Graver Sharpening Old School

I saw this video of graver sharpening by an old school watch smith that I thought you might enjoy....

https://youtu.be/vyICo56IH8g

This is essentially how I sharpen my lathe gravers, although I did make a couple of collet based diamond wheels to use instead of the stones. The engraving gravers we needed for my engraving class at Connor Prairie were made from the same tool stock but have a heel. They had a strip sander to do the rough shaping and a GRS power hone to finish. The power hone is wonderful and so superior to trying to sharpen by hand that there really is no comparison. Until I can either find a bargain or can budget the purchase I am using a hybrid system with the GRS graver holder and some diamond stones.
For lathe use you want no heel and typically use the edge in a shearing cut, saving the fragile tip for only when you need it.

Troy

cool vid. the gent breaks a major safety rule regarding grinders--one should never use the side of the wheel. this can produce some dangerous side effects. there are specialty wheels available for side grinding. although gravers generally produce little pressure on the side-- over time, an accident just waiting to happen.

horologist said:

This is essentially how I sharpen my lathe gravers, although I did make a couple of collet based diamond wheels to use instead of the stones. The engraving gravers we needed for my engraving class at Connor Prairie were made from the same tool stock but have a heel. They had a strip sander to do the rough shaping and a GRS power hone to finish. The power hone is wonderful and so superior to trying to sharpen by hand that there really is no comparison. Until I can either find a bargain or can budget the purchase I am using a hybrid system with the GRS graver holder and some diamond stones.
For lathe use you want no heel and typically use the edge in a shearing cut, saving the fragile tip for only when you need it.

Troy

Click to expand...

the site search bar may show some very good alternative power sharpening gizmos.

I don't have a lathe so don't really need to use his method, but I thought it was and interesting video on the subject. I like my diamond home just fine, makes life so much easier. But I must confess using the Lindsay sharpening stones is very satisfying and you go slow about it, less mistakes I guess

monk said:

the site search bar may show some very good alternative power sharpening gizmos.

Click to expand...

Monk,
Good points, grinder safety is a concern. I remember the graphic movie that they used to show in shop class, made such an impression that to this day on the rare occasion that I use a grinder I am very safety conscious.

Also, I do need to spend more time in the Tips section and using the search tool. No point in reinventing the wheel.

My tendency is to see some gadget and think "Oh, I can make that". Alas, frequently this involves spending enough cash and or time that just purchasing the original item would have been the best bet.

Hence my collet based sharpening wheels:

I could have bought brass discs with a post that fit into a collet for $40 each but thought the collet base would run truer and while I did only spend a few dollars on materials it did eat into my shop time.

I'm trying to resist this urge and have scrapped ideas for building my own power hone. I will dig through the archive for other ideas.

Omar,
Sorry to run amok in your thread.
Also, everyone *needs* a lathe!

Troy

They used to sell a made up 'kit', much as you've shown, and furnished with a disc mounted on a collet, diamond charging paste, and a carbide graver all furnished in a leatherette or wooden box. I have such a kit that came with my jeweler's lathe, but you can accomplish the same with what you've made.

i didn't watch the video, so can't comment on any specific practices shown therein, but espousing the blanket prohibition of ever, ever, EVER using the side of a grinding wheel is utter nonsense. should one do any heavy grinding with significant lateral pressure on the typical bench grinder wheel? NO, OF COURSE NOT. but is light grinding on small tools safe and reasonable? ABSOLUTELY. in fact, drill sharpening jigs are specifically designed to use the flat side of the wheel. it's no doubt done safely thousands of times every day all around the world. i've done it myself dozens, possibly hundreds, of times.

to recap: should you shove your lawn mower blade up against the side of a grinding wheel until the sparks look like a 'fountain' firework? no, that's stupid. but is it perfectly ok to do light work on small tools from the side. yep, no problem.

mitch: you are actually correct. having said that, i saw this happen in a shop years ago. the gent was doing "light duty" grinding. one day, he decided to do a much heavier job. without thinking of the consequences.a few minutes into his procedure, he nearly lost a finger in the deal. my thought-- why not just buy a wheel specific to a side grind ?