Engraving Tools for Calligraphers

/ Roessein Art/

After engraving for 2 years and have engraved thousands of items, I’ve tried many different tools to find out what works best. If you are a calligrapher and wanting to know what tools to get to start engraving, be sure to keep reading!

Engraving Tools for Calligraphers

The drill…which is actually a nail drill. My drill is a Mystisa 2 Brushless motor drill that can go as high as 35,000 RPM (Rotations Per Minute). It’s portable and because it’s brushless, I do not feel the vibration at all. Is it loud? Not at all! Is it expensive? It was almost $500 CND after tax and duty fee. You can get it here. Or if you are looking for a cheaper option, you can look for “Brushless Motor Nail Drill” on Amazon. Just make sure the RPM can go up to 35,000.

***Update: The Mystisa 2 has stopped working after 2 years of heavy use. Expect to get a new one every 2-3 years (depending on how much you engrave). Currently, I am using the following:

My recommendation is not be afraid of trying different drills. There are tons out there. I learned that you shouldn’t have to pay more than $150 for a drill and you should own more than one drill if you do engraving professionally. Having a backup is super important. There are always new technology coming up with these drills so it’s highly recommended to try different drills. What I currently like now may not be the same in a year or two.

Round Diamond Burs. I personally like the round one because it is easier to do faux calligraphy especially on a curved surface. I use 2mm for glass, 1mm for metal and 0.4mm for compact mirror. I get my burs from Amazon. When you buy the burs from Amazon, make sure you check the shank diameter. My Mystisa 2 drill handpiece can fit 3/32” shank diameter. Some other drills like the Thumb portable drill can fit 1/8” diameter, which has a bigger hole. If your drill has a bigger hole, you may need a collet reducer (or sleeve) to fit 3/32” shank diameter bur or even 1/16” shank diameter burs. The collet reducers are also manufactured for the specific brand, so it may not work for every drill. Ask the manufacturers to make sure.

Bur Lube. If you want your bur to last longer, you will need a bur lube. You just need to drill in the bur into the lube for every 10-15 seconds while you’re engraving. Guaranteed your engraving work will be much smoother too. You can find this on Amazon. One tube can last for a long time.

Makeup brush. I use a small kabuki brush to dust off the particles so I can see what I’m engraving. Any brush will do as long as it’s soft and won’t scratch your engraved surface.

Mask. For safety purposes, you want to wear a mask so you don’t breathe in any dust particles. Nowadays, there are so many stylish reusable ones. I like to add a filter for being extra safe.

Stoggles. A pair of stylish goggles! You will want to protect your eyes from getting the dust into your eyes. I recently discovered these stylish goggles which has anti-fog feature. It really works! You can also order with you prescription if you email them. Get your pair here.

Small pillow. You don’t want to scratch the item when you’re engraving. Some items that you engrave can be very expensive products. Use small pillow (microbead one is best) to rest your engraved item so it doesn’t roll away either. I made my own pillow by cutting an old pillow to small size.

Table Vacuum. When you are engraving so much, it can get very dusty and messy. Especially when you are engraving a surface made of stone. I use a professional nail dust collector to keep my desk clean. I engrave the item so close to the hose so when I dust off the brush with makeup brush, the dusts get sucked in directly.

Drafting tools. I’m not ashamed that I always draft before I engrave. Most products I engrave are very expensive so there is no room for mistakes. I use 3 different ones:

  • Stabilo-all pencil for glass. I have it in white, black and red. Most of the time I use the white one but sometimes some surface are in white, so I would use black or red when I’m drafting.

  • Micron for metallic surface and dyed glass. You do not want to use Stabilo-all pencil as it will scratch. Micron is an archival ink which is smooth, though it smudges easily.

  • Uniposca for any surface. I also like to use this marker as it dries out fast on the surface and doesn’t smudge. It’s acrylic based so it is easily erased by spraying rubbing alcohol after engraving.

Colour filling. I like adding gold or silver so the engraving pops out. I suggest only to add colour for non-washable items btw and definitely not for drinkware. Here are the options depending on the surface:

  1. Rub ‘n Buff. You can get this cheaper from any art store like Aboveground Art. A small amount goes a long way. I have been engraving for 2 years and I am still on my first tube. Apply Rub ‘n Buff on the engraved area using a cotton bud and wipe off the excess using cotton pad or paper towel. you have to wipe off the excess quickly though. If it dries out, add more Rub ‘n Buff then wipe fast. Use Rub ‘n Buff for surfaces like glass and plastic (non-frosted only).

    • ***Update: I’ve switched to Gilder’s Paste Wax which you can find here

  2. Oil based pens. Frosted glass surface do not go well with Rub ‘n Buff because it’s not smooth. I would use oil based pen instead to add colour if the line is thick enough.

  3. Acrylic ink. If your engraving line is so thin, you can use acrylic ink by applying it with a nib holder to get those thin details.

Small bottle sprays of:

  • Rubbing alcohol: to clean the surface before engraving

  • Windex: to clean off the drafts and finger prints

  • Mix of essential oil + water: to erase any colour filling mistakes. Oil picks up everything, better than rubbing alcohol. It also smells nice!

If you want to learn hand engraving, I have a very comprehensive course with lifetime access and support. Join my course so you can level up your engraving game and wow everyone.

Thank you for reading. If you find it useful, give it a like and share with your Engra-friends! Need to see the video of all of these tools? Watch the Youtube video below!

This blog is not sponsored. However, some of the links may be affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission from your purchase through these links. But I promise I will never recommend supplies that I have never used.