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Hello all
While I wait for the new CNC machine been made by JazzCNC :beer: I'm watching tons of various cnc vids on youtube every night with excitement :)
Last night I came across diamond drag compression bit mounted in the spindle, (spindle turned off) then just drag around to etch glass or stone etc..
My question is.. Is this bad for the spindle and mount assembly as your basically pulling it about with a force against it?
If not.. cool as it looks quite fun.
Cheers
Dodgy Geezer him watch it.!:cower:Quote:
Originally Posted by jmac80
No won't affect spindle provided not constantly using it this way. In which case you would have it mounted to Z axis in it's own holder.
Off course.. mount it to the z axis.. makes sense and now you say it.. so obvious :)
I’ve just recently started using one of these engraving carbon is so much easier quicker and cheaper.
I only put a Z depth of .75 meaningless I no because it depends on spring tension.
What one do you use mate?
I see this USA one with 1/2 or 1/4 shank for about $180.. then a UK based one for about £45..
Is the usa one just a fancy "Made In the USofA" sticker adding
£100? :)
$180
http://www.widgetworksunlimited.com/..._engrv-500.htm
or
£45
http://www.dragengraving.com/
I actually got mine from the good old US of A but was £56 if I recall from this seller, I’ve got a new diamond saved just in case.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F292371269198
But that’s pants down price for what I’m doing it does the job just fine, I’m only engraving logos and my RC name on parts.
I used to use a normally engraving bit but carbons tolerances of +-5% means engraving was a ball ache, I only engraved .1 deep so some parts would get missed that’s when the ball ache came in I’d need to re do those missing bits [emoji23]
Engraving carbons only braking the resin so not a great deal of load.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e39ec2ed32.jpg
Shows up real nice when you add some colour
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8fc9b4c0ef.jpg
Oh man that look's sweeet :beer:
What do you use to add colours, just spray paint then wipe off glossy surface instantly with maybe a bit of masking..?
Cheers [emoji12]
I just used a sharpie pen colour then wipe off then keep doing it till it’s nice and clear, then used a Q tip dipped in petrol to get any off that dried before I wiped off [emoji23]
simple but effective :)
Only thing with sharpies is life span, wife uses them on jewellery she hand stamps.
bit of masking and airbrush maybe the thing to try. :eagerness:
Have you ever tried laser engraving with your cnc router? also looking at them 4w laser addons and they look quite fun s well :)
I only really make them coloured for sales pictures mate [emoji23]
But depends what parts will determine life it’s rc related parts gas rc, so the front and side parts stop on, the rear behind the engine if the exhaust seal goes then that prays shite all over.
We’ve just got a laser engraver at work and keep forgetting to bring in some carbon to test [emoji23]
Nice one
Was looking at the j tech 4w laser engraver.. but man what a price for a 4w laser.
Dean makes some nice parts I've seen them in the flesh.:victorious:Quote:
Originally Posted by jmac80
Dean makes some nice routers I’ve got one [emoji12][emoji106]
me also one day :)
jazzcnc any ideas on mounting a drag bit to the Z, easy enough to add later or best to incorporate into design now?
Best done now really but to be fair if your only using occasionally then I wouldn't worry about using it in the spindle.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmac80
ok cheers mate
:beer:
At the risk of seeming a pit picky can I point out that Drag Engraving Cutters are a different thing to Drag Knives, one is not directional and is used for engraving hard surfaces, the other is directional, cutting sheet material and swivels under drag or power to maintain orientation in the direction of cut.
Anyone searching for Drag Knives may be confused.
And so they bloody should be if reading this thread because nobody mentioned Drag knives here.!!:stupid:Quote:
Originally Posted by magicniner
They changed my meds, what can I say? :monkey:
I think the opening post mentioned a drag knife but you can’t etch glass and stone with these, so anybody reading the full thread won’t be confused [emoji12]
It’s now been edited
Yes I edited out the word "knife" :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:
We all knew what I was talking about in my n00bish gibberish :thumsup:
Sorry to raise this thread from the dead, but it's 2022 and the links are mostly dead. dragengraving.com still functions but after emailing the contact address and getting no response I'm a little reluctant to order from them for fear of throwing money down a black hole. Any more recent suggestions?
Well as would luck would have it: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143161401121
Send him a message as he doesn't have any listed at the mo, his are known to be good, he has options for both Diamond PCD and another type he prefers (cant remember what it was called now) that are much harder tips...
or make your own holder/spring and order the Diamond insert tips only :), the eBay link above will show you other sellers selling they same sort of thing as well...
:)
Info from his listing:
https://youtu.be/eIquDlnu7wAQuote:
DESCRIPTION
SPRING LOADED ENGRAVING TOOL BIT HOLDER INCLUDING
DIAMOND PCD DRAG ENGRAVING BIT AND 2 CUSTOM SPRINGS

PLEASE READ COMPLETE DESCRIPTION BEFORE PURCHASE - YOU WILL FIND IT VERY HELPFUL
This is my brand new Mai 2019 updated spring loaded drag engraving tool. It can be used on any engraving machine that has a standard 1/4 inch collet. I offered this tool first on 22th Mai 2019 because prior that date I did not find material hard enough and design that I can successfully finish that would withstand axial forces once drag engraving.
WHY did I manufacture 7mm tools in the past? During my cooperation with Rogaska Crystal, Fiskars and MontBlanc we tested MANY, MANY, MANY engraving tools I made specially for them and made about 50 modifications on spring engraver and finally we came to conclusion that 7mm diameter is smallest possible diameter to handle all forces during metal engraving process. Standard 1/4 inch dia tool would be fine, but is just made on the limit.
How come that now 6mm diameter is enough? I found the way how I can make my tool from 440B type Martensitic Stainless Steel. This is same material that is used to manufacture cutting tools and dies. Now I can make all sizes larger than 6mm diameter without any limitation. If you are looking for smallest 6mm tool, please click here and find my 6mm drag engraving MSS tool.
1/4 inch ENGRAVING TOOL COMES WITH 2 SPRINGS
1 for soft material engraving (like gold, copper, etc.) and
1 spring for hard material engraving (steel, SS HRC,...)
and
1PC POLYCHRISTALINE CARBIDE PCD 1/8¨ 60 DEGREE ENGRAVING TIP
If you are engraving different materials thats the right bit for you.
Do not be fooled with diamond engraving bits, these are only for special purposes and if you run them within different materials you will break them really fast. Also results on most materials are same or worse than with PCD bits. Before you purchase I advice you to ALWAYS educate yourself as knowledge is key to good results!
"First and foremost, think of PCD as the marathon runner, as it will yield the best results in continuous and steady cutting of homogeneous materials. Diamond tooling is not advisable as an all-round tool that will be required to meet demands of a wide range of cutting applications on a day to day basis. So, if you are engraving different materials and want one tool to do it all, the diamond tool will not be able to excel as well as it will if you are engraving, for instance, 3/4″ MDF all day long." - review by professional tool manufacturer Guhdo tools
BE SMART, do not purchase cheapest or most expensive engraving bits available as they are not made for everybody - you can have problems because low quality bits dia are not exactly 3.175mm (1/8 inch), but you will overpay for real diamond bits and have same results as with PCD! Do I even have to say that using real diamond bits to engrave other than Ceramics, Glass or Crystal is just crazy. The toughness of diamond is about 2.0 MPa which is good compared to other gemstones, but poor compared to most engineering materials like PCD. So if I take a hammer and hit a hammer hard, yeah diamond gonna break.
If you use my engraving tool with original PCD engraving tips, you will get engraving tolerance 0,01mm on all materials!
I do sell spare PCD diamond engraving tips for only 9,95$.
WHAT TO EXPECT: With my engraving tool you will be able to do very detailed engravings on uneven surfaces and the engraving remains even. The holder's small size offers "many great advantages" over other "larger" and/or "longer" spring loaded holders that need to extend far beyond the spindle nose resulting in "excessive tool tip run out". The small size of my engraving tool holders makes these the most versatile engraving tools available… BUT they are VERY hard to manufacture due to small parts and needed accuracy!
SPECIFICATION: The tool has a precision ground 1/4 inch dia Martensitic stainless steel body compatible with any 1/8" (3.175mm) engraving bit. The overall length is approx. 2" (50mm) & there is up to 1/4" (7mm) travel.
ENGRAVING ADJUSTMENTS (FORCE): engraving tool has a linear adjustable engraving force using an M5 screw. Tests were made engraving on the aluminum glass, steel, silver and gold but the engraving tool can also be used with many other materials.
TO EXPECT: With my engraving tool you will be able to do very detailed engravings on uneven surfaces and the engraving remains even. The holder's small size offers "many great advantages" over other "larger" and/or "longer" spring loaded holders that need to extend far beyond the spindle nose resulting in "excessive tool tip run out". The small size of my engraving tool holders makes these the most versatile engraving tools available… BUT they are VERY hard to manufacture due to small parts and needed accuracy!
UPGRADE: Due to questions if you can use my tool for gold engraving, silver and other materials, I did upgrade this tool with two customs springs. One that will cause smaller engraving force and other larger engraving force. That way you can engrave all materials from extra soft like gold, up to stainless steel HRC.
WHATS INCLUDED
1pc spring engraver tool,
1pc 60° Polycarbide Diamond PCD Engraving Tip,
2 custom springs that make tool possible to engrave all materials
Tools are made in my own machine shop & each one is assembled, inspected and tested before packaging.
Each tool comes with 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!
I do accept also custom orders (contact me).
Thanks Lee - been following up your suggestions although haven't succeeded yet. There are some that have appeared on eBay for about £35 so I might just take a punt on one of those to get me started.
This is my solution:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Roberts
https://youtu.be/NZUBHKXMfBc
It is a separate 3D printed tool holder, and in my case it takes any sort of tip up to 6mm shaft diameter. It works very well on any surface, including steel plates.
Really nice job @A_Camera, I am just watching this now...
Also following your lathe build with interest, you should update your signature with links to your build logs so others see them/find them :)