Quick question
- Thread starter tjmoore
- Start date
Brian Marshall
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Well... if you still have most of your teeth left... you can use them on the higher karat gold and fine silver.
The positive result will be a dent in the metal. The negative result may be some broken teeth...
Normally we look around for a place that is hidden or out of view and poke around a bit with the graver we think we'll be using.
Otherwise the best way would be to obtain an identical sample or duplicate piece and try cutting it. (Again, in an unobstrusive place - first)
Brian
The positive result will be a dent in the metal. The negative result may be some broken teeth...
Normally we look around for a place that is hidden or out of view and poke around a bit with the graver we think we'll be using.
Otherwise the best way would be to obtain an identical sample or duplicate piece and try cutting it. (Again, in an unobstrusive place - first)
Brian
your problem may be one of technique, rather than material hardness. failing to turn your work into the graver can result in broken tips. holding a graver stationary and turning the work into the graver is how it's done. the wrist angle should remain constant (assuming a flat surface) and should not vary thru out the cut. if your hand wobbles about, this can be the culprit. carbide is very hard, it is also very brittle. that tiny cutting point will not withstand much lateral shifting. when this shift happens, there's nothing on either side of the point to offer resistance to the lateral force, and it may break. if the graver orientation is in alignment with the cut direction, there's a lot of metal behind the point to resist breakage. check the tips section on point dubbing. just because carbides are the hardest, does not mean they're always the best graver choice for the job at hand.
Ron Spokovich
Elite Cafe Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2012
- Messages
- 436
Just generally, if you can file it with a quality file, you can cut it. If a sharp file won't bite, or if it skids, forget the whole thing as you'll incur headaches, mar the work, and constantly chip your gravers.
diandwill
Elite Cafe Member
Find a small, inconspicuous spot, and see if the graver will bite at all. If it is easy, it will cut fine, if it doesn't do anything but slide, don't try. Most will be somewhere in between and only practice and experience will teach you which is which.
royaldiadem
Member
If the pocket tool is stamped "leatherman" its a no go! I wore myself out on one and its ghoulishly ugly
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tim halloran
Elite Cafe Member
tjmoore: Make sure you have the piece you are working on tied down rock solid.If the piece you are working on moves or vibrates it will break the tip of a carbide tool often with catastrophic results. Remember to dub the tip on carbide tools as this strengthens the tip.
Southern Custom
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Also keep in mind Carbide gravers are not necessarily a good tool for hard stainless. Tira Mitchell at www.engraver.com sells some excellent gravers that are made specifically for stainless. Also try some different graver geometry. Typically steeper is better and a dubbed tip helps prevent breakage.
Layne
Layne
Ron Spokovich
Elite Cafe Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2012
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- 436
Briefly, 'dubbing' the tip, or edge, of any sharpened tool refers to removal of the microscopic ragged edge that appears just after sharpening. This occurs regardless of the grit used, but is more obvious with the coarser grits. A very, very light rub with less than the weight of a feather (almost) and an appropriate stone will rid you of the burr. You do this as if you were deliberately flattening the edge. Experiment with some tools, look under a high powered loupe, and you'll see that ragged edge barely flattened. . .you don't need much, often just in microns. The dub is a bit help in edge preservation.
atexascowboy2011
Elite Cafe Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2012
- Messages
- 997
Dubbing is the act of changing the face angle of the cutting edge to make the point stronger.
This is accomplished by holding the graver in your hand at around an 80- 85 degree angle to the face of the stone and pulling the graver to you in three short strokes of roughly 1" each.
This action hones the tip back creating a stronger point/cutting face.
So, instead of having a 45 degree face you are left with an 80 degree mini face which puts more steel closer to the actual cutting tip, thereby making for a stronger tip.
This is accomplished by holding the graver in your hand at around an 80- 85 degree angle to the face of the stone and pulling the graver to you in three short strokes of roughly 1" each.
This action hones the tip back creating a stronger point/cutting face.
So, instead of having a 45 degree face you are left with an 80 degree mini face which puts more steel closer to the actual cutting tip, thereby making for a stronger tip.
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