Renaissance wax for tool tip applications...

[Gemsetterchris]

A few days ago i smudged some of this into a small container lid that i fixed to my bench within easy reach.
After a while this wax has shrunk & solidified nicely.
Giving the graver tips a gentle swipe on this for cutting seems to give a nice result.

I be interested for anyone else to give it a try & post their findings as to wether they find any improvement to their cutting especially bright ones

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

It would definitely cut the glare on the tool tip.

mike

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Best not to polish the tool face as it makes zero difference to your cut, smooth is adaquate.

(Another can of worms opened)

 

[Sam]

I have a can of Renaissance Wax here somewhere. I will give this a try.

 

[BrianPowley]

I don't use a lubricant on anything except the hard stuff. My lube of choice is Collinite "Insulator Wax". Available at Advanced Auto Parts.
I cut it with non scented lamp oil to make it semi-liquid.

 

[Artemiss]

Doesn't the wax make the graver tip a tiny bit tacky, causing chips to stick to the tip?

 

[BrianPowley]

It never bothered me that/if it does. Sometimes those darned gravers become magnetized and that REALLY gets annoying!

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

Do very many people actually use graver lube? I've only tried it a couple times, but never experienced any benefit, I did experience several draw backs though.

 

[Sam]

I normally use with heavier cutting. It's become instinctive and I don't even know I do it until a student makes a comment about it. Here at home I moisten as needed which isn't very often. For hogging backgrounds it really makes the cutting more efficient. For anything else it changes the behavior of the graver and you can go slipping away if not careful.

 

[Marrinan]

I use it most often. Find it helps me cut cleaner. I like it best with nonferrous metals. Fred

 

[Andrew Biggs]

I have to admit that I just about never use lube.

The main reason is that it never occurs to me until the subject pops up on the forum. I guess it's one of those deals that you have to form the habit early on in the piece.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Roger Bleile]

I only lube on nonferrous metals which have a tendency to loading or building up a deposit at the tip where the point meets the heel. I find aluminum especially annoying with loading. I use liquid wrench for lube. My brother, Carl, who is a master tool and die maker as well as an engraver, is convinced that it is a waste of time to lube the tip on steel and can expound on why. I've heard pros and cons from respected engravers so I'm still unsure about lubes value on steel.

RB

 

[monk]

i lube for heavier cuts, very hard stuff, and aluminum. 3-in-one oil, mineral oil, kerosene, oil of wintergreen--- now comes renaissance wax. i guess it's all a matter of preference. tomorrow i'm gonna try some of my old ladys' grape jelly.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Yes Monk, there could be a million things to try & i`m not saying any work for sure.

I`ve not used lube in the last 20+ years but no harm experimenting a use for a hardly used pot of wax.

 

[Peter E]

I found that in cutting some brass, copper and aluminum (noticed the most improvement), touching the graver tip to a sponge wet with "rapid tap" keeps the cutting edges from loading up.

The cuts seem a bit smoother as well.

 

[Dulltool]

Monk....
I would also try using Peanut Butter along with the grape jelly. That way you could always make a sandwich should they not work out.

Just thinking

 

[blacksmith_wills]

Hi,

I have done a lot of home shop machining in my time. You will find that on purpose cutting fluids will usually perform better than home mixtures. Production shops are all about cutting tool efficiency. They use lubes and coolants for a reason. It makes them money and reduces tool wear.

I once had to drill 90 #80 (.013 inch) holes in a brass plate. We were making a drip pan. The difference in how fast that little drill bit cut with cutting fluid versus dry was absolutely astounding. On the order of 1 second with lube to 7 or 8 seconds dry. The drill was running 30,000 rpm.

I agree with the comments regarding non-ferrous materials, although if you look at the surface finish you get with lube versus dry in steel you might decide that it's worth it.

Now, for the disclaimer, you guys are the engraving experts in my eyes and I would never discount what your experiences have taught you. I know what works out in the shop though.

One thing I should mention, lubricants are not usually good cutting fluids. I have been told, and I believe it's true that the chemistry is entirely different.

Take care,

Matt

 

[Gemsetterchris]

The biggest problem with using a lube or oil is that it can very easily get in the way & prevent a clear view of where you cut.
By the way my rennaissance wax is now doubling up as burr save.

My final verdict is.. it does help some, it`s not a miracle cure, for hand pushing it maybe more beneficial.

That would put it in the "optional" category for me.

 

[tim halloran]

Gemsetterchris: I Use Burrlife which i got from Rio Grande. It is an animal fat based lube, which comes in stick,paste,or liquid form. I use the liquid for engraving and the other stuff for pulling wire. Occasionally i use Safe Tap for heavy metal moving like backgrounds.It is biodegradable and non toxic which is good for us humans. When i did a lot of aluminum motorcycle parts i used WD-40, which is mostly kerosene, or Safe Tap for aluminum which you can get from GRS. It helped prevent galling and having metal build up on the tool which will dull the cuts, if you want to have nice bright cuts, use some. The best solution would be to coat our tools with titanium nitride, but you would remove it the first you sharpened the tool, so it is not very practical for engraving. I spent 28.5 years doing machine work, and never drilled a hole, tapped a hole,cut a thread,milled a keyway, broached a keyway, or did any heavy metal removal with multi insert carbide cutting heads, without using a coolant or cutting oil.It will dramatically extend tool life and give a lot better surface finish. When you turn a piece in your block into the tool your doing the same thing as cutting metal in a lathe. So Your block is just a hand powered lathe.

 

[mitch]

the first time i ever watched somebody push a hand burin (Hans Rohner, btw), he quickly touched the graver to his tongue between cuts. it does help...