Question about the stroke adjustment on the Classic

[Andrew Ovalles]

I've read the description about the difference between the artisan and the classic but i still wanted somewhat of a visual representation.

So while watching a couple of steves videos engraving the SR johnson knife i noticed he did deep engraving outlining the leafs and did very light engraving when doing the shadowing.

Is that how the stroke collar on the classic helps create that flexibility of work or was steve using a more precise graver size?

[Mcahron]

Yes the collar adds a lot of versatility by allowing you to change the speed/impact.The classic is a tool you could use for life,whereas the Artisan is a great tool, you likely would want the adjust-ability of the Classic as your skills grow. Many of the engraving schools have most of the tooling available on the market in their classes,so maybe taking a class and trying several tools is the way to go.

[SVD]

I'm attaching a copy of a chart Steve has posted in the past that gives you an indication of the different stroke speeds available.

Looking at it you'll notice that when you're set for the short end of the stroke range you can get that little baby singing! Almost literally, as a matter of fact.

The slower stroke speeds are heavier - think of it as if you were tapping that graver with a hammer (because that's all the piston is doing). By taking the hammer back further you can hit harder and move the point further with each hit. But if you want really fine control then you don't want the point moving as far with each hit - you just want it to be barely, delicately gliding along.

I've found that in softer metals - like some brass - that the relationship gets weird. Slower, heavier hits can be more controlled and higher speeds can be like trying to work hot butter. The keys are learning to figure out what works best for the cut you're trying to make and learning how to fix your mistakes.