Hi, I've always liked doing manual stuff and engraving recently caught my eye.
This weekend I finally got started with hammer and chisel and made my own gravers freehand from 4mm round silver steel. The air engravers seem so nice but I first want to see how much I like the hobby.
I joined the forum for help, and right now had two questions:
First I want to ask if my tools look somewhat decent so I can move along to practice with some confidence. On my first attempt I didn't grind a heel and the graver dug in like crazy. After adding it I feel I have a lot more control but still feel kind of clumsy and have trouble controlling the cut depth. Will this come with practice or should I modify my geometries?
Second, which can be related to the question above, is that curves seem awfully hard to make. Particularly tight radii, where I feel there is no way I can do them. Maybe I have to go shallower for these curves or are the gravers to blame?
In the pictures I show one of my gravers and my first cuts in an aluminum bronze coin, steel and aluminum sheet. I tell myself not to feel too bad since we all have to start somewhere