hobo nickel rookie

[broiler]

hi everyone, i just started trying to carve hobo nickels. i have a pin vise to hold the nickel, a dremel tool to grind down the nickel but it is not steady enough to make a straight line, so i have been using an exacto knife to cut the detail. the end chips and breaks off the exacto knife very easy and its frustrating.

i looked online at some hand push gravers but i am not sure what to get. i am willing to spend $100-$200 to get a decent setup that will make carving the nickels easier. any suggestions would be very much appreciated. thanks.

-broiler

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Broiler and welcome to the forum.

Yip, you've been doing it the hard way alright

There are a lot of Hobo nickle carvers on the forum and I'm sure they can help you out.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Sam]

Welcome to the Cafe, broiler. Your budget will get you a good set of push gravers and hammer & chisel. With the heavy carving of hobo nickels, doing it all with a push graver is going to be really tough. Not impossible, but tough. Driving that graver with a hammer is the way to go :hammer: Learning to use push gravers and hammer & chisel is another thing. It's got quite a learning curve, but I did it and thousands of engravers before me did, and so can you.

For starters you'll need a couple of square gravers and a 2ea #37, 38, 39, 40, and 42 flat gravers. One set of flats can be used as push gravers and the other set for chisels. You'll also need a chasing hammer, graver handles, chisel handles, and a whetstone for sharpening. There are sharpening instructions on iGraver.com. For finishing some rapid breakdown moldmaker's stones from Gesswein #'s 320, 400, and 600 will get you in the game.

Cheers / ~S

 

[AndrosCreations]

Welcome broiler,

Carving nickels is fun... I do it quite often and it's a good way to learn some basic engraving principles... If you're only interested in nickels at this time, you may find yourself branching out later on.

Sam certainly gave good advice above and he's carved some beautiful top end coins... You'll probably end up doing some of both (push and hammer/chisel)... Just watch your hands when doing the push engraving. I'm still healing from a wound that I acquired nearly a year ago when I started and it's made it painful to play my guitar which was a real bummer; I'm amazed at how looooong it's taking to heal. I drove that graver in the side of my knuckle real good!

You can sell even your initial work on ebay... My first coin went for $1.50! Big money ...it'll help you save up to acquire more tools. I use a dremel like tool often during the process also (mine is actually a foredom flex-shaft which is the same basic principle). The rubber, grit impregnated wheels you can buy from places like Rio Grande jewelry supply are very helpful for smoothing out background.

I wish you the best in your endeavor!

 

[mrthe]

welcome to the forum ! i hope see the photo of your first hobo carving! folllow the advices of Sam that is a great hobo carver apart one of the greatest master engravers in the world and of course of Andy that is the one of the most talent hobo carver that i have see ever!
carving hobos is adictive and very funny enjoy it!

 

[broiler]

thanks everyone for the responses! so from what i gather from sam i will need the following, can anyone suggest a good website that i can purchase these items?
-2 square gravers
-2ea #37, 38, 39, 40, and 42 flat gravers
-chasing hammer
-graver handles
-chisel handles
-whetstone for sharpening
-rapid breakdown moldmaker's stones from Gesswein #'s 320, 400, and 600

 

[Sam]

GRS sells gravers and hammers. Gesswein.com sells stones.

 

[mdengraver]

It may help also to get some magnification such as an optivisor.

 

[gtsport]

Another way to go if you are as cheap as me and have a good bench grinder is to by high speed steel tool bits from Wholesale Tool Company out of Warren, Michigan. I buy their 8 inch long 3/16 inch square bits for $1.70 and grind them for chisels and I buy their 4 inch long 1/8 inch square bits at $1.20 for gravers. For handles, Hobby Lobby sells wooden balls at $2.95 a dozen. I have a good jeweler's hammer now, but I started with a ball peen which worked fine. These work great for nickels and I also use them for cutting steel dies for striking tokens.

Joe Paonessa

 

[broiler]

i dont have a bench grinder so i will be buying the gravers. whats the consensus on quick change (QC) vs new traditional graver (NTG)? are either better for push vs hammer/chisel?

 

[broiler]

in addition to the above question of QC vs NTG, what dimension of moldmakers stones would you suggest? sorry for all the questions.

 

[ED DELORGE]

Broiler, may god bless you my friend. Before you buy any tools you need a little more education. Don't buy any tools I have a box full of them that would be just fine for nickles. I would even be willing to loan you a video (vhs) by lynton Mckinzey on tool sharpening by hand. Later you might want to buy Sam Alfano's video on tool sharpening if you want to stay with it.

Where do you live, send me your address by e-mail and I will make you up a care package.

Ed DeLorge
delorge@bellsouth.net
985-223-0206

 

[frank h]

I bought those stones and some of the mini superstones from http://engraversstudio.com/ Look in the store.

Frank

 

[broiler]

thanks guys, and Ed I just sent you an email.