Critique Request Cantle Plate and Skirt Plates

[doug]

Here are some plates I recently finished.I thought they turned out pretty well except Im not happy with the lettering.I cant find any needle files small enough to true up the letters.Any sugestions?
Thanks for looking
Doug

 

[Dave London]

Well don"t know why you need files ,grind your gravers smaller . For really small files use broken jeweler saw blades

 

[vanknife]

You can straiten the lettering with small scrapers, I have made me a set simmilar to Die makers scrapers. I have made mine from broken drill bits 2mm and 1.6mm

http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/products/products.cfm?categoryID=10425

Regards

"VAN"

 

[Marrinan]

I would suggest, in addition to the other suggestions that you can re shape jewelry files on bench grinder to whatever size you need. Fred

 

[Brian Marshall]

Or, as times passes, you will simply get more skillful in the use of the saw...

Try laying out a 2 inch square on a piece of jewelers bronze. Then lay out consecutive smaller squares within that. All the way down to a quarter inch center. Maybe an 1/8"between them? Cut a few plates like that 'tiil you've completely mastered the straight line. Lay each result up against a square to check your progress.

Then try desgning and cutting a few fully filigreed pieces. Scrollwork, flowers, leaves, monograms and such with the background removed. It's cutting and turning inside the point of the narrowest "V" - without having to back the blade out that is most difficult to master...

You WILL see improvement by the time you finish.


Brian


I once spent an entire year doing nothing but sawing out monograms and names. (well, I had to engrave them too)

 

[silverchip]

I now use my graphics program to layout lettering.After which I use a fine square graver to engrave the line before sawing them out.This seems to help me get familiar with the shape of the letters but you still have to be good with the saw.don't choke the sawframe to death and saw in a way that the blade cuts in a plumb and square fasion.let the saw do most of the work.

 

[doug]

Thanks everybody I knew I could count on you all for good advise.I havent had too much trouble with larger letters but these were a lot smaller and I really didnt know how to handle them.Looks like I better learn to handle my saw .
Thanks
Doug

 

[Brian Marshall]

Hmmm... you can always try gettin' 'em down to quarter inch tall? Once you can do that, well, you can do pretty much anything.

(Even cutting the azures under diamonds before you set them or does anybody even do that anymore - or even know what it is?)


Brian