Trying to learn..

EngraverHand · Jan 15, 2017

Hi there

Haven't done much for some years, but finally got a place where I can make as much noise I want.. and I picked up my graver and pencils again.. the pencils doesn't make much noise, but the graving does

Just practise, to try to learn how the shadows work..

I dont have any scope, only a small magnifier lamp, so the tight lines is a little difficult to see when trying to engrave.. and my vice is a plate of wood, for now..

Any feedback appreciated

EngraverHand · Jan 16, 2017

just a quick "silly" thing for today.. I just love to see the metal goes away when I engrave.. itÂ´s addictive.. this is the logo for a friends custom motorcycle business, so at a later point, IÂ´ll do a derby cover or something

But a question.. today I was trying to engrave on a sylinder.. and it didn't look nice.

Would you change the sharpening/tip for sylinders, or is it normal to use the same, and I need more practise?

It was really difficult to find the angle for the graver..

Any tips?

(IÂ´ll try to take a picture of the sylinder tomorrow.. )

monk · Jan 16, 2017

a cylinder ? what kind ? what is it made of ? if you're inexperienced at the bench, i'd suggest practicing on a cylinder of similar size & material. doing cylindrical work can be tricky at first. when cutting along the long axis, it cuts just about the same as cutting on flat material. as you go left or to the right of the main axis, you have to make a constant adjustment with your wrist. if the adjustment isn't done, you'll get inconsistent line width/depth. even worse, the graver will go flying off the surface entirely.

EngraverHand · Jan 17, 2017

Yea, I was a little quick yesterday..

The sylinder I was talking about is a piston from an old Vespa.. itÂ´s about 6-7 cm in diameter. The material is aluminum..

But it feels very different to engrave in.. and a lot more hard for the sylinder shape.

IÂ´m for sure inexperienced, and I will try to get some more cylinders.. for the practise, but it was a lot harder than I thought, even tho I tried to keep the graver in the same angle as when I engrave in flat.

Here it looks like the graver wiggle a lot (IÂ´m not sure if it is the right word, but it looks like it goes from side to side, even tho it feels like IÂ´m holding it straight)

So this is what I did on the sylinder and it looks horrible.. (I know it need more practise)

Then today I did some testing, on a flat aluminum piece, and itÂ´s not amazing, but I think its a lot better..

Maybe the hardness and quality of the aluminum is very different, but..

Or what do you think?

monk · Jan 17, 2017

aluminum is a double bugger to cut. one should experiment with lubing the graver. kerosene, tap magic, and many other "cutting" fluids will make life easier. i notice line inconsistency on your piston. this will happen till you get used to adjusting your wrist angle as you go thru a cut line. as far as the "look" you achieved on the piston, considering your lack of practice, i'd say it aint half bad. you will do well with practice time at the bench.
you'll also discover that "the feel" as you hold the graver is as important as the visual aspect of what you're trying to cut. on a practice plate, close your eyes and cut a scroll. the "feel" of the tool and turning the vise will eventually allow you to cut a consistent line without even looking.

EngraverHand · Jan 17, 2017

Thanks a lot for the advice for "cutting" fluids.. and feedback! IÂ´ll see what I can get here in Spain..

monk · Jan 18, 2017

276ccm said:
Thanks a lot for the advice for "cutting" fluids.. and feedback! IÂ´ll see what I can get here in Spain..

most any oil will do. just a bit on a cotton ball. even mineral oil from the pharmacy is better than nothing at all

EngraverHand · Jan 18, 2017

Thanks! I have some sewing machine oil, for my industrial sewing machine.. IÂ´ll try that on

Did another test today before I left the garage.. This is a Harley piston, so a little more big, and I felt the cuts was a little better.. just a little

EngraverHand · Jan 30, 2017

Cant afford a vice at the moment, so I tried to make a small one on budget, from one of my work chairs in the garage.. it canÂ´t compete with the real deal, but it rotates quite wll, even tho I can't tilt it, but itÂ´ll work for now

monk · Jan 31, 2017

homemade vises are usually odd looking. that's ok, as long as they rotate smoothly. if you can get an old bowling ball, that will serve till a good one is available. cut the ball in half. mount yor vise on that. then place the ball in a suitable base. a socket of plastic, or wood will work well. also a used lawnmower tire will do. the cutting on your piston are looking pretty good.

EngraverHand · Feb 1, 2017

Thank you!

I did another great experience today with my HP Deskjet 1050A (a crappy cheap printer), with a special kind of transfer paper I use for leather craft.. it's a kind of matte semi transparent plastic. (https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/tracing-film) I printed it, dried it in front of an owen, and then burnished it on Tom White (the white type) transfer magic, it it worked pretty good

the size is about 1 x 6 cm.

Oh and the good thing about this transfer film, I can clean the print off with a drop of alcohol and use it over and over..

I also tried to burnish it straight on the metal, and it worked ok, but it was more easy to mess up, if I touched it.

I have ordered the dammar varnish, and it'll be interesting to see how that works, and it would be cool to try to add some white pigments in it, so it'll be more contrast.. I'll update when I get it

Looks quite good or what?

Flashmo · Feb 1, 2017

Aluminum is tough to cut well. Bronze is tough to cut well. Round shapes are tough to cut well.

Most of my day job involves aluminum or bronze. I spent months cutting round shapes (3" to 1/4") of aluminum and bronze, and now don't think twice about cutting either.

Keep going on the pistons. I like them.

Trying to learn..

EngraverHand

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