Engraving ideas and simple tips. 

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Whether you are planning to make a simple gift or wanting to practice a new skill you will need some basics. 

Really basic engraving machine to get you started is this one from ebay: fast delivery, simple and easy to use. This really doesnt disapoint and you can always buy extra drill bits and pieces if you become hooked. 

Your chosen material: glasses, photo frames, slate, wood whatever your choice ensure you practice and are comfortable before trying on what will be your finished product. Glasses come as cheap as 50p from Asda and Tesco and frames you can get from Home bargains for £1 or less. The pound shop is also great for finding equiptment to personalise. Scrap wood is also idea for upcycling as it would be going to waste most of the time anyway. 

A place to get dirty: an area in your home or outdoors that can be a messy as you like wont be a big loss if you mess up. An old tablecloth is ideal for scooping it all up afterwards with too. 

Goggles, golves and old clothes: Gloves arent my favourite for using however are a must if you dont have the steadiest of hands. Goggles for your butt, (obviously not, I dont imagine I need to explain). Old clothes are a must, something you dont mind being ripped or stained and ideally something that wont get caught up in the machine. 

Starting off and set up: 

Your dressed, your area is ready and you have an idea in your head. you will need a design you plan to use. If you are engraving on glass: Print or trace your idea on to paper and tape your desired piece to the inside of your glass, copy the design and remove the paper inside. Touch up any missed lines and polish.

Choosing your design is not always the easiest. Googling your design and adding outline usually gives you a clear design area.

E.G. Giraffe outline

Top tips:

You also want to keep your pressure on the glass as minimal as possible to make sure it creates minimal damage. leaning too hard will make your finished project fragile. 

If engraving something that will be exposed to heat (a glass mug), the pressure you use on the glass must be as minimal as possible which may compromise the design. Also if this is a gift for soemone, test the product before use as it may shatter when exposed to boiling water. 

This may not be absolutly everything you will need to know so google until your heart is content, however these are the key points ive learned from experience. 

When engraving on wood, pressure is key and a going over the design a few times make the image stand out. To make it brighter you can paint the engraving or pour epoxy or paint into the engraving. 

To get your design onto wood cover the back side of your design heavily with a pencil and lay that side onto the desired position. From there press heavily over the design lines with a pencil to transfer to the other side.