Having trouble cutting deep enough into the outside of rings with my EGX-360...

[Daniel Duane Owen]

I am rather new to the engraving industry, so please bare with me... I have been working with an EGX-360 for a little over a month now and am starting to get the hang of the basics. However, I am doing my first outside ring engraving and no matter how many passes I use I can't seem to cut deep enough. It's a sterling ring so it should be rather soft, but I am not sure what bit/cutter is the best option. I have tried the diamond scraper but that only goes so far, so I am thinking a cutter is the best tool for the job. I just don't know what cutter is best for sterling and which cutters I should not use on metals. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[Bill Cunningham]

It's been years since I've had to use a cutter for anything, but all mine were carbide, and would cut anything (but carbide I guess). Regular H.S.Steel cutters should be fine on silver.

[Daniel Duane Owen]

Thank you so much, you were a lot of help!

[Randy Digby]

Let me begin by saying that I don't do rotary (or drag) engraving anymore and never have engraved rings. That being said, what I did drag engrave was anodized aluminum and at one time I got into some material that was harder than my typical material and would not engrave deep enough. My solution was to go to a cutter with a sharper angle. If I remember, the typical diamond drag bit is sharpened to a 120 deg. angle and I changed to a 90 deg. angle and solved my problem.