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Cutting Straight Lines

 

Straight lines are very unforgiving. Either they're straight or they're not. In order to engrave perfectly straight lines, you must have an accurage scribed line to follow. Pencil lines are much to thick, so to obtain optimum results, scribe lines with a pair of dividers. Incidentally, make sure your dividers are sharpened to a sharp point, as many are far to dull to scribe a thin line. Using one leg of the dividers on the outside of your work, scribe a thin line at the appropriate distance from the edge. Be careful not to scribe too deeply. You only need a line just bold enough to see. Be careful not to overshoot the corners or you'll have scribe marks that must be polished out.

 

If there's a secret to cutting straight lines, it's to cut TO the line, not ON the line. Assuming the scribed line is straight, cutting next to it will render an engraved line that's as straight as the scribed line. When cutting ON the line, the graver can drift to the right or left, since you're engraving away the scribed line as you cut.

 

Closeup view of cutting to-the-line.
Here you see a bold line framed with a thin hairline. Accuracy made possible by a sharp 120º graver which cut on the inside of the scribed layout lines. Tools used: GRS GraverMach and Monarch handpiece. Tutorial end