bram ramon
Elite Cafe Member
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Last edited:
engraving stainless aisi 316?
- Thread starter bram ramon
- Start date
good luck is in order here. if i were you, i'd spend a bit more time trying to get ss in the 400 series. far more forgiveable to an engraver. where are you located. at least in my area of the world, you can get it on the net. such places as mcmaster-carr and msc industrial supply.
Andrew Biggs
Moderator
Bram.......you need to man up on this one.
I cut a lot of 316L stainless with watches and there are a few things that will make your life a bit easier with it. The cast 316L is gummy and the machined is very pleasant to cut. But it does work harden quickly.
1. Use a GRS Glensteel graver. My experience, and I have tried them all, is that they are the best for this work. They "round" at the point quickly but don't break catastrophically so you can keep cutting.
2. Polish heels on a ceramic lap. It cuts easier and sharper.
3. Dont be too concerned if you break tips or round points on the main cuts......with an air powered tool you just keep going or you'll be sharpening every 3 minutes. I use the GraverMach AT with the SPM set between 23 and 33 and it works perfectly.
4. After your main cuts.......Sand with 800 grit wet n dry lubed with oil and backed with something hard
5. Dig background out with a square graver and then finish up with a rotary tool. Flats will blunt, beak and skid every 30 seconds.
6. Use a carbide point for stippling. I recommend the round tungsten carbide blanks from GRS. They are the best on the market and a packet of 5 will last for years. Don't substitute with an old carbide bur or graver because they will shatter.
7. Shading you need a sharp tip with polished heel.
8. After shading wipe over with 1200 grit (same as #4)
9. Polish with green polishing paper with lube and hard backing. This gives a beautiful satin polish.....or polish with whatever you prefer.
10. If sculpting.........do it quickly and decisively. Don't keep hammering an area to death because it work hardens quickly.
When finished it looks like a million dollars.
Cheers
Andrew
Hora
Elite Cafe Member
Thanks for the info Andrew. I have been cutting some 316 material and found myself back sharpening and polishing every 2 or 3 minutes or so. It now seems normal after reading your comment
Andrew Biggs
Moderator
Hi Hora
No worries. Glad to help out
It's also really important that you don't move your wrist about. Lock it and make sure that the work is turning into the graver. This is true of a lot of cutting but more so with 316L because the metal will grip the point and break it very easily.
Cheers
Andrew
No worries. Glad to help out
It's also really important that you don't move your wrist about. Lock it and make sure that the work is turning into the graver. This is true of a lot of cutting but more so with 316L because the metal will grip the point and break it very easily.
Cheers
Andrew
hmmmm guess i'll have to go buy some glensteel. there's a stainless buckle i have to do in the next month or 2. will give this glensteel a try.
Christian DeCamillis
Elite Cafe Member
It's been my experience that 316 is a bit more difficult to cut. I use my HSS gravers for stainless and they perform well. The material Not m42 is best suited for stainless, But moreover it's also has a lot to do with the heat treating process and who and where the raw material is produced. In other words all steels are not equal because they are the same grade.
Glensteel is a good graver for stainless but don't discount my hss either.
I maintain that slower cutting speeds will help with cutting this material. When you use a fast speed the graver dwells in it's forward motion more than a slower speed. This in turn causes the metal to work harden more. You will be better off to not polish the graver but use a 1200 wheel instead. Also do not increase the cutting face for more strength. This will push the metal more than cut and will also work harden it. Increasing the bottom geometry to a wider one will strengthen the tool. Plan to resharpen a little more. Not every three to four minutes but keep a sharp tool and you will have a better result. The other thing is to not start and stop the cut too much if at all possible. Using some lube will help.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned and it is if not more important then all the rest, is to reduce the amount of vibration of the workpiece. This means don't glue it to wood or use thermoplastic to hold it if it's possible to not do so. Use brass or steel to affix it to. Use a heavy vise not a small one so there is some mass there. This step will improve your results more than you can imagine.
If the stainless starts to stick to the cutter expect it will break .
This is called edge build up. Lubrication will help with this to some degree.
All of these factors are from my experience with cutting these types of stainless. Try them and see if you get better results.
Chris
Glensteel is a good graver for stainless but don't discount my hss either.
I maintain that slower cutting speeds will help with cutting this material. When you use a fast speed the graver dwells in it's forward motion more than a slower speed. This in turn causes the metal to work harden more. You will be better off to not polish the graver but use a 1200 wheel instead. Also do not increase the cutting face for more strength. This will push the metal more than cut and will also work harden it. Increasing the bottom geometry to a wider one will strengthen the tool. Plan to resharpen a little more. Not every three to four minutes but keep a sharp tool and you will have a better result. The other thing is to not start and stop the cut too much if at all possible. Using some lube will help.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned and it is if not more important then all the rest, is to reduce the amount of vibration of the workpiece. This means don't glue it to wood or use thermoplastic to hold it if it's possible to not do so. Use brass or steel to affix it to. Use a heavy vise not a small one so there is some mass there. This step will improve your results more than you can imagine.
If the stainless starts to stick to the cutter expect it will break .
This is called edge build up. Lubrication will help with this to some degree.
All of these factors are from my experience with cutting these types of stainless. Try them and see if you get better results.
Chris
Andrew Biggs
Moderator
Hi Bram
Well, there is always that........find an easier metal to cut.
Initially the 316 seems tougher and more gummy than other metals (and it is) but after a while you start getting the "feel" of it and everything starts working just fine.
Occasionally a choice swear word helps as well
Cheers
Andrew
Well, there is always that........find an easier metal to cut.
Initially the 316 seems tougher and more gummy than other metals (and it is) but after a while you start getting the "feel" of it and everything starts working just fine.
Occasionally a choice swear word helps as well
Cheers
Andrew
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