Gravers

[J Allison]

Morning , hope everyone is well . What gravers do people use to tidy up bezel edges .
Thanks John

[ps_bond]

Narrow HSS flat with a bright polished radius heel on it most of the time.

[Goldsmith]

As Peter says, use a flat scorper with a bright polished cutting face, I use many sizes for different jobs with widths from 0.5mm. up to 3mm. I don't use HSS steel ones as mine were all bought before HSSS was available so I cannot comment on HSS scorpers but with normal tool steel scorpers I always shape them on a grinder then harden and temper them before use.
This photo shows one of my scorpers shaped ready for use alongside a bezel set stone with a cleaned up setting edge.

How I prepare my tool steel scorpers
12498

12499

James

[ps_bond]

My main reason for using HSS rather than carbon is laziness - they stay sharp & bright longer. I've also got some annealed flat scorpers I use near very soft stones, but they need constant sharpening.

[china]

I think the only way you would obtain a other than HSS these days would be to make your own, key steel is a good source of carbon steel can be fashioned into lots of things.
HSS is more forgiving when grinding as it survives a much higher temperature before loosing hardness, I always finish mine on a Arkansas stone, I was told recently that you can not get a acceptable edge without using a guide, mine seem to cut well and I have only ever shaped and sharpened freehand, now I just need to train them to behave correctly when applied to metal.

[alastairduncan]

Like Peter and James I use a flat scorper. I have a couple of the vallorbe flat scorers which I've had for years. I also have a couple of scorpers I've made from 2.3mm hss. They fit into tool holders such as the those used in the GRS system. You can use the hand piece without power for the trimming tasks. The 100mm blanks are cheap but they do need to be ground. I use a diamond hone on a steel arbour in a mill/drill press. I also use an Arkansas stone like Bob.

[ps_bond]

...I was told recently that you can not get a acceptable edge without using a guide...

It's almost as if engraving wasn't done at all before the invention of the Crocker sharpener. Or perhaps that's a crocker something else... Wayne Parrot taught me the basics of getting a good edge freehand, the rest is practice & muscle memory

Guides are useful, granted - providing your graver/scorper actually fits them. I use one for the Airgraver, but usually only when I've decided my freehand touching up of the edges isn't getting the results I want.