easiest and cheapest way to get into graving?

[tormentchris]

I think I'm going to make a homemade graver machine. There are a few tutorials on youtube. The question I have does anyone have any tutorials on making the graver bits? I have a bunch of garage door spring and was told they make great gravers. Any recommendations?

thanks, Chris

[DanM]

There is no easy way to get into engraving,least expensive would be hammer and chisel.Everything you might want to know is here........ http://www.igraver.com/sharpening.shtmland http://www.engraverscafe.com/forumdisplay.php?1-Hand-Engraving-Forum . Ask your questions from the experts,most are willing to help beginners.

[JJ Simon]

You can make gravers from W1 drill stock.
Its inexpensive, known steel that will harden nicely.
I've seen and have made a decent amount of gravers from this steel and it performs great.
Past that.
You need the geometry to be right and you need a highly polished set of faces or the graver just drags and jumps etc.
You can make hand push gravers or hammer and chisel style or can go with a machine.

[tormentchris]

Thanks, That's some good stuff. I truly think that will help alot.

[Jim Kelso]

Lots of info here:

 

http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=28624

[Daniel W]

this may not be exactly what your looking for, but I recently made a set of gravers from old worn out 3 corner files. keeping in mind that yes the angles have got to be right in order to work, they have gone through a few of my test passes with out chipping (as some may say is going to happen because I didn't mess with the ht of these files). the tips are holding out decently. I should say that I am doing this as a hammer engraving process.

 

originally I made these to do inlay work in the future, but I've had some really surprising success with what I think is called the Lindsey style of points. I don't have the angles prefect, which leads me to believe that you can have some play with these tools, although, each bevel has to be pretty consistently equal to its opposite side.

 

I got some pictures of my work with a crummy camera - these are some of my first attempts at actual hammered engraving. the tools are not exact to the Lindsey style but their following his examples.

[Brian C Madigan]

You could make gravers and heat treat them etc. As long as they're high carbon steel, they should cut. I'd rather start with HSS blanks. The hard part is sharpening them properly. Unless you have the Lindsay sharpening templates. Then it's much easier.