Question: background removal

[tdelewis]

I am a new engraver at the age of 67. Everything is going much better than I ever expected. I am considering a rotary tool (air driven) to use to remove the background of the scroll work, rather than a chisel as I have been using. The reason is that I have a difficult time keeping an even depth and sometimes get heel drag. What are your suggestions? Thanks

 

[JJ Roberts]

tdelputewis,The reason you have heel drag is because your graver needs a releaf angle before the final heel.I don't use a rotary to remove the background,I use a single point graver to cross hatch the background and then stipple with hammer & pointed punch.I don't trust myself with a rotary tool. J.J.

 

[silverchip]

I have better luck with removing background like J.J. I have tried a rotary tool for this with so-so results.I never seem to control the depth very well with something turning 300,000 rpm and nicking the edges of my engraving kinda irritates me too.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

One thing that you can do that'll improve your background removal and help (not cure) heel drag...............is to rock the heel between 0 to about 25-30 degrees. This will give you a lot better clearance around the edges of the engraving that you wish to preserve. It makes a big difference than just a normal 15 degree heel, or whatever angle that you use. I would suggest that you try this first.

Rotary tools are great and I wouldn't be without my E-Max..........but they have a place like anything else and can be a double edged sword. Slippage is a big hazard because it gouges the work and is a nightmare to fix. Getting the background even is another. They also round that bottom corner of the background where it meets the wall of the engraving which is sometimes not desirable.

However they are great for getting into tight spots and small areas or going super deep quickly. They are also great for some undercutting with gold work. They can also be useful with really hard metal that blunts the graver quickly plus a lot of other uses.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[monk]

for me, the easiest way to level an uneven background-- i use flats. sometimes i'll wriggle the entire background until im happy with it. then texture if i want to do that.

 

[Robert Jobe]

Welcome to the engraving world. Old dogs can learn new tricks.

 

[Sam]

Here's a tutorial on the subject.

RELIEF ENGRAVING

 

[JJ Roberts]

This old dog is always interested in learning new tricks,but one slip with a rotery tool on a gun could be a big problem.Try explaining to a customer you just screw up his Parker,Fox or L.C.Smith.J.J.