During the last two months I have taught a dozen students how to use the grooving compass and timber scribe to engrave spells. And, as always, teaching something is the best way to move my learning process forward.
To teach engraving, I had to find the words to describe what I have been doing for the last six months. When I first started with the tools, I was fueled by instinct and the desire to build the perfect tool for the job. As it turns out, the real trick to getting clean cuts with these tools is practice and a few simple principles.
Here are the important things to remember when using grooving compasses.
1. Sharpen it (duh). After every session, I touch up the tools with honing compound for the tool’s outside curves and conical oilstones for the inside curves. Never let an edge get too dull.
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