Advice sought

[Roger B]

I have been asked to put a number of double ended scrolls on the sides of a ring - deep. These are going to be small - 1.9mm x 1.6mm. Somehow I don't think that a standard 115 degree graver is going to work. What would you suggest? Perhaps grind off the back of the graver just behind the point to reduce burring? I could probably handle either very small or deep but both at the same time!

What would you use.

Thanks for your help,
Roger

 

[Red Green]

sodium pentathol

Bob

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Depth is a relative thing and you pretty soon realise that the depth of a cut dictates the width of a cut. Combine this in a very small area and you don't have a lot of choices......most people ask for deep cuts on a ring so the engraving doesn't wear out. It doesn't need to be super deep.

Use a 90 degree square graver as this will allow you to go slightly deeper than a 105 graver. Make sure the heel is very small.

When you cut.........raise the back of the graver/wrist so it can make a tight turn without burring the edge. If you are using a microscope make sure that it's centred properly so you can spin the turntable and make the cut at the same time.

Practice a bit on scrap bit of metal first till you get the hang of it and are confident. It's not difficult

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Roger B]

Thanks Andrew - don't worry - I'll be practicing

 

[Christian DeCamillis]

Roger,

Here is a video on how to sharpen the tool for what you are doing.

http://www.engraversstudio.com/apps/vblog/Video/View.aspx?id=b88eb5ad1a

Chris

 

[GTJC460]

I do alot of Sam's luminesque style scroll on rings. It's very easy to do. It's deep, bold, sparkly and wears very well in karat gold. For this style I use either a 115 or 120' graver with a parallel heel. No special treatment to the graver. They are just grinds right off the Lindsay templates. I do taper my gravers a bit more radically than the template offers. But that's the only difference. Lastly I use carbide to really make my cuts sparkle. You just can't get the effect with HSS/glensteel gravers that carbide offers.

As sam states in his video, it's a real crowd pleaser! I've yet to show this style to a client that hasn't liked it in jewelry applications!

 

[Roger B]

Thanks Chris. That's what I thought I might have to do - similar to the small round that Sam used in his coat of arms tutorial but with a point.

Bert, the scroll in Sam's luminesque video fills an area about 3mm wide - this space will be about half that so not much room for error. The standard 115 I don't think will give the depth that the customer wants. Thanks for your contribution.

 

[Sam]

Luminesque in a 1.5mm area can be done.

 

[GTJC460]

I do luminesque all the time on the sides of rings I make. Being that I use cad/cam I know the exact dimensions of the models before finishing. Most of the shanks I make start at 1.5mm thick. I do luminesque on all three sides of the shank all the time. It's actually easier on the smaller areas as it takes less cuts.

It can be done as I do it all the time. I'm by no means a master. Just practice it a little. You can do it. And when done right it will have the look of very deep cuts.

I personally think anyone doing jewelry engraving that doesn't cut luminesque is making a huge mistake!!! It has the look and perceived value of very expensive engraving. Hence you can make a really good hourly rate on this style as it cuts very quickly.

 

[Southern Custom]

Experiment! I've seen some of the best old time jewelry engravers work with nothing but a couple of flat gravers and produce beautiful results. I use a combination of Flat, Square and 116. You learn what the situation calls for. Have fun on some copper.

 

[KCSteve]

You might also try making some smaller gravers with bits of 1/16" drill rod held in square brass tubing. Look for a thread on John B's clever little gravers.