New to engraving and new to Plam control airgraver.

[Zernike Au]

Hi all and Steve,

I am from Hong Kong and I am new to engraving, I start learning engraving(self-learning, no course, no school here for engraving!!!) a month ago. I think my experience may give some idea for those those who are new to engraving.
I come across your website just a few weeks after I bought GRS's whole system for engraving. After visiting your wonderful website, I decided to order your palm control air graver. By the time I wait for your air graver, I start practice with the GRS tool. There are a lot of problems to tackle with. First is the handpiece that I bought, it is the very small power one (they have at least 6 hand piece for different power, it doesn't make sense to have a tools like that!) as I want to engrave the script in small size. If I need a deeper cut or larger stem cutting, it is impossible to do that. The other problem is the action of the engraving is not sensitive... sometimes the graver run like a dog and fly away...it just didn't listen to me!!!.I got a bit messy I understand it is partly because of I am new to engraving and don't have enough experience to master the technique. But it seems it is very difficult for me to use my hand, my eye and my foot to make a perfect cut. The handpiece is very limited, I may need to buy 3 or 4 more handpiece if I want go further to learn scrolls and other engraving technique. Further, the graver vibrate vigorious in my hand and after a few hours playing, my hand keep shaking for a long time and it is very tire! The more I use this tool, the more I think I was so stupid to buy it. A handpiece with limited range of power, a roaring machine with tubing make my bench a bit messy, the fixture for grinding the graver got a rather large tolerance so everytime I have to gride all the face so as to get a perfect angle (I can never get the same angle if the graver is remove from the fixture for re-sharping)I want to learn engraving so I have to keep on, keep on....and "pay for learning!!!"

Today I got your air graver, I go crazy! After the easy and simple connection, it take me only just 10-20 seconds to try the first few cut and examine the knobs, this tools seems already become part of my hand, I can control it easily, not matter it is by push or by squeeze it to start the cut, I can cut very fine and very deep cut in one action, I can stop and start again whenever I want. The straight line that I practice is more straight, the curve line is far more smooth, the beauty stem can have more variation. The graver can dancing in my hand by following the rhythm of my heart. I am so happy with it and I hold the graver in my hand for a long time. I use it for many hours without feeling fatigue with my hand. Just don't want to put it down. This air graver not only functions very well with your clever design but also with a very beautiful appearance. The warm and elegance burl handle together with the high quality machining of the steel parts, makes the graver itself is a piece of art and also a small engine in my hand. I am a product designer and I cannot find any negative comments for your perfect arigraver, the only thing I am considering now is that if you can have a small adaptor for the tube to connect and disconnet to the burl head of the graver, it will be better for storage of the airgraver if it is not in use.


Below is a photo of the first letter engraving by using your palm control airgraver. It is not good and I would like to any of your comments. It's a long long road for me to learn.



Zernike

[Andy]

Zernike,
Let me be the first to welcome you here and say that your lettering looks very good for being a new engraver. It seems that everyone who purchases one of Steve's tools feels the same as you do. I bought my first one 7 years ago and fell in love with it. You will come to appreciate it more and more as your experience grows.

[Dave London]

Zernike
Welcome to the forum great work for a new engraver keep it up, Warning Steve's tools can be habit forming.

[Tom McArdle]

Welcome! Very nice lettering for a beginner. many consider lettering one of the most difficult skills for an engraver to learn.

You must have some art or other type of lettering experience.

Keep up the good work!

Tom

[jacques herbst]

:seeya: :seeya: :seeya: :seeya: :seeya:

[Zernike Au]

Thank you Andy, Tom and Dave, I enjoy this forum so much as here I can find a lot of useful information in the art of engraving. I am really appreciated wih all your contributions.

Zernike

[KurtB]

Zernike welcome! My reaction to the Palmcontrol was nearly identical to yours. It is a gem; a natural extension of your hand and mind. I did not have the slightest problem using the hand vs. foot, and personally could not imagine having to return to a foot control. I like having my feet kicked up on my bar-stool chair... it takes some of the weight off my rear end!

[Zernike Au]

Hi KurtB,
Nice to meet you! I read many of your post and I really enjoy them especially your machine work. The grinding machine you made is excellent. I can't breath when I saw your grinding fixture which is far far much more better than that of xxs. I want to make one but I am afriad I don't have such good knowledge and skill like you.

Zernike

[Tim C]

Welcome Zernike,
Very nice work for a beginner, you have a good eye.
I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
Tim C

[jlseymour]

Welcome Zernike,
Nice engraving, I also bought alot of GRS equiptment after taking one of their courses...
I took Ray Covers course because he has all the diffrent equiptment...
I Fell in Love For the First Time and Never Looked Back and have rarely picked up my GRS equiptment...
Take a trip and try Rays School, You'll Love It and learn from one of the best...
JL Seymour

[Jeweler81]

Great job with the lettering I would have never known U are a beginner!!!