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Engraving Tactics in Bronze

Nibleswick

Aluminum
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
I am setting up to engrave a plaque for a headstone in bronze. It needs to be cut deep enough that it looks like it was done with a chisel. I would like some advice on how to go about it without breaking tools. I have three different tools ready to hand that could work.
They are:
Single flute carbide engraving tool 1/4 dia .015 tip 60 degree angle.
Two flute carbide mill/drill 3/16 dia 90 degree angle tip unknown.
Two flute carbide spot drill 1/8 dia 90 degree angle tip unknown.

Which cutter do you all think would work best?

How deep I will need to go is dependent on the angle of the cutter and it's tip diameter. With the 60 degree tool I'll need to cut about .083 deep with the others about .056. Should I use depth cuts? How large of cuts would you take? I can set it in Mastercam to either take cuts with the same step down each time or so that the cutter is cutting the same volume of material with each step, which would be preferable?

The Feeds and speeds I've looked up recommend about 250sfpm with a .002 chip load, and seems a little aggressive to me for that fine a tip. What are y'alls thoughts about that?
 
I'd use the first one, go max RPM, and light chipload; .0005" to .001". Lots of coolant to flush the chips and keep them from sticking to the tool. You could probably do full depth, plus a skim pass to make it pretty.
 
Just an FYI...
If the plaque is not flat on top, the width of your engraving is going to vary. Less so with a small included angle cutter, more with a broader angle.
 
So, I'm running the test plaque now. I'm using the first cutter at .0004 chipload, roughing it out with two equal volume passes then a finish pass. Mastercam says it'll take about six hours. It's going slow but it looks really nice.
 








 
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