Thread: Another Continental Addition - A Gravograph from France

Engraving harder materials is difficult to get sharp edges. The attached photo is a reject of one of the wax seals that I made from brass. As you can see this one was rejected as the edge collapsed between one of the edge serations and the thinner part of the lettering is just too thick. It was cut with a 60 degree solid carbide bit on a CNC mill and it took ages to cut. Note the mirror image lettering.
I imagine the Gragograph has a sharper angle on the 1/8'' cutter and a whole lot less ponies to drive it. I used a Gravograph machine many years ago and even breaking through the anodising on an aluminum plate needed a freshly sharpened bit.

You should try it Bob as I used the Gravograph 30 years ago and they may have improved the design since then. The motor on the unit I used looked smaller and was more like the motor on a flexible shaft engraver (dentist drill).

That's a nice score there Bob.
I would still like one but like most people here I have plenty of projects on the list without another piece of equipment to add more - so obviously I have to get an engraver too.

Michael

Originally Posted by rodm

Mr _homas
I don'_ have a problem wi_h missing _'s. My keyboard doesn'_ have one ei_her so I don'_ miss i_ . Given enough _ime i_ migh_ be fashionable like phone speak.

On a serious note let me know the thickness of the brass as I might have the odd bit to make a T.

The fonts are an unusual 31.3mm high and a usual 1.6mm thick.

Originally Posted by Ueee

Nice buy Bob.....
Without going googling, i'm guessing it uses a spindle to engrave letters and straight lines (or whatever you make a template of). It also looks like you can scale down/up the size of the pattern? I guess the big question is will it replace the need for stamping your graduated base?
A mawson? cheap as chips, but i guess like most things non electronic it has been out dated by CNC.

Edit, Just how big/small is it?

Ewan, it is sitting on a 900mm deep desktop in the photos. Rough measurements are 650 W x 550 D x 300 H. The catalogue states that it's 400 x 405 and weighs 11 kg. The catalogue illustration shows only one type copy slide fitted hence the smaller size.

BT

Hi Bob,
I have some 1.63mm brass sheet we could try.

Originally Posted by rodm

Hi Bob,
I have some 1.63mm brass sheet we could try.

I found the tee Rod so I can at least spell part of my name. It was buried upside down behind some other fonts. I'd obviously only had a boy's look..

BT

You always have to go back for a mummy look, just in case!

Originally Posted by Ueee

You always have to go back for a mummy look, just in case!

When the tray of fonts rolled up in yesterday's mail they looked like they had been unearthed from the seller's garden shed. Cobwebs, sand and dead bugs mixed in with the fonts. The tray had a lid so I inverted it in an attempt to clean out the debris. I was heading up to the shed when I did this. Fonts spilled out onto the lawn and the footpath. I thought the tee was hiding in the buffalo. I was out there tonight with a torch but it started raining so I decided to have one more up look in the tray. And what did I find! TF.

BT

ps.If I can get hold of some 1.6mm brass, I'll have a go at a 1:1 copy of the tee. Then if I'm lucky I'll be able to spell my name.