Question: Why polish ??

[rayf24]

Wish to hear others ideas on polishing your gravers I normally only go to 1600 grit and find it fine for general cutting but then I am only a part time player I can understand it for bright cut but what's the advantage for other styles and when would you polish and not polish I would find answers to this helpful and sure other newer engravers may find it helpful also. :thinking: also as now days we often use a blacking in the cuts would a like courser cut not help retain the black ??

Ray

 

[Willem Parel]

Ray, maybe this is an interesting thread for this question

http://www.engraverscafe.com/showth...rpening-phenomenon&highlight=polishing+graver

 

[rayf24]

Willem thank if you look back I did give a detailed response in that post but that I feel was another issue what I am asking here as there has been much talk about using diamond polishing paste of late and why use it to polish gravers that don't seem to be used on bright cut work ? Why do it

Ray

 

[Roger Bleile]

Ray,

I have been in the studios of several famous Italian engravers and have never seen any of them polish a graver face. They rub the graver on a stone and that is it. Also, I have been to the engraver's school in Suhl, Germany and they just rub the graver on a stone. The Italian and German work speaks for itself. Perhaps Bram Ramon or Rocco Capace can tell us how they were taught in Belgium. When I was at the Leon Mignion booth at the IWA show, the person demonstrating was only sharpening on a stone. He actually gave me a hammer and graver. The graver was not polished.

I know that it is important to high polish for Wesern brightcut and some types of jewelry work but for most gun and knife work, I don't think it is necessary.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Yes, I would agree with Roger. For certain work such as Western Brightcut or some kinds of jewellery, then you want the work to sparkle as much as possible. For normal engraving the polish isn't necessary and a 600 or 1200 finish is just fine. The bottom line is, if you want sparkle, then polish. If not, then don't.

Having said that......on some metals like 316l I find that polishing the face/heel actually prolongs life to carbide gravers. Others have had exactly the reverse experience.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[silverchip]

I'll throw 2 cents in here. For bright cut work , I feel it is essential to use a polish graver. I also agree with you and Roger has stated the essential mechanical performance of a grave for H&C work is a SHARP graver for clean cutting. That being said,the better the finish of a cutting edge, the better it will cut. That means of course that it should impart a better result of less ragged design execution and cleaner lines. I have used unpolished ,sharp gravers for precious metals for more contrast when antiquing the engraving with good results.

 

[Marrinan]

I think that polishing is very important for bright work as well. I also recall a conversation where the finish was discussed and several engravers mentioned that they felt that a scratch is just a chip waiting to happen. They said that they noticed without polishing carbide to a bright finish that fractures seem to occur along the scratch. Never tested the theory just passing it along-Fred

 

[PAUL LANTUCH]

I'm using a corse diamond disc for sharpening, sometimes rub the surfaces on old worn diamond flat piece, but it makes not a lot of differences cause my work is more sculpturesque, rather than calligraphic.
The most handy device for sharpening is old Dremel fixed to my bench with 2" diamond disc, cost nothing, works fast and perfectly.

 

[Willem Parel]

The most handy device for sharpening is old Dremel fixed to my bench with 2" diamond disc, cost nothing, works fast and perfectly.

...can't find the Dremel Paul....:biggrin:

 

[mrthe]

Personally i don't use mirror polished gravers, only for jewellery and a lot of time in hewellery too i only polish to 2000 grit diamond fot me is enough, all the way an higly well mirror polished graver in my opinion cut better than a no polished one but if you have to resharp a lot of times like ehen you use hard steel don't worth the pain and the time, time ago Sam post an interesting discussion about how a 600 or 1200 grit polished graver broke or dull less than a polished one, and is true, definitly if you aren't going to make bright cut, lumenesque or hewellery works ( and in my opinion bulino too) you don't need a mirror polished graver

 

[PAUL LANTUCH]

Here it is, the big one at home studio (25 years old), the Dremel (33 years old) in rented facility.
Splitting the working space involves a lot of undesirable expenses and discomfort, thanks to zoning policy, prohibiting all guns related activities in New Haven.

 

[Roger Bleile]

Paul,

Maybe it's time you moved. We would be more than happy to have you in the free state of Kentucky.

Roger

 

[PAUL LANTUCH]

Thank you, Roger! Moving out of rotten Connecticut is on my mind, but there are a couple of reasons holding us here. The main reason, it is almost impossible to sale the house in New Haven without tremendous losses, no new jobs around, no new comers, taxes up to the roof and crime is high. Second reason, my wife is still working at Yale.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Paul,Never had a problem with the town of Manassas Virginia but was asked by the FFL agent were's the nearest school,I told her your sitting in it.The school bus's come through about 6 am their worry about you living near a school.Don't you receive only the gun parts?.No gun engraver should have a store to work from.Keep up the good work.J.J.

 

[Dave London]

JJ there you go again confusing the issue with the facts:beatup