Scott rotary engraver

[Jeff Belany]

I know there are some of you doing rotary engraving and I have a question. I have an old Scott 1000 engraver that's I've had for many years that I bought from a tech school. Appears to be in good condition and I have some fonts with it. Is this older machine still usable in today's shops? I guess I'm asking if shops still do manual rotary engraving? If so, I'll put it in the classifieds and see if I can sell it. If no one is using these anymore, it may not be worth my time.

Just curious and I know you guys (and gals) know just about everything!! (at least everything important)

Thanks in advance.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

[Mark Sipes]

40% of my business is done on rotary engravers One is Win 98 the other is Win 10 only 8 years different in make. The question is what software is required to run the Scott 1000, I could not find much on the web for your model. You said you had it for many years??? that you bought! so it still runs. Windows 98???? Dos 3.0 ????? If nothing else, may be worth the cost of parts to someone. Not a major model like Newing-Hall, New Hermes, H Square (Meistergram), Xenetech.....

I would not expect much ($$). shipping may be more that the machine is worth..



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[Tony Lenkic]

Mark,

Scott machine is a pantograph manual with brass type fonts you load by hand and trace to engrave.
No computer or software involved with it.

[Mark Sipes]

My local jeweler wanted me to take his 2 New Hermes Panographs for free...... on the assumption I would do all this engraving at no cost. Ha Ha

I had a New Hermes Manual I sold to a gentleman in Cypres On ebay...........



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[Kev Williams]

In 1980 we had two Gorton panto-mills (an old 3-U and a P1-2 we bought new), a small Scripta 3D machine (first one dad bought), five New Hermes IRX-IV's, and an ITX (I think it was)

They've all been gone for years save for one IRX-IV, and I just let some gun guy take it away 2 weeks ago. We haven't discussed price, but it won't be much, probably $300 or so, which is about what the parts and copy type are worth.

The only other person I know who uses a pantograph regularly is a girl who works at gun shop...

[Mike Clarke]

Jeff,
I reached the point some years ago that I don't ever want to use a pantograph again, for anything or any reason. In my case a pantograph is not worth the space it takes up.

[Hilton Lister]

I work part time in an engraving shop (Which I used to own.) Over 60% of our work consists of yearly engraving of names and dates on trophy plates and cups for clubs and schools. We use pantograph machines for nearly all of this as to set up each individual job on the computer would take far too long. The newer rotaries with their red dot positioning may be able to match the time taken on the pantographs, but we don't have those.
Many Jewellers and Engravers in small towns here in NZ do great business with their pantographs, so I wouldn't write them off just yet. In addition, it is often far easier to set up unusual items on the pantograph than the rotaries or laser. Sometime we even have to revert to hand engraving to fulfil a customer's requirement.

[Jeff Belany]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll gather all the items together and post in the classifieds. Maybe someone out there can get some use out of it.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

[Tony Lenkic]

Jeff,

I got my part time business started with one of Hermes pantographs back in mid '80. Still have one of floor models for add shape parts .
Brass types are sometimes more of a value than machine it self.

[Kev Williams]

I've never had a 'red dot' until my IS400 four years ago. As for setting up plate jobs on a computer--

plate length 3"
plate height 1"
Char height .25"
font 3 line roman
type JOHN DOE
char height .18"
type "Supervisor"
Insert 1x3 plate in self-centering holder
press start/pause
zero the tool
press start
edit next name/title
remove done plate
put in new plate
press start.

etc...

As long as it took me to type that plus 10 seconds set-tool time and 20 seconds engraving time is exactly how long it takes to make one 1x3 plate, and the remaining plates are change-plate/engrave-time only. There's absolutely no way I could arrange brass copy and manually engrave the names faster than that! And for every customer I ever engraved a plate for that I thought would come back, I saved the job.

[Hilton Lister]

It's the positioning to match the previous years that takes the time. It is all done by eye to within fractions of a millimeter. I can do it in the Vision Max relatively quickly if the plates are all similar, but when you are trying to match positioning on all different and odd sized plates or trophy cups, it is far easier on the pantograph. I think you misinterpret what I am talking about.