I would like to apply a Florentine finish to a piece of jewelry I’m
making.
I’ve seen it done, but I don’t remember the tool specifications. I
saw line engravers online, but got confused by their specs - I don’t
know what is considered to be a fine liner and what is a coarse liner
all the tools are marked with 2 measurements, gauge and number of
line, for example 8/8 is 8 lines spaced 0.004" apart’ and there are
lots of other sizes. I don’t know if that would make a fine or coarse
finish. Can someone please direct me to a tool guide, or otherwise
help choosing a basic set of gravers to make fine/medium/coarse
Florentine finish?
I probably am not the one to answer your florentine question, since I
am not a hand engraver, and my knowledge is pretty sketchy. I have
several different florentine gravers though, and when I want to apply
a finish, I experiment to see which looks best on a particular job.
Larger areas I will use a coarser line finish, while in smaller,
tighter areas a fine finish looks better.
Get a couple, and play around to see what works best?
and when I want to apply a finish, I experiment to see which looks
best on a particular job.
Your standard industry Florentine is #14. I use a 14/12 graver for
that though florentining in largely passe these days. I have a finer
liner that doesn’t have the numbers on it anymore that’s maybe a 16
or 18, I also have a #8 that’s pretty wide. The coarser liners are
harder to use because they take more muscle and effort to get right.
Cut the base first - you’ll find it far easier to cut towards edges.
Cut 1/2 the space towards the far edge, turn it around and start in
your previous cuts and then cut the other half towards the far edge-
It may sound confusing in writing but you’ll see. Then go back and
cut your crosshatch. Standard Florentine is 100% crosshatch. I kind
of like what’s called “linen” a bit more - that’s 100% on the first
cut and then you skip on the second cut in a regular pattern. It
looks like a weave - like linen - peeking through here and there.
I got a florentine bur from Rio many years ago which I love and am
still using. The bur is a cylinder shape with sharp straight
parallel lines cut into it and quickly - and easily - produces nice
even cuts. I use this a lot to put a pattern on bezels. Sometimes
I’ll go over the lines a second time from a different angle for a
cross hatch effect. At the time Rio offered several sizes but they
no longer carry them. I wanted to try some different sizes so I
ordered a couple burs listed as ‘Florentine’. can’t remember the
vendor. Unfortunately these did not have lines cut in them. They
have a sandblasted type of surface. They leave an interesting finish
but not the one I wanted. I’m still looking for the lined burs like
my old one. will have to do a Google search.
Earlier this week I had to do a serious repair on a heavy Tiffany
18K San Marco style bracelet. The bracelet had a florentine finish,
that I had to reproduce after the repair, and I used a florentine
bur very similar to this one, and the store owner could not spot the
repaired areas when the bracelet was delivered.
On this Tiffany piece, the Florentine tool had only been used in one
direction, but the finish was a true hand cut Florentine design from
another era.
Thanks to all forum members who contacted me both off and on line
regarding these burs. This really is a sharing community! I actually
have the Otto Frei Florentine burs. They produce a nice satin finish
but not the line pattern that my Rio one does. The cut on them is
different. At this point my bur is doing a good job so I really
don’t need a replacement. It doesn’t get heavy use so it should last
me well into my dotage! I’ve had it at least twenty five years and
at the time it was around $40. which is why I didn’t buy all three
sizes that were offered at the time.
I also have a ‘checkering’ file that produces a line pattern, just
not as deep as the bur. These produce an interesting finish, are
available in various cuts and are easy to use.
By the way, a while ago I actually found a bur manufacturing company
that offered multiple sizes of Florentine burs. Can’t remember the
name-not one I was familiar with. So I saved it to my favorites list
on my computer for future reference. Then my computer died and of
course that info didn’t transfer to my new one. Oh well.
Thanks to all forum members who contacted me both off and on line
regarding these burs. This really is a sharing community! I actually
have the Otto Frei Florentine burs. They produce a nice satin finish
but not the line pattern that my Rio one does. The cut on them is
different. At this point my bur is doing a good job so I really don’t
need a replacement. It doesn’t get heavy use so it should last me
well into my dotage! I’ve had it at least twenty five years and at
the time it was around $40. which is why I didn’t buy all three sizes
that were offered at the time.
I also have a ‘checkering’ file that produces a line pattern, just
not as deep as the bur. These produce an interesting finish, are
available in various cuts and are easy to use.
By the way, a while ago I actually found a bur manufacturing company
that offered multiple sizes of Florentine burs. Can’t remember the
name-not one I was familiar with. So I saved it to my favorites list
on my computer for future reference. Then my computer died and of
course that info didn’t transfer to my new one. Oh well.