Hello Orchidland,
I have been reading here & there on the web about use of a hammer
hand-piece for light engraving. I own a Foredom #15 Hammer
Hand-piece and would like to do some experimenting using it to
engrave. (I currently do some light engraving by hand, but my hand
strength is limited and I find that I am okay with copper, but
silver and 14K gold are just too hard and I often slip, causing
unsightly deep scratches that often ruin the work) Does anyone here
on the forums do engraving with a hammer handpiece?
Also, what kind of chuck or collet would I need to put in the
handpiece to hold the gravers?
A Linsay system is my dream tool, but if I can do some of the lighter
engraving with my handpeice, I would love to try.
Thank,
Teresa
I’ve played with both the nGraver handpiece and the Foredom
PowerGraver set up.
They both worked quite well, surprisingly well really. Seems like I
found the nGraver a little more adjustable, and despite its blocky
shape, it felt more natural in my hand. I used both of them with a
dial speed control. I don’t know how well they’d handle with a foot
pedal, as I recall you’re supposed to keep the rpms fairly low. Cut
copper and aluminum easily, mild steel with a little effort. I’m sure
it would have cut silver too, since that usually cuts a little
smoother than copper.
I don’t know how you’d get a #15 to hold a graver, but I guess it
might be possible. I’m not sure the stroke length is long enough, but
I can’t say I ever tried.
Before you investigate some fancy collet system though, I’d just
grind and sharpen a graver point into one of the replaceable tips.
That way you could try it out before spending any money, less the
cost of a replacement tip.
Willis