, it's soon discovered that drawing direct on an object is really the only way to get the job done. good luck, and keep us posted of your progress.
 

mcengraving

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Messages
33
Location
cecil county, md
Thanks monk, I've already been gathering info for months while I was purchasing equipment and finally got everything up and running this weekend. I'll be contacting grs Monday they have been very helpful so far. Im looking for someone that would be interested in making some extra money giving private instruction in the tri state area on top of any general info I could pick up here.
 

Andrew Biggs

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Joined
Nov 10, 2006
Messages
5,034
Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
Probably the best thing you can do is to contact GRS. Something isn't right by the sounds of it. Both the Sil-Air and the Graversmith are excellent piece of kit and you shouldn't be having to push with it.

Whatever the problem is it will be something simple. It always is :)

Cheers
Andrew
 

Tim Wells

~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Joined
Nov 9, 2006
Messages
1,331
Location
Dallas, Georgia
When you say the compressor is running "hot" is it buzzing at all or more noisy than before when it's running? There is a sight glass on the side of the tank where the oil and motor is and if you laid it on its side, that side; then there is a possibility that one or more windings (wires) were cut shorting out part of the motor windings.

The reason this happens is that the tank is metal and the hole for the oil level sight glass is punched into it and the inside edge is jagged. Since the motor/compressor combo is suspended by springs, that whole assembly is cast iron and heavy and can flop around in there easily and the wires are easily cut or mashed if it comes into contact with that sight glass hole which just happens to be the only sharp edge in the whole tank.

This will make it hot and sometimes not even run at all and drawing all kinds of amperage heating it up almost immediately. I hope this is not what happened. If you can remove the lid of the tank you can inspect that side with a flashlight and a dental mirror or maybe a ladies powder compact. (Women still use those right?). Good luck, and with the GRS machine, one call and they'll fix you right up.
 

mcengraving

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Messages
33
Location
cecil county, md
Thanks guys... I'm just getting so aggrivare trying to get this stuff working right. It's making a vibrsting noise off and on, it takes forever to get to 60 psi and it gets hot, temp wise, after cycling 2-3 times. I had a bunch of vapor in the lines so i drained the tank 5-6 times and I got a bunch of gunk and oil out of it. I'm gonna call grs tomorrow
 
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