Creating a homemade engraving table

By Fabio Penuela

Used to further enhance the beauty of finished jewelry, hand engraving has been around for ages. But thanks to today’s technology and some new techniques, engraving is a bit easier to accomplish these days. There are now specialized tools that not only will securely hold a piece in place for engraving, but also allow the user to reposition the piece easily for proper movement and form while creating an engraved pattern. But sometimes these tools, such as an engraving block and turntable, can be a bit expensive, especially for jewelers just getting started. However, I believe these tools are invaluable when engraving certain patterns, such as scrollwork, so I came up with a homemade micro-turntable that can be easily constructed at a fraction of the price a professional one might cost. This setup allows the engraver to see through his or her microscope while turning the piece without losing sight of the action.

 

 

1. To make your own turntable, pick up a 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch hex cap screw at a local hardware store.

 

2. Apply a reuseable gripping material to the head of the screw. I like to use Thermo-Loc, a special reuseable polymer material that is rigid at room temperature but becomes soft and pliable when heated, making it useful for securing workpieces.

 

 

3. Prepare your engraving block by putting masking tape on the top of the jaws.

 

4. Draw a straight line down the center of the block using a marker. You will use this line as a reference for the central axis.

 

 

5. Place the screw in the center of the ball, making sure that the head is firmly resting on the jaws. This way, when you spin the ball, you can easily identify the center axis through the microscope. This is critical when engraving scrollwork, since you’ll be rotating the entire engraving block instead of moving your hand, and you’ll need the center axis to appear in the microscope’s field of view.

 

 

6. Heat up the gripping material and secure the piece for engraving. The advantage of using this material is that you can put any shape on it, at any angle. Another great thing about this setup is that it allows you to engrave scrolls right at the center of a piece and with excellent control.

 

 

7. If you need to engrave scrolls in a different area of the piece, simply slide the screw away from the center using the line on the tape as a reference for a new center axis right where you want to engrave the scrollwork. And best of all, this method will allow you to slide and turn your piece to engrave wherever you need to, just as a turntable or a position vise would.