I would add, though, a Chicago Air Scribe for moving serious
metal. Is the Chicago Air Scribe in addition to or instead of the
GraverMax?
Opinions vary of course, but frankly, I was not impressed with the
Chicago Air Scribe. Mine, after an evaluation period, got stored
away somewhere as not too useful, at least to me. One important
difference to keep in mind between the CAS and machines like the GRS
or Lindsay tools is that the CAS really isn’t intended to have lots
of different shaped tips. You can’t, for example, easily mount a good
graver in it, and it’s impact type isn’t so suited to that in any
case. I know some people like the CAS, but I didn’t. Frankly, for
really moving serious metal, I’m still pretty much a fan of the
Badeco 222 hammer handpiece…
Peter
Frankly, for really moving serious metal, I'm still pretty much a
fan of the Badeco 222 hammer handpiece...
I would second that. In fact unless you have a burning desire to
learn engraving, a GRS or Lindsay air powered handpiece is really
overkill. The Badeco or other brands of flexshaft powered hammer
handpiece will do almost everything a GRS or Lindsay will do, except
for hand engraving, for far less money, especially when you figure in
an air compressor and all the other goodies needed. Air tools are
really nice for bead setting and pave work as you can fit a beading
tool and they help with bright cutting, but unless you are doing a
lot of that kind of work, it’s hard to justify the expense.
For most stone setting a hammer handpiece is more than adequate. I
would recommend getting a geared Foredom flexshaft (series EE) if you
can find one and money is there for such a tool, but it certainly
isn’t necessary. Just use a slow speed and adjust the power of the
strokes up little by little until you have the right power setting
for the job at hand. The Badeco can deliver a lot of power at a slow
speed, more than the other brands I have tried, including the GRS and
Lindsay air tools. It can also be set to just barely tap, useful for
setting a soft stone in a soft bezel. The budget brands work almost
as well, but wear out faster. Some will tell you the duplex spring is
not a good idea, some will tell you it’s great. I like it, as it
allows the handpiece to be moved around a bit more easily, but they
do wear out pretty quickly.
You can also shape the tips to achieve different textures, like a
polished sharp point to make a “Laser Luster” look (there is a point
available that is set with a two or three point diamond set with the
pavilion exposed for this purpose, but it’s pricey and a little
delicate), or shape them to fit a specific job, like hammering a
channel next to a raised wall. I like to polish any tip I use as it
makes clean up a little easier. Just don’t hit a stone with the tip.
You almost certainly will break it, or at least damage it. It is also
quite easy to break a stone opposite where you are hammering by
pushing it into the opposite side of the setting. Just like almost
anything else jewelry related, take your time, and think it through
before you start hammering.
Dave