Enset engraving system-any advantages ????

First let me say that I do not know what I do now know, and that is why I am asking this question.

For the uses of firearms and knife engraving, does the Enset do anything better than either the GRS or Lindsay equipment? Is it filling a market niche that is vacant? Is is just another "me too" product that is filling a market niche that is not there? Or is it a really, really, good product that is heads and shoulders in quality and uses beyond what is otherwise available in the market?

I have not seen an Enset, only read about them and watched a video. Where and by whom are they made? In watching the videos it appears that the Enset has a pneumatic hammer setting that would be handy for stippling, but otherwise It does not appear to do anything better than a GRS or Lindsay system.

I suspect others have the same question.


Regards;
Steve

I haven't used it, but I've seen enough videos, and heard enough people talking I could give you the broad strokes.
The big diference I see is it can give you a one bang stroke. That is to say, one heavy hammer fall that would be the equivalent of the accumulated small strikes in roughly the same time. If you are carving scrolls this would make those strikes visible, like little angles as you curl around. Might sond like a bad thing, but it emulates older works that are done by hammer and chisel.. I understand this might be the tool for repairing/freshening up historic work.
The other thing that single strike is good for is to get a nice clean precise strike at something. Stone setting maybe. Or to use to chase (I haven't run into trouble around precision with the multiple strikes of the other system. If I need to dig in a spot, I just drive into it, but the principle in metal work is that a single clean strike to where you want to go is better than a multitude of little ones. Think bracelet forming). This clean strike would be most ecspecially adventagous when doing a dot punch background. In that particular instance I think that it will out pace the other two systems by a far margin.

Hello! Here is my answer to your question - I sell the EnSet machines and am very familiar with them.

The EnSet machines allow you to work at the speed you wish at any given moment. You control the speed with your foot similar to a car gas pedal or a sewing machine foot control. This allows you to go as fast or as slow as you want at any given moment. An example would be going at a fairly good clip on a straight line, but then slowing down to neatly get around a gun sight, for example - even down to 1 hit at a time.

The EnSet is also excellent for sculpting. You can get a lot of metal movement with each hit because it is moving the metal with each dedicated stroke - there is not a lot of work hardening due to many hits while you move around in the sculpting (many hobo nickle carvers are using this function now). Also, if you have a line in sculpting - for example a vein ridge line - and you have a single place that is not quite right you can go and fix that place with a single strike instead of having to walk the tool all the way down the ridge line again.

For stone setting the tool is very helpful. One function that the tool does do very well that I can not do with the other tools is cut in between stones to get rid of the excess material. This is the material between two drilled holes in a pave type setting. Many people use burs to evacuate this material. When I use other tools the "wall" of material starts to cut, then deforms, then somewhat breaks to remove this material. Usually, this deforms the bead area "islands" due to the deformation and breaking. With the EnSet's cutting action you can adjust for a longer stroke and cut right through the area leaving a mirror finished cut (if you use a mirror polished carbide) and the bead island areas are left completely in tact. This is one fast and clean example of what the EnSet does differently and well.

Tira;

Thank you for your answer to some of my questions about the Enset.

Is the Enset made in the USA?

Steve

Chris DeCamillis designed the Enset. He used to be an instructer at GRS (I believe) and is an American. I would assume the machine is american made, but that is just an assumption. He has designed several innovative tools for jewelers/engravers, the Enset, the Ring Genie and a sharpening system too. It is available to look at on Tira's site, engraver.com

Hello, the Enset was my choice when I started. Mainly because it offered versatility. Not requiring multiple hand pieces for heavy or light cutting. I love it. I have played with Lindsay and GRS . my opinion is all are great tools, all have advantages and disadvantages to each other.

Made by Syenset in Barcelona, Spain.

B.

Brian;

Thanks very much on the mfg location. My 20 gauge dbl barrel Arietta shotgun was made in Spain, and it is of good quality.

Steve

The Enset is Not made in Barcelona it is made here in the USA . The problem with answering the question you are asking is that it's subjective . I would recommend trying one before you make a decision.

Chris

I was going by the card pinned to the wall in front of me that I got from Jordi Gasulla Mane of Syenset, Barcelona... at a JA Show.

When we were discussing the tool he said that he was looking to make some changes from suggestions he'd gotten.

Never mentioned that he was not making them himself?


B.

I tried the enset and liked it a lot. I think it would be superior for sculpting. The only reason I haven't bought one is I have dozens of GRS quick change gravers and I don't think they will work in the Enset. I would have to invest hundreds of extra dollars in more holders and gravers. I would still like to have one because I do a lot of sculpting. Maybe some day.

The whole quick change collet system drives me Insane.
The quick flies out the window when you need to sharpen.
In the collet to use the graver, out to sharpen then back in to engrave.
Could some engineer fix this mess without making it worse.

GRS makes a little adapter for their collets that a forum member figured out how to modify for the EnSet collets. That means you leave the blank in the collet and get your clean alignment each time.

What I don't like about the collets is having to buy the darn things.

Yeah, the collets, the adapters... and the incompatible "systems". Competetition tends to do that. Ford parts versus Chevy and all that goes with it.


Collets are quite probably one of the largest - by quantity - items sold. (Just behind graver blanks)

And they are certainly the most profitable.

As long as those two things remain true - it is not likely that you will ever see them "phased out". Instead you will see more adapters and collets than ever before!


Especially now that the "oh so wonderful round blank" has been rediscovered. (newsflash - drill bit blanks have been around longer than anyone on this forum!)


Guess things were gettin' a bit dull in the hand engaving world... time to liven 'em up! Consume more "stuff"! (Yes, I see the pun)

If you don't need it, get it anyway.


Brian

I've been gone for a bit doing family things so now that I'm back I'll jump back in. Yes, as Chris said the EnSets are made in the USA. As for the collets, the EnSet has an adjustable stroke length which is why we have a detent ball as part of our collet. The detent ball holds the collet in the hand piece even when the stroke length is long and there is a lot of power.

Syenset has a sharpening fixture that comes with two different nozzles for sharpening. The first is the quick change nozzle where you can pop the collet out of the tool and directly into the sharpening fixture. There is a second nozzle for tools that you don't want to put into a collet. In that case you tighten the graver or tool right into the nozzle with a set screw and you are good to go. Changing the nozzles back and forth is quick and easy and they both come with the sharpening fixture so it gives you a good range of options for tool sharpening. It's called the EnSharp VersaFixture.

Hmmm... so "nozzle" would be newspeak for collet adapter/holder?

Sorry, Tira - newspeak in general is pretty funny to me... "Human Resources" being a prime example...

To me it implies that one day we will have "Alien Resources"?


When you live long enough, you see no reason for "changing up" words - when the customary ones did the job just fine.

Kinda like if it ain't broke... ya don't need to fix it.


B.