Graver Sharpening

Jewelry Discussion
1

What you need is a curved liner. Or you can heat yours to red curve
it. Harden it. temper and finally repolish John Caro

2

I am using gravers for the first time (#40 Muller, High Speed Steel)
to score some straight lines in a sterling brooch. I am having trouble
sharpening it. I am using a fine oil stone with oil as a lubricant. At
what angle should I slide the graver over the stone ? Should I sharpen
it from the top or the bottom ? (The bottom being the side that is on
the bottom when using the graver) Does anyone know of a reference that
has good photos, preferably on the internet?

Thanks
Milt Fischbein
Calgary Alberta

3

Milt - You should sharpen the graver along the face at about a 45
degree angle. Paying special attention to the bottom most part of the
face. Make sure you run it over some VERY fine sandpaper after
sharpening as the part of the graver coming in contact with the metal
being engraved needs to have a mirror finish.

  • Wendy
4 
    I am using gravers for the first time (#40 Muller, High Speed
Steel) to score some straight lines in a sterling brooch. I am
having trouble sharpening it. I am using a fine oil stone with oil
as a lubricant. At what angle should I slide the graver over the
stone ? Should I sharpen it from the top or the bottom ? (The bottom
being the side that is on the bottom when using the graver) Does
anyone know of a reference that has good photos, preferably on the
internet?

howdee Milt Fischbein! Have I got the pix you really need go to MY
web-site and click onto the month of June/01 (3 & 4th row on the left)
and also to the month of September/01 (top right hand corner)
www.gemzdiamondsetting.com there you will find exactly what you are
looking for!!! the angle of cutting on the oil stone should be about
45 degree angle, DO NOT LEAN THE TOOL too far back, and also don’t
lift you hand too high, 45 is just about right! when you are finished
cutting on the stone you MUST use a polishing paper and remove the
excess metal that was being formed on the sides of the tool. Try and
use a 2/0 and then a 4/0 polishing paper. If you don’t use a paper,
you will transfer any rough edges of the tool onto the item you are
working with. Hey Milt, La’shonah Tova, and a Hag Somaych,eh?
@Gerald Hope this works for you, like YOUR web-site too!
“gerry, the cyber-setter!”

5

Hi All, It’s been awhile since I posted, been busy reorganizing my
shop with new equipment. My question is, Can you all give your
suggestions for sharpening and polishing gravers for stone setting
and bright cutting? I’ve been setting stones for years, but this is
one area I’ve decided to dedicate some time to since it is my
weekest area of jewelry work. Please chime in give suggestions.

Thanks,
Kevin Fertenbaugh
Hasko Jewelers
www.haskojewelers.com

6 
  My question is, Can you all give your suggestions for sharpening
and polishing gravers for stone setting and bright cutting? I've
been setting stones for years, but this is one area I've decided to
dedicate some time to since it is my weekest area of jewelry work.
Please chime in give suggestions.

most shop don’t really have the right thing for gravers sharpening,
the best machine i could imagine would be a ‘Faceter’…perhaps with
some minor modifications, but it would be too expansive to get one
just for the gravers, i ended up constructing an improvised device:
a buffer motor mount with a lapidary Dia wheel, i use 1200 [the
finest u can get in India] but perhaps a 2000 would be better… on
top of it is mounted a cooper wheel with two tracks for two
different grades of Diamond powder +coconut-oil [in here] this must
run full smooth- the gravers are mounted on a chuck- that is fixed
in the correct angle [ i mostly use very small gravers made out of
old carbide and steel rotary burs] the chuck must move up and down
across the wheel without changing its angle! with this u can have
mirror bright graver in just a few minutes, and if u can fix an
‘angle gage’ on the chuck, it is easier to come back to the same
exact angle, akash

7

I have been a hand engraver and a stone setter for 28 years andI
learned how to sharpen my gravers by hand. I use my gravers everyday
all day long. Sharpening is an important skill but it is a task that
can be done by mechanical means faster and better. I started using
GRS equipment 15 years ago and I wouldn’t be without it. I use
carbide for all my square gravers, I can put a perfect edge and a
high polish on one in a couple of minutes and it will last all day
as long as I don’t chip it. You can set any angles that you want and
get them exactly the same every time. And the cuts are so shiny that
if I polished them it would make them duller.

John Wade
www.wadedesignsjewelry.com