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| Fine Embellishment Everything from hand engraving and scrimshaw to filework and carving. The fine art end of the knifemaker's craft. |
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#1
08-20-2002, 03:53 PM
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What metals for engraving?
Ok, Engravers...
What metals do you think are best for engraving? Should they be hardened and tempered? How about stainless vs high carbon? Are mild steels engravable? Let us know what surfaces would be best if we are designing a knife with having it engraved as part of the design! Bob Sigmon 
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#2
08-20-2002, 07:57 PM
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hi bob to answer your question i rather engrave 410 or 416 ss they are the best even titatium i guess that how you spell it nickel silver is a real problem for me i hate the stuff brass is ok but 90% of my work is on colt saa and the steel in those guns is soft except if the frames are cased hardened then you must soften it .. but if you have the proper chisels you can engrave the harder steels very easy . ats34 and 440c is also very hard to engrave althou it can be done. i also like to gold inlay most of those steels
__________________ ron p. nott
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#3
08-20-2002, 08:42 PM
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Bob,
Most any metal can be engraved. It's the quality of the cut that differs from metal to metal. My preferences for knife engraving lean towards 416 stainless as the all-around best bolster material. It cuts clean, in that the graver makes a nice curl of metal as it moves along and when you inlay gold, it stands up to the pounding. Carbon steel falls into this catagory as well. Tempered or hardened steels do not make for a pleasurable engraving experience!  The worst of the lot is 303 stainless and I'm sure there are others but fortunately I haven't made their acquaintance!I would rank sterling silver right on top also. Some fine work can be done in this metal. Copper is a great metal if you like the patina it acquires after some time. Brass cuts ok but it varies in quality that I find it to be rather "gummy" in most cases. Nickle I rank between brass and copper. Some grades cut fine while other alloys for nickle are terrible. For sculptural work it's hard to beat coin silver, it works really nice. Possibly the worst thing to engrave is cast alloys. The hidden pits and its crumbling nature will tear an engravers hair out or at the very least cause them to go grey before their time!  Tim
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#4
08-20-2002, 08:51 PM
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Bob,
I forgot to comment on titanium. My experience with this material is limited but it's not a choice engraving metal. The work that I did in this metal took almost twice as long as a normal job would. With the tool breakage and its gummy nature I wouldn't give it a thumbs up. Tim
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#5
08-20-2002, 10:01 PM
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bob I agree with tim and ron. 410 and 416 both cut very nice. sterling silver cut well also. nickle silver is brass with 18 percent nickle in it to give it a white color , I have also heard it refered to as white brass. its not as gummy as brass to cut. Hardend steel is not worth engraving. brass is alright, and copper cuts very similar to silver, I would stick to the stainless steels of the 400 series. 300 stainless is awful stuff to cut.
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#6
08-20-2002, 10:02 PM
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Bob
The blade of a knife can be engraved before it is hardened. When annealed properly, just about any blade material can be engraved even Damascus. The blade must be finished in the grinding process, and care must be tken to avoid excess scale. Brian
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#7
08-21-2002, 07:57 AM
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tim and chris i couldnt have said it better . but i do like to engrave and gold inlay titanium i think that it cuts real clean . now i am useing a new chisel that steve lindasy sells it is carbide and colbolt and it last for ever and cuts sharp
ron p. nott __________________ ron p. nott
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#8
08-22-2002, 02:26 PM
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I like engraving 416 the best, its what I've used on my folders for years. 1018 mild steel cuts beautifully and I use it on blued dagger guards.
CP titanium engraves pretty easily but is a bit gummy. I have'nt tried 6al4v yet. Nickel silver is lame and quit using it decades ago. Wow that makes me feel old lol. I am engraving a colt automatic pistol in .38 super and don't know what steel it is but it cuts great! I also use exclusively now Steve Lindsay's carbalt gravers. Am on the 4th knife and only had to touch up the point, they seem to cut forever and not break 
__________________ 
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#9
08-24-2002, 08:17 PM
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hi tim ... i engrave 4al6v and i like it it cuts very clean and it gold inlays real nice now if you want a nice effect color the 4al6v after you gold inlay it .. under cutting it is a bit harder than 416 or gun steel if you use that chisel i showed everybody and you make sure it is very sharp you wont have any trouble ron p. nott
__________________ ron p. nott
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#10
08-25-2002, 02:24 PM
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For Me the better question is........
What material(s) do I prefer NOT to engrave
.As of right now, I have found the only materials that I do not like to engrave on are hardened steel and Bronze! If you have engraved, then you know hardened steels are a pain. As to bronze,,,,,, so far the only bronze i have worked was a set of bronze kitchen/steak knives belonging to a friend. They offered me the use of the knives as practice materials and it was a learning experiance. But I would not choose bronze as a prefered material. Just my $ .02 worth! Falconhawk __________________ The differance between custom work and production is the soul that is imparted by the maker. The Samuri knew this...........
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#11
08-26-2002, 12:03 AM
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Your right falconhawk, bronze, Brass, alumanum, platanum,
All these and some others are real sticky and have a tendency to build up on the bottum of your graver making things a real pain in the back side. I also must agree with the other guys on what they like to engrave. But my favorate as allways been 14 Karat Green Gold. I know it has some brass and or alumanum in it but it just cuts like butter  Darren
__________________ DarrenP.Reeves Custom Hand Engraving Billings, Montana 1-406-245-3444 Knife in Avatar Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.
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#13
08-26-2002, 11:25 AM
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metals to cut
Tim,
I got ya beat, I have seen some of Darren's work. My humble opinion....... os course..... Darren doe some of the finest "western" envraving around. His work is awesome!
__________________ The differance between custom work and production is the soul that is imparted by the maker. The Samuri knew this...........
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#14
08-26-2002, 11:54 AM
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It took a little clicking around but I got to see the thumbnails of Darren's engraving. Very, Very Nice!!!! (JMO - Imagestation SUCKS)
Darren, if you would like me to post some of your work just email me the pics with a title and I'll pop them up for you. People need to see your work! Bob Sigmon Last edited by Bob Sigmon; 08-26-2002 at 12:17 PM.
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#15
08-26-2002, 05:39 PM
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Sorry guys that the link didn't work
 although I have been using computers for a long time I still get alittle messed up with this uploading and URL's and the like. Falconhawk thanks for the nice words, and BTW got your pics, looking good my man, keep up the good work. Bob Thank you very much for the kind offer. I will e-mail you tonight. Any seguestions on a good place to store some photos on the web ? This is truly a great forum and a awsome group of folks. Darren __________________ DarrenP.Reeves Custom Hand Engraving Billings, Montana 1-406-245-3444 Knife in Avatar Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.
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