What is the face ANGLE on your "Onglette & Flat" gravers? - 20 photos

  The correct graver face angle is so very important, that it shouldn't be neglected in being discussed and photographed. "NEVER ASSUME THE MOST OBVIOUS".

 In my 9 years of apprenticeship, my teacher (who was the foreman of a Diamond Setting department in Canada's largest jewellery company), always gave me his gravers to 'sharpen, or reshape'. If I failed to succeed in this 'learning task', he explained to where I went wrong.

 The gravers that he gave me were meant to be used solely in "Bright-Cutting" in this companies exquisite designed jewellery.

 Much emphasis rested upon my 'new found' knowledge. This singular task became essential into the ongoing production of beautifully crafted jewellery.

  The 'angles & shapes' that we will discuss today are shown in the greatest detail. 

   After a mere 65 + years 'shaping gravers', it's my honourable duty to now teach you this 'fine skill'.

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  The fine point of either the 'Onglette & Flat' graver is essential in 'Rough & Bright Cutting'. I see no reason why some gravers are created thick as seen in other videos. 

 This is the fine-shaped FLAT face of a graver. You'll notice the fine tapered steel blade was created just for one purpose, that is to get into the little spaces in the pattern. 

  You can barely see just how thin the face of this graver is. The graver face angle is at a mere 45 degrees. 

 In this photo, the graver face is still a 'tad too thick'. Even in this situation, the graver needs to reshaped on a bench-grinder.

 

 Here is an Onglette graver being nicely held at the preferred angle of 45 degrees. You'll notice that I will ALWAYS apply oil liberally on my Oil-STONE. 

 I NEVER LET THE GRAVER BE HONED ON A 'DRY' SECTION ON THE STONE. The reason is that 'minute overheating' might occur.

 It is sometimes that I'll keep my graver thick as shown, but this rarely occurs.

 Every graver-face in my collection, is at a '45 degree' angle.

    This is the WRONG angle to do any reshaping, I won't delve into those errors here.

   This is my 'preferred graver angle'. You can now see how thin the shaping has been applied. Even with the graver at a very thin #4/0 width, the angle of the face hasn't been jeopardized.

  I've been using this Flat graver for a period of time, the front face angle hasn't being altered one iota.

 

  Every 'graver face' is at the same angle on all of my 18 gravers in my inventory. "Its a learned thing". No matter what the graver width is on any Onglette or a Flat blade, the desired angle is ALWAYS at 45 degrees.

 

 From a tool-store supplied steel blade, I've changed the appearance to a superior cutting 'piece of art'. 

 All of these blades, regardless of the length, will give me outstanding results. These will be inserted into my 'adjustable graver handle'.

  This specially prepared blade has been sculptured for my 'specific needs'. It's still at 45 degrees, not 30, nor 60 degrees.

  

 

  Many times I will keep the Onglette looking like this being shown. The very 'front face angle' is what I'm aiming for.

  Here are my adjustable graver handles doing what is 'best' for me. They are holding any length of graver that I have kept aside for Bright-Cutting.

  Here is a fantastic photo showing the actual 45 degree angle face cutting into the metal.

 

    If the graver needed to be altered or repaired, it is quite easy (for me) on my Bench-Grinder.

  All of this cutting was initiated by 1 or 2 finely created Onglette gravers. Each of these gravers had one purpose, that was to cut into the metal with a 45 degree angle face.

  

  I consider this modified graver to act like a 'surgical blade'.