Gremlin Report post Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) Yes, you can. I was looking into this recently and some informaton from this very board that appears to have been lost. Google had the info cached and I plucked it from there. I quote: The plastic that Verlane uses is LDPE. Which stands for either, "low density poly ethelene" or "low density poly eurathane" can't remember which just at the moment. Verlane kindly gave me a sample of it. It works realy great! Just place it over a drawing (mirror imaged) of your patern and then engrave the lines with an oscillating engraver (not a rotary engraver). These engravers are less than $20 at hardware store. Scourcing the plastic can be a bit tricky. It is used by the people who make prosthetics. So find a medical supply company. I've been told that you can also heat it with a hair dryer and then shape/mould it around the swell of a saddle fork for transfering tooling paterns onto swell covers. Have not actualy tried that yet, but given time I will. I have taken this information and obtained a piece of .020 LDPE (low density poly ethelene), tried it, and it works great. I cannot take credit for this information because, as I mentioned, it is information that this board lost which I was able to gather from Google's cache so thank you to the original posters of this information. Also, as I discovered on this search, if you search Google for something that did not reappear here on the board, you might still be able to see it in Google by selecting the cached link that appears below the individual search results. Edited January 18, 2008 by Gremlin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Yes, you can.I was looking into this recently and some informaton from this very board that appears to have been lost. Google had the info cached and I plucked it from there. I quote: The plastic that Verlane uses is LDPE. Which stands for either, "low density poly ethelene" or "low density poly eurathane" can't remember which just at the moment. Verlane kindly gave me a sample of it. It works realy great! Just place it over a drawing (mirror imaged) of your patern and then engrave the lines with an oscillating engraver (not a rotary engraver). These engravers are less than $20 at hardware store. Scourcing the plastic can be a bit tricky. It is used by the people who make prosthetics. So find a medical supply company. I've been told that you can also heat it with a hair dryer and then shape/mould it around the swell of a saddle fork for transfering tooling paterns onto swell covers. Have not actualy tried that yet, but given time I will. I have taken this information and obtained a piece of .020 LDPE (low density poly ethelene), tried it, and it works great. I cannot take credit for this information because, as I mentioned, it is information that this board lost which I was able to gather from Google's cache so thank you to the original posters of this information. Also, as I discovered on this search, if you search Google for something that did not reappear here on the board, you might still be able to see it in Google by selecting the cached link that appears below the individual search results. Gremlin, what brand, model number, etc... engraver did you use? Thanks for the re-post from the lost episodes! Marlon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gremlin Report post Posted January 18, 2008 I have a cheapo oscillating one that I used at work engraving computers. I picked it up, unpackaged, at a local electronics store for about $25.00. I don't know the brand name but it wasn't expensive. The low density poly ethelene (LDPE) was also quite inexpensive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks, I'll give it a look around town. did you buy your plastic at McMaster? Marlon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gremlin Report post Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) No, I got it at a local plastics supplier. http://www.johnstonplastics.com/con_winnipeg.htm This is the stuff I got - http://www.johnstonplastics.com/mech_ldp.htm the .020 roll stock Edited January 18, 2008 by Gremlin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Ok, One more question. How do you know your engraver is oscillating or rotating? I don't know much about them. Thanks for answering all my questions. Marlon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gremlin Report post Posted January 18, 2008 That's what I asked for when I went to the counter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roger Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Ok,One more question. How do you know your engraver is oscillating or rotating? I don't know much about them. Thanks for answering all my questions. Marlon a rotating engraver would be like a dremel. an oscillating engraver "hammers" the tip moves in and out and impacts the surface being engraved Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Genadek Report post Posted January 18, 2008 I have done thousands of square feet of patterns using the low density poly. I just use a swival knife and cut it in. A bit of dish soap on the blade helps. David Genadek Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Regis Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Gremlin, what do you put under your's when you are engraving? I've tried rubber pad, leather, & wood and haven't found anything that comes out just like a craftaide. My engraver has "strength" adjustment (soft to hard 1-5). Is your's pounding hard or light? I don't understand the "mirrored" because oscellating engraver is hammering the lines down just as they appear. Thanks for reviving this. Yes, you can.I was looking into this recently and some informaton from this very board that appears to have been lost. Google had the info cached and I plucked it from there. I quote: The plastic that Verlane uses is LDPE. Which stands for either, "low density poly ethelene" or "low density poly eurathane" can't remember which just at the moment. Verlane kindly gave me a sample of it. It works realy great! Just place it over a drawing (mirror imaged) of your patern and then engrave the lines with an oscillating engraver (not a rotary engraver). These engravers are less than $20 at hardware store. Scourcing the plastic can be a bit tricky. It is used by the people who make prosthetics. So find a medical supply company. I've been told that you can also heat it with a hair dryer and then shape/mould it around the swell of a saddle fork for transfering tooling paterns onto swell covers. Have not actualy tried that yet, but given time I will. I have taken this information and obtained a piece of .020 LDPE (low density poly ethelene), tried it, and it works great. I cannot take credit for this information because, as I mentioned, it is information that this board lost which I was able to gather from Google's cache so thank you to the original posters of this information. Also, as I discovered on this search, if you search Google for something that did not reappear here on the board, you might still be able to see it in Google by selecting the cached link that appears below the individual search results. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Genadek Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Just a thought it used to be done by making the cuts into leather then laquering it. The Poly is way cheaper but harder to cut. David Genadek Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted January 18, 2008 a rotating engraver would be like a dremel. an oscillating engraver "hammers" the tip moves in and out and impacts the surface being engraved Thanks beeza. I do get that part but, what I want to know is when I look at the package and if it says engraver and nothing else, what do I look for to tell me it's an oscillating engraver? Any specific specs that only a oscillating engraver would have? Stuff like that. Thanks again guys, Marlon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gremlin Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Gremlin,what do you put under your's when you are engraving? I've tried rubber pad, leather, & wood and haven't found anything that comes out just like a craftaide. My engraver has "strength" adjustment (soft to hard 1-5). Is your's pounding hard or light? I don't understand the "mirrored" because oscellating engraver is hammering the lines down just as they appear. Thanks for reviving this. I use a rubber pad that I got at Tandy Leather Factory. They are the ones they call "poundo board". These things just happen to be inconsistant in the density of the rubber. I have gone thru a few of them and found one of the softer ones works best. A mirrored image would be more for the tap-offs that you make by cutting your pattern into leather and then laquering them. This way when you tap the image into the leather it leaves the image on the leather the way it is meant to be for carving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roger Report post Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks beeza. I do get that part but, what I want to know is when I look at the package and if it says engraver and nothing else, what do I look for to tell me it's an oscillating engraver? Any specific specs that only a oscillating engraver would have? Stuff like that.Thanks again guys, Marlon pretty much any low dollar engraver will be an impact/oscillating type. the specs will list "stroke" for an impact type Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted January 18, 2008 AH HA!! That's what I'm looking for! I had a sneaky suspicion, but I want someone to verify it. Thanks, You guys kick, well you know! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolvenstien Report post Posted January 18, 2008 I have one of those.... and its made by dremil..... LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
