Hello all

[R.Runyan]

Hello All,

Been a while since I've been on this forum...I forgot about it untill I talk to another Die Engraver and he had mentioned it to me. Thanks Steve!
I forgot my username and password so I just signed in a new one. I'm looking foward to chating with you all about engraving. I am first and formost a Die Engraver but I sometimes engrave other things just for fun.
Looks like there are a lot of realy good engravers here. I'm always looking for some tips and tricks of the trade. I've been a Die engraver for 24 years and self imployed for 11 years and still learning the trade.
I started in the Class Ring industries making models and ring molds for casting loss wax apps. Now I just cut coining dies for several mints threwout the US.
Look forward to reading the threads on here.

Cheers, Robin

 

[Magnus Jensen]

Welcome back.
Would you be so kind and fill a blank spot for me since I don't know what an "Die engraver" do.
English is not my everyday language.
Thanks,
Magnus

 

[Steve Adams]

Magnus,
Die engravers engrave negative and reverse images into steel. These engraved dies are then used to strike products, the best example being coins or medals. Any coin you carry in your pocket is struck from steel dies. The engraved dies are secured in a press, then a metal blank is placed on the bottom die. The blank is squeezed with high pressure between the two dies producing a positive image on the coin. Die engravers also do brass and aluminum dies for items such as embossed greeting cards or cast metal products.

 

[R.Runyan]

Could not have explane it better myself.

Robin

 

[Magnus Jensen]

Steve,
Thanks for straiting things out.

 

[noud peters]

hallo Magnus,
On your webside I noticed your working with art-cam, Iám looking for the writh 3d jewelsmith program.
Is art-cam easy to learn and do you got already jewelsmith 9?

Noud Peters

 

[AllanFink1960]

steve
do they have to harden the metal after carving the dies? I have often wondered that...seems like if it was soft enough to carve it would be too soft for stamping.

 

[R.Runyan]

Allan,

You are correct, the die's are heat treated to a certain rockwell gauge. Not only are the die's treated, the metals are often annealed to lower the ( tensil strength ), depending on the job, be it high relief strike and trim, splash minting or collar striking also known as coin minting.
There are several web sites that would explain the process in detail.

Hope this helps your understanding.

Robin