Engraving on "Not-so-stupid" steel

[BrianPowley]

Wife Betty bought a car and I thought a new key fob would make for a nice item to try out the stone-setting session I recently had with Tira Mitchell.
The good news is that the stones (CZ's) probably won't fall out. The bad news is that as a "first time" attempt---it is kinda ugly up close.(Looks good from arms length:biggrin
My hat is off to you seasoned stone-setters---you sure make it look easy.

 

[Roger Bleile]

Brian,

Nice work all around (as usual).

Can you explain your technique to get such perfect triangular cuts for the border motif? I have tried various ways and mine never seem to be as exact as the way yours turn out.

Thanks,
Roger

 

[BrianPowley]

Roger, I basically just use a 120 graver, start midway between the lines, raise the back end up and "plow" down to the edge. When the line on the opposite side starts to displace, you know it's time to STOP.It raises one nasty bur that would cut you deep enough to require stitches.
I usually "Clean off" that bur with a 90 and that touches up the original line. The little humps on the outside of the border lines will need sanded down smooth and to make everything flush again.

And for the record: Those burs will cut you 4 different ways at once: LONG,DEEP,WIDE and CONTINUOUSLY !

 

[monk]

if that's ugly, i gotta say i don't see any ugly. looks great. i've only set 1 stone, a 3 ct diamond. into of all places, a belt buckle. it was the guys' logo. believe it or not, it was an engraving i did for him-- of a cat. it was set in the northern end of a southbound cat. and, yes, its' tail was standing tall ! i don't think much thought is needed as to where the diamond was set. i read of the technique-- i think in a bowman/hardy jewelry engraving book.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Congratulations

Hope you enjoy testing your new skill some more.
It`s all in the preparation, there is a ridiculously fine line between perfect & disaster like in most of these related skills.

The fun starts when your given less than perfectly matched "sow`s ear" stones/jewellery & expected to turn them into a silk purse :biggrin:

 

[BrianPowley]

Let me stand corrected: The "it is kinda ugly up close" remark is only referring to the stone setting.

 

[rod]

Brian,

very nice indeed! I agree with Roger, that border looks so very good, you would think it was made with some strange elliptical gear cutting machine. Splendid!

Rod

 

[MexicanEngraver]

nice work, i like the border

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Brian, setting diamonds is much easier than CZ. Especially when setting them in a harder metal like steel or Ti

Nice work? arnaud