Announcement: Speitzer/onglette style push graver demonstration video

[Sam]

[video=youtube;8Zv2bbbEGPE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zv2bbbEGPE&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Here's a short demonstration using the geometry that works best for me. 35° face, 20° heel @ 35° rotation angle. Perhaps the best push graver geometry I've used to date.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zv2bbbEGPE&feature=youtu.be

 

[GTJC460]

Nice video. I'm curious why you've been exploring hand "push" techniques and methods? I know I find it very satisfying and a much greater connection to my work. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the pneumatics but there's something about silently working away a your design.

 

[santos]

The engraving is so quiet without noise of machines and seems so easy when done by a master ...

Thank you Sam for this nice video!

 

[Sam]

Nice video. I'm curious why you've been exploring hand "push" techniques and methods? I know I find it very satisfying and a much greater connection to my work. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the pneumatics but there's something about silently working away a your design.

The reason is because we get a fair amount of people looking for an inexpensive way to get into hand engraving, and there's less information and videos on hand pushing and hammer & chisel work than pneumatic engraving.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Sam,I been bragging about the onglette for years and now all this chatter and attention it's getting amazing,thank's for sharing the video well done. I believe the onglette is a wonderful engraving tool in the right hand. J.J.

 

[Willem Parel]

I believe the onglette is a wonderful engraving tool in the right hand. J.J.

So all the lefty's have a problem JJ....:beatup:

 

[Sam]

Sam,I been bragging about the onglette for years and now all this chatter and attention it's getting amazing,thank's for sharing the video well done. I believe the onglette is a wonderful engraving tool in the right hand. J.J.

You surely have bragged about it for a long time JJ, and I've been wanting to do something like this for quite awhile. I have people like you and other engravers to thank for showing me the way. Hopefully this will get more people into our art who may not be able to invest in the high tech tools many of us use.

 

[Beladran]

like the video sam!

 

[John P. Anderson]

Sam,

I've been waiting years for someone like you to put together the information and demonstrate push graving. Your reputation and experience legitimatize the technique like I never been able. I'm speculating that your work will open the engraving door to thousands and thousands that for various reason can't afford pneumatics. Many will succeed using push tools and as the means become available they will move on to pneumatics. Bravo!

John

BTW: What I call my "narrow V" is essentially the tool your using here only slightly narrower as personal preference. It has the long facets on the bottom that provide a lot of "lift" to the hand. The onglette shape develops as I hand sharpened it over the years. It's tiny tool.

 

[davidshe]

Nice Video Sam! Along with seeing the art of push engraving I really get a lot out of watching the direction of cuts and the shading techniques. Although I have most of your videos this one really seems to really drive home the point to me of how you cut the leaves from bottom to top and thin to thick. Might be that the slow, smooth cutting process with the push graver helps me focus on that.

Thanks!
David

 

[Sam]

Sam,

I've been waiting years for someone like you to put together the information and demonstrate push graving. Your reputation and experience legitimatize the technique like I never been able. I'm speculating that your work will open the engraving door to thousands and thousands that for various reason can't afford pneumatics. Many will succeed using push tools and as the means become available they will move on to pneumatics. Bravo!

John

BTW: What I call my "narrow V" is essentially the tool your using here only slightly narrower as personal preference. It has the long facets on the bottom that provide a lot of "lift" to the hand. The onglette shape develops as I hand sharpened it over the years. It's tiny tool.

Glad you like it, John I hope it will inspire someone who's better at it than I am to do a comprehensive instructional video as opposed to my quickie demo.

I've also experimented with narrower Vs as well, and they work just fine. The slightly wider one I used in this video cuts nice and bold and is reasonably easy to control. My narrower V versions don't cut as boldly as this one does. Obviously there's a place for both versions. I'm re-learning as I go as I haven't engraved this way in a lot of years, and would have used hammer & chisel for a lot of it.

 

[John P. Anderson]

I've learned to keep my projects small. Pendants and nickels are fun. A full coverage sculpted bracelet drags on forever. Before I do a gun I'm getting power.

I'd like to see a definitive definition of "lift" versus "heel". Standardized terms would go a long way in assisting the beginners. The equivalent of SAE or ASTM standards.

John

 

[Sam]

I'd like to see a definitive definition of "lift" versus "heel". Standardized terms would go a long way in assisting the beginners. The equivalent of SAE or ASTM standards.

Not sure you're going to get standard definitions. My 1909 book THE ART OF ENGRAVING refers to a similar elongated bottom grind as "heel". Other's call it "lift" and prefer to call a very small facet a "heel". Winston Churchill calls it "the foot" and McKenzie called it "the whet". So the names are all over the place.

Maybe Roger Bleile will give some input.

 

[mdengraver]

Sam do you feel the speitzer/onglette graver gives you the same quality bevel cuts on the scrolls as a flat or lozenge graver?

 

[Sam]

Sam do you feel the speitzer/onglette graver gives you the same quality bevel cuts on the scrolls as a flat or lozenge graver?

I don't use lozenge gravers, nor do I use flat gravers for cutting scrollwork (except micro lumenesque style). I only use V-point gravers. I guess the only exception would be cutting wide bright cuts for western engraving, which is not something I often do.

 

[Mike Fennell]

Excellent video, as always, Sam. It was fun to watch you pop that chip at the end of each cut.

In defining terms, I like to keep the terms "lift" and "heel" as separate stages of graver grinding. As you say, Roger Bleile is the historian who can keep us straight on the terminology.

In the initial shaping of the graver blank, I build in the lift that I will need to keep my hand off the work, then, in addition to that lift, I will add a short heel (aka relief, foot, etc.) for tight curves. Heel length appears to be a matter of personal preference. I believe Phil Coggan and others work without a heel. Sometimes I can do that, particularly on bulino work. I think Ray Cover uses a very short heel, and I believe Christian DeCamillis prefers longer heels on most things. They can correct me if I have misunderstood. For cutting straight lines or gentle curves, e.g. shading lines, I add a longer heel because it tracks straighter.

The face angle will depend on the hardness of the material: around 35 degrees for copper, gold, silver, brass. For stainless steel and firearm steel, 45 to 55 or even 60 degrees. As you and JJ indicated, experimentation will determine which face angle what cuts best on a given metal.
Thanks for the video.

 

[phil]

Beautifully done. That definitely seems to cut better than that 105 or 120 degree monster in your last video. Thank you again for taking the time to do great instructional posts.

 

[Deb Williams]

Sam: Great video! Thank you for sharing your techniques.

What graver material do you prefer (C-Max?) and do you use a turntable base under the vise? Your vise seems to turn without effort.

Deb Williams

 

[Sam]

Sam: Great video! Thank you for sharing your techniques.

What graver material do you prefer (C-Max?) and do you use a turntable base under the vise? Your vise seems to turn without effort.

Deb Williams

Thanks Deb and Phil, Mike and others

C-Max is my go-to graver material. I use it unless high speed steel is a better choice...like for some really hard stainless steels that might cause C-Max to chip (carbide is brittle).

Yes, I use the GRS TurnTable base and their Low Profile vise.

 

[John P. Anderson]

>I build in the lift that I will need to keep my hand off the work, then, in addition to that lift, I will add a short heel (aka relief, foot, etc.) for tight curves.

That's a perfect explanation as far as I'm concerned. Maybe Roger can add it to his glossary.

I'm over the flu enough I'm venturing to the big shop to try out the graver and handle Sam sent.

John