Engraver sharpening

[roklock]

Hello,

Looking in the archives I am seeing that certain gravers are to be sharpened to this degree or that degree. How are you measuring this? How are you sure the angle is correct? By eye? A tool?

Thanks,

Steve

 

Steve, I use a GRS power hone and sharpening fixture[url] http://www.grstools.com/[/url] . It costs a bit but is fast and provides repeatable accuracy. I also use it for my carving chisels. I wouldn't be without it.

Cody

 

[rich pierce]

If you have a simple protractor this is helpful. if not, make one up. A 3/4/5 triangle (3" on flat leg, 4" on vertical leg, and 5" on the hypotenuse) has 30 degree and 60 degree angles. A right trangle with equal vertical and horizontal legs has 45 degree angles. Fold in half and you have 22.5 degree angles, etc.

You know this but might not think to make your own guide on the spot in 2 minutes.

 

[boar]

Rich That was all greek to me. Dilly

 

[paulvallandigham]

Boar Dilly: Most machine shops make a " gauge " with multiple angles ground into a piece of plate steel, for the tool bits, or, in this case, for the gravers you are going to sharpen. Its faster to simply use a steel gauge that has the correct angle in it to check the angle of your graver's edge, than using a protractor.

All angles are multples, or halves, of other angles. A Right Angle is 90 degrees. Half of that is 45 degrees. If you make a triangle with a 90 degree set of sides, with one side being 3 inchs, or 3 feet long, and the other being 4 inches or for feet long, the hypotenuse of the triangle- the diagonal line from end to end- will be 5 inches, or 5 feet. If you find a carpenter's square, or buy a triangle gauge at a hardward store, it is likely to have a combination of these simple angles, as have been described. Machinist's squares also have these combinations of angles. If you search the net, or some of the larger tool stores, you can even find the steel gauges that other shops simple make for themselves. I used them in my shop class in high school back in 1961.

In order to quickly check the bevels on chisels, gravers, knives, and wedges, it easier to use a gauge, rather than the more cumbersome,and more likely to produce an error, Protractor, as Murphy's law says you are never going to have a protractor of the right size to use for whatever it is you need to measure, when you need it. You will of course, find the damn thing about 10 minutes after you no longer need it! :cursing:

 

[boar]

Paul Thanks for the reply. Dilly