Question: Would en-set replace my gravermax w/airtact?

[Eric Olson]

Would any of you out there (A)replace your gavermax/airtact combo with the new en-set machine, or (B)would you purchase en-set as an additional tool for special purposes? I have limited bench space, nor do I really feel a need for both. Given what I could probably sell my GRS items for, the switch would probably cost close to nothing. (I suppose I could ask the same question about the Lindsey handpiece as well, though the $ are different)

 

[FANCYGUN]

If you are comfortable with what you are using, why not stay with it and save some money. If you feel you must change then make certain you test drive whatever it is you are thinking of buying to make certain it is a step up for you. This would go with any tool change and any brand.

 

[oiseau metal arts]

Ditto what FANCYGUN said.
Im running with a gravermach. Id like to add the lindsay palm control to my tool set, but not so much to repalce my home unit as to reduce the ammount of equipment ill be dragging around to shows and such. Ive tried one out and liked how it feels, but can not say for sure if it will completely replace what ive become comfortable with till im able to get one. Aafter trying out the Lindsay palm control ive made a couple changes to how i run the gravermach for some projects. The same is true after reading some of the reviews on the En-Set.

 

[mrthe]

Have you try the En-set before? if yes and if you think that it will work better for you go for it.
Personally i have try it and is a very good tool but i'll never change my Palm control for an En-set( i'm not a very big fan of the low speed) i love the palm controlled graver for me is more sensitive and i feel a better control, and i have no one box on my bench ( and i use two airgravers connected to the sane regulator and airbrush compressor at the sane time a palm and a foot controlled one).
Maybe if you use the Airtact tecnology, you will lose the hand control that for me is very important.
But finally it depend in what you need and how you working,all are greats tools and all do the same good or poor quality work, at the end your hand and knoledges makes the difference
If you are happy with your tool why change it?
In italy we say:
quando si cambia la casa vecchia per la nuova, si sa cosa si lascia, ma non si sa cosa si trova.

 

[oiseau metal arts]

...... ( and i use two airgravers connected to the sane regulator and airbrush compressor at the sane time a palm and a foot controlled one)...

this put the image in my head of you with a graver in each hand cutting away like a madman with both at same time... metal chips flying everywhere...

 

[mrthe]

this put the image in my head of you with a graver in each hand cutting away like a madman with both at same time... metal chips flying everywhere...

Hahaha no no no , " connected" not using at the same time . ..... but have to be funny i will try it

 

[oiseau metal arts]

mrthe.......... it could speed up production.

 

[silverchip]

I like any tool that makes my job better.Sure, I own two of the brands available and have owned the third.They all work a little differently and are all useful tools. If your tool does what you want and you are happy with the way it works for you,use it. The Enset is what I am using now and I am quite happy with it, so that is my tool.If you are going to use air-powered assist engraving tools,try them all if you can and get the one you like best for what you are doing.
I had to laugh at the thought of holding a tool in each hand and cutting away like a madman too!!!!!!!!

 

[Doc Mark]

Although I have not had the pleasure of trying the En-Set, I would never give up my Gravermach AT completely! I am absolutely sold on the palm control of the AT and would not go back to foot-pedal exclusively. It would seem to be going backwards! Now, having said this, I think the slow speed aspects of the En-Set would be beneficial for several conditions. I would love to be able to do single stroke beading punch hits while working under a microscope without worrying about hitting the scope with my hammer. I just don't have any love for foot pedals, even though I use them in my office many hours a day.

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Before giving up your gravermax, you should first make a trial with this tool which I have tested during the Grand Masters Program this year. It is really effective. That's the Maestro handpiece from GRS, slightly modified, shorter and more handy for me, with a new smaller finger touch.
It is a tool extremely easy to use, very sensitive and light . It is perfect for the work with the chasing tools and the punches, especially under the microscope.
Here the result (Thanks to Barry Lee Hands for the photographs):

 

[Sam]

Alain, that is amazing engraving. I hope you'll start another thread where you can show more photos and maybe talk about. Just fantastic work.

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Thank you Sam,
this engraving, rather a sculpture, was the topic of the Grand Masters Program at Glendo this year.
It was a very difficult project to realize but my students have worked well. They held on and they surpassed themselves.I think that everybody had fun and was happy of the result.
It is ok I will start a new thread on this subject later.

Alain, that is amazing engraving. I hope you'll start another thread where you can show more photos and maybe talk about. Just fantastic work.

 

[Christian DeCamillis]

Alain,

Yes of course beautiful work. Will you smooth the surface of your sculpted work and trim the edges? If so how do you do that by burnishing or scraping or a combination of the two? Or do you leave it as it appears in the photo to give it a more organic look. I realize that this is magnified greatly and appears much more smoothly to the naked eye.

I remember that Phillipe Griffnee would burnish and give it a polished look. I prefer to leave some of the planishing but still make it uniformly smooth. Phillipe said he preferred not to make it so polished but the customers always wanted that.

Chris

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Chris,

the photo was taken during the course of the work, there are thus some small “accidents” which will be eliminated with the completion but I intend to keep this organic aspect rather than to smooth surface.
That gives more life and movement to the engraving.
I do not have an absolute rule concerning the completion, it varies according to the character of the piece. If, for example, instead of a mask grimacing it were a female figure, I would soften more the surface to suggest a finer skin, etc…

A thing also, as you note: the photograph is magnified from 7 to 10 X, that means that the aspect at the real size is smoother than it appears.
In the last century, there were two styles of completion which were opposed: the English style with a very uniform and smooth completion and the French style, more varied in the effects. It is of the latter style that I am inspired.

Alain

 

[Lee]

Bravo Alain, wonderful engraving and you and Chris bring up some excellent points. We must all remember that photos shown on the forum are usually greatly magnified. To the naked eye it looks much different. I sometimes hesitate to post pictures of coins or engravig for that reason, but such is life. I've seen some of your sculpting in person. It has great life and character. Most of the time I prefer the "French" style as you described it. To me it seems to be more alive and natural. Now you have my excuse for not having the ability or being too lazy to polish everything.......but in this case I actually do it intentionally. The example of smoothing to a higher degree, the face or skin of a young lady makes perfect sense.

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Now you have my excuse for not having the ability or being too lazy to polish everything.......but in this case I actually do it intentionally.

Lee,
if you think that it takes less time to complete a work with the chislets, you need, on the other hand, more skill and talent. (I am pulling your leg!)
More seriously, the difficulty which arises with metals is that, in general, after the rough hewing, the reflections caused by the tools marks shine too much and in all directions. This problem is less important with the woodcarving or the stonecarving because these materials have a grain by themselves.
This is why the work with the punches and chislets is so important in order to texture and control the undesirable reflections. This stage of the completion requires know-how and observation, and as much work than the polishing.

 

[Lee]

I could definitely use more talent, skill, time, money, good looks, luck, charisma, vacation.................

 

[Sam]

Especially good looks. I've seen babies cry when you walk into the room. Just sayin.

 

[Lee]

Oh but Sam, don't you know those are cries of joy! Uncle Lee has entered the room...........actually the reason for the beard, lo these many years, is when one is as ugly as I am it is a good move to cover as much as possible. This thread has truly been hijacked. When my looks become a topic of discusion, it's spiraling downward. My apologies.