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Homemade Engraver's Ball Engravers Engraving Block
I had been wanting to design an easily affordable engraver's ball, or block, for some time, until I read an article on the Internet that told how.  http://ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/ballpage.htm
The author suggested making the ball by pouring concrete into a 8" mixing bowl.  I didn't have a bowl like that, but that's about the same size as an old bowling ball that I had been using for forming silver, so I cut it in half with a hand saw, then used a power sander to remove the roughness and round the edges.  A 2" diameter x 3" deep hole was drilled into the flat side of the bowling ball half with a forstner bit and a drill press.  A 2"x7"  round steel bar inserted into the hole left 4" of the bar sticking out.  These two pieces completed the bottom part of the tool.  To give it some needed, additional weight, I layed some 1/2" steel plate on the flat side. 

For the upper part, I used a 2"x4"  piece of threaded pipe screwed into a 2" floor flange. These two pieces completed the upper, rotating part of the tool.  I then glued a round piece of thin plywood to the floor flange, to which I secure with carpet tape my flat silver objects for engraving.  This upper part was a little loose on the steel bar, so I made three wraps of electrical tape on the bar, which not only made it fit better, but also made it turn smoother.

Later, I made a second, upper, rotating piece using a peg clamp on top, instead of a floor flange.

You can set the ball on a sandbag, or a ring, such as this 1-1/2" nipple of 6" PVC pipe with a slit hose on the bottom to prevent sliding. The ball rotates in the ring flawlessly.

The only piece that I had to buy was the floor flange, which cost about $6.60. The other pieces came from scrap piles. But, even if you had to buy all of the parts, or scrounge them from who-knows-where, or buy a used bowling ball at a garage sale, this is an economical way to get started in engraving.


It's not as good as a commercial ball, but I'm amazed at how well this simple tool works. Now, with this ball, three or four shaped and sharpened gravers, some instruction, and a lot of practice, you can be a freehand engraver without spending a fortune. Contact me if you have any questions.
Photos by my friend, Steve Sisney.
Click on a photo to enlarge.
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