Intro and question about using a power engraver for chasework on steel sculpture

[bluerider]

I didn't see an intro area so Ill do that here along with my question. I have a background as an artist working in multiple media ranging from cast bronze, welded steel, and wood carving. I am also a patternmaker which is making the wood originals in a sand foundry, kind of like a machinist but with wood.

Lately I have been making some wall hanging sculptures combining welded steel, cast bronze, wood, steel , and stone. Not always all of those materials but usually more than two. I have also been chasing some designs on steel and that is what has led me here.

As much as I respect and admire engraved work I am not an engraver and at present I am not looking to learn but rather learn about some of your tools. Specifically the power hand pieces. I'm 53 an already have had problems with tendonitis in my elbow and hours of using a chasing hammer can aggravate it a bit. In one of the photos you can see the tools I'm using at present, mostly modified punches and nail sets. For the lines in the piece I use a chisel that is about 3/32" x .020". In the detail photo you can see that I color the steel black and then sand it with fine paper to bring yo the highlights. One of the reasons I like chaseing the lines vs engraving them is that the chisel pushes up the metal on each side as I make a line. This then gives me two fine bright lines on each side of my dark line in the finished work, same for each stipple mark. This helps make the work read from a further distance.

I have a few questions about power engravers and due to their cost and specialized nature I'm a bit reluctant to just buy one without knowing if it will do what I want it to. so I have a couple of questions, based on the pictures of my work would a power engraver do what I want if I equip it with similar tools to what I am using? and second will using it in this way damage it, keeping in mind that I will be using it primarily on mild steel. I suppose a third question would be about recomendations of different tools.

 

[Dave London]

MTC
Yes the pneumatic tool should work, I am older and have had carpel tunnel in both wrists.Have had no issues using the Lindsay Palm control for years. FYI Lindsay has a 3 week trial period. Good luck

 

[JJ Roberts]

bluerider,The power assist engraving tool with the power your looking would be the Lindsay Nitro G20. J.J.

 

[Steve L S]

Bluerider, my background is similar to yours. Engraving is a small but important part of my business and I use hand tools too. I have burnt my hand several times over the years through hot forging and metal casting. The last time bad enough that I had difficulty using hand tools so I purchased a handpiece from Foredom which converts the rotary motion of your flex motor to percussion and used that between my first and second finger to complete a job. I do not think full time engravers have much respect for the Foredom unit but it did the job for me. Later I had a job with a lot of simple champleve 'excavation' and a metalsmithing friend recommended a magnagraver made by an american company called NGraver as having a bit better control and hitting power . I got one through a friend in the US and have found it also served my needs while my hand was slowly healing.
These hand pieces are much less expensive than the Ferraris and Maseratis that full time gun and knife engravers use and the hitting action is very similar to what we are already used to with our hand tools. Could be worth investigating before committing to other systems
Steve

 

[monk]

welcome to the forum. i like the design you showed, very nice. if using the power assisted tools for steel-- i think it would be matter of how thick the steel is you're working on. as the thickness of the steel increases, i'd think you would get less of the technique you describe. more of just texturing. the grs and lindsay tools are the preferred tools. they are more expensive, but will never quit on you in the middle of a job. there's a ton of foreign "knockoffs" on ebay. these cheap tools are to be avoided. i assume you are a pro, and sell your work. knowing that is so, should be all telling about quality tools.
take a look in the buy & sell section of the forum. you sometimes see such tools there for sale by the owner.
there may be a forum member near you that would be willing to let you try one of their power assisted tools. the rear .5-.6" of your chisel would have to be ground down a bit to fit in the hand piece. 3/32" of an inch would work.
good luck