Help, please: Looking for graver system in Europe

Hello!

I'm new to this forum and new to engraving at professional level. I did some lettering and other decorations on knives for my friend who owns a knife manufactury. I'm very good in hand drawing so the clients were satisfied with the simple works I've doen with Dremel tools, but those are really for hobbyists and only works on wood and antlers.

So I'm looking for a complete system that works well on steel, can do a proper job and doesn't cost me huge amounts of money plus I can acquire it in Europe easily.

Therefore I would choose GRS GraverSmith system it's within my budget.
But I would need other things as the handpiece, vise and so on and this is where I get lost a little bit.
Would any of you be so kind and please explain to me, all the equipments I'm going to need besides of the Graver Smith system so I can learn what I'm looking for.

Thank you!
Mate Fodor

Hi Mate, and welcome to the forum

Whereabouts in Europe do you live???

The GraverSmith is a great choice and will serve you well for your entire life.

A few suggestions to help you.

Handpiece...........901 handpiece as its a good all round handpiece that can do extremely heavy work or really light work. It will cover 99% of the work you will ever do. The Magnum and Monarch can be added later if you wish.
Vise #1...............For knife work you can use the GRS standard vise as it will hold about 99% of what you want to hold in it.
Vise #2...............The low profile vise is the same as above but a bit better for microscope work if you choose to use a microscope.
Turntable.............only nessasary if you intend on using a microscope.
Air Compressor......Buy a silent one if noise is an issue. If noise is not an issue then a noise cheap one will do the trick.

Quick change collets for handpiece.........get quite a few of them as you will need plenty as your graver collection grows. You need one collet per graver.

Gravers........Start with Glensteel as they are far more forgiving than carbide. Don't go crazy at this stage. You want about 4 square gravers and about 3 small flats. Get used to these first.

Sharpening system#1.........If sharpening by hand then you will need a couple of decent oil stones both rough and smooth. This is the cheapest way to go but there is a much longer learning curve and frustration.

Sharpening system #2.........The Power Hone set which includes the power hone, diamond wheels, ceramic stone and dual angle sharpener. Costs a lot more but you will be sharpening tools like a pro within minutes.

Magnification........naked eye, jewellers loupe, optivisor or microscope. It all depends on how good your eyesight is as to what choice you make.

Good luck with your purchases

Cheers
Andrew

You could also try this as an alternative

www.syenset.com

Roger

Hello Andrew,

I'm from Hungary. I tried to look into the market here in Hungary but I couldn't find anyone who works with such equipment, only scrimshaw artists.

I really apperciate your detailed answer it helps a lot. The only question I have in mind is whether I should use a standard GRS air compressor or I can work with an oil-free "noname" compressor too? Because there's like one grand difference between the GRS and the Stanley or Güde compressors. Does it matter how much power, pressure or air delivery should be at hand?

Thanks again for your help it's really means a lot.
Best regards,
Mate

Hi Mate

Just about any air compressor will do the job. Avoid really small compressors like they use for airbrushes etc.

Most compressors will go up to 90 psi (or more) which is ample for what you will ever need. From memory you only need about 30-35 psi to run a GraverSmith.

The reason the GRS compressor is more expensive is that it is a silent compressor. This means if it is next to you in your workshop it sounds a bit like a fridge. There is very little noise with it. It make for a peaceful workshop.

Most cheap compressors that you can buy are very noisy. Which is fine if you can put it away somewhere so the noise doesn't bother you or the neighbours, the wife/girlfriend and the cats/dogs. If it is in the workshop and close to where you work..............it will drive you insane very quickly.

Cheers
Andrew

Hello Andrew

Thanks again for the detailed answer. Now I'm good to go it helped a lot. Thank you

Cheers
Mate

Hello!

So I finally purchased all the necessary items and set up my workshop. The only thing that still keeps me from working is this compressor dilemma. I found a couple of compressors suitable for me (not the GRS) but I'm unsure about the hoses. It looks for me that the hose coming with the Graversmith will be too small (around 6mm) for any type of compressors? Or do I need to get some special fittings? Does anybody have an idea how to sort this out?

Thanks,
Mate

MateFodor said:

Hello Andrew,

I'm from Hungary. I tried to look into the market here in Hungary but I couldn't find anyone who works with such equipment, only scrimshaw artists.

I really apperciate your detailed answer it helps a lot. The only question I have in mind is whether I should use a standard GRS air compressor or I can work with an oil-free "noname" compressor too? Because there's like one grand difference between the GRS and the Stanley or Güde compressors. Does it matter how much power, pressure or air delivery should be at hand?

Thanks again for your help it's really means a lot.
Best regards,
Mate

Click to expand...

you can use an oil compressor just make sure you have plent of line and a few filters before machine. look on grs they sell what you need, im sure you can find locally.