Mar 23 2009

Types of Engraver (Manual)

Gravograph Engraver
(Context: I’ve been involved in the trophy and engraving industry for around three years.  I make no claim to know it all, or even know a lot.  When I first became involved I searched the Internet looking for information that I’d find useful in helping me understand the industry – I didn’t find much.  This is my small part in hoping that the next person in my shoes can find something useful to them.  If I’ve gotten something wrong, please leave a comment so I can correct it.)

Manual Engraver:

A manual engraver lets you lay out the letters you want to engrave in a tray.  The letters are made up of grooves in brass.  A manual engraver uses a probe that runs through this groove.  Attached, through a series of lever arms, is a diamond tip that repeats anything the probe does on the surface of what you’re engraving.

The process requires you to manually set the pressure that the diamond tip exerts on your engraving surface.  That means you need to keep steady pressure to get a good consistent result.  One trap is that if you aren’t careful the probe can jump out of the groove resulting in the diamond tip also going where it wasn’t intended.  Time for a re-do.

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By David • Engraving • • Tags: , , , ,

Mar 22 2009

Does my computer need regular servicing?

image

Dirt, dust, and other stuff found inside a computer during recent servicing.

Does my computer need regular servicing? Yes. No matter where your computer lives there will be dust around.  Because a computer uses fans to help keep cool, that dust will get sucked into the computer.  Also, the critters that live around you probably like that warm and dry environment of the computer – this can include spiders, mice, geckos, frogs, and so on. They all leave something behind.  Eventually, your computer can get clogged with this build-up of dust, dirt, spider webs, dead insects and so on.  If not cleaned out periodically, the computer may overheat, or short out, causing components in your computer to fail.

Ignoring the inside of your computer can lead to your computer failing completely.  This applies just as much to laptops as desktop computers.  Although the empty space in a laptop is nowhere near as great, there are still places where dust and other stuff can build up.  Particularly because laptops are often used in places where a desktop computer wouldn’t be – such as in a car, sitting outside on a park bench, etc.

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By David • Computers • • Tags: , , , ,

Mar 20 2009

Nobody tells you… (fonts)

EngravedThree years ago I’d never given any real thought to the actual process of engraving.  Sure, I’d had things engraved before but even then I hadn’t really thought about what goes into the “back room” handling.

Perhaps this is because I’d never really been exposed to anything except hand operated engravers (either the Dremel style of tool or it’s more commercial bretheren) or an occassional manual pantograph style engraver where choices of engraving styles were fairly limited anyway.

One huge realisation was dealing with fonts.

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By David • Engraving • • Tags: , ,

Mar 20 2009

Anyone can fix computers. Right?

imageAnyone can fix a computer can’t they?

Everyone knows somebody who “knows computers” and is happy to help sort out computer problems.  A friend, or relative, like this can be great to have around when you run into something you’re not sure about.  It sure beats having to pay a professional computer tech to fix the problem!

However, just like every other trade (including motor mechanics, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc) a job that looks simple, particularly when you watch a professional doing the job, may actually be more complicated and only look simple because the person doing the work has years of training and experience behind them.

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By David • Computers • • Tags: , ,

Mar 19 2009

The Build Disc – Part 2 (Service Packs)

Windows Service PackIn part 1 I offered an overview of my goals for creating the build disc we use here.  In part 2, I’m taking a more detailed look at service packs and how this got automated and streamlined.

My goals for handling service packs were:

  • Identify the operating system.
  • Identify the current service pack level.
  • Decide if a service pack is needed.
  • If needed, go ahead and install the service pack without any further user interaction.

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By David • Build Disc • • Tags: , , , , ,

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