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Air Engraver Evolution and
History
by Steve Lindsay
In 1977, I entered college with a major in Tool and Die and Mechanical Engineering. While there, I
had the opportunity to create several new hand pieces to replace the one that came with an old suction pulse engraving machine. These new hand pieces were
palm-sized rather than long like the hand piece
 that came with the machine.
This was beneficial for smaller detailed engraving as well as providing
improved control. Then in 1979, my father made an electronic circuit to
oscillate and adjust the speed of a solenoid valve. Air was run through this
valve to produced blow-pulses rather than suction-pulses. My father and I built
numerous hand pieces for this adjustable positive pulse generator, and I used
that machine for my work up to 1999. In an interview for the December, 1981 NebraskaLand magazine,
my father’s machine was mentioned and a picture of it can be seen on the back
corner of the engraving bench on page five of the article.
NEBRASKAland.pdf It is the gray box in the right back corner of the bench.
Left: Picture of three handpieces made in 1979 for my father's machine.
---Continue to AirGraver Evolution from 2000 to present--->
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