A quick crafting question post

[cupcake_goth]

(Because today's Work At Home Friday involves helping out with a looming content freeze, so I'm not going to be around much.)

Have any of you ever had something engraved? I have a possibly clever plan involving getting some silver items engraved, but I have no idea what sort of price range I'm looking at. It wouldn't be zomg! fancy designs, just words.

Or is there a way to do at-home engraving and get professional-looking results? (I'm assuming no, but you people are clever.)

Thanks for any answers, gang! Now, back to line edits.

Comments

[valdary.livejournal.com]

Unless you were going to engrave loads & loads it probably wouldn't be cost effective to buy an engraving machine. Results would depend on you having a steady hand, a very strong wrist (a lot heavier than a pen) and being good at calligraphy. (is your normal handwriting beautiful enough for your purpose?)

[valdary.livejournal.com]

actually I just looked and prices have come way down since last time I handled one http://www.homecrafts.co.uk/products-Electric-Engraver_E659.htm
so maybe it wouldn't be too expensive to have your own.

It's still a bit like trying to write with a vibrator tho.
You need very steady hands.

[opiatevampire.livejournal.com]

You can do it yourself with a diamond tip engraving pen (looks sort of like a PDA stylus) but it takes a lot of patience and caution to not have it come out all chicken-scatchy, as I have unfortunately learned the hard way x)

[leenerella]

Well, there's engraving, and then there's etching, which is possible to do at home, and you can make more intricate designs without worrying about messing it up because you're free-handing it.

I've not done it myself, but I know that Julian does it all the time. Unfortunately, it does involve caustic chemicals, but you just have to handle and store it carefully.

It really depends on what design/lettering you're going for, and what surfaces you want it on...

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Check with your local police station. Seriously ~ they sometimes have them on hand so people can engrave things for added security in case something were ever to be stolen; that way they're identifiable.

[domestinatrix.livejournal.com]

I've had a very good experience having something engraved by Barone downtown (http://baronecrystal.net/). They're a family company that's been around for a long time, they can engrave on anything, they're more reasonably priced than the typical mall engravers who won;t do as good of a job anyway, and they're a pleasure to deal with.

[genniferholland.livejournal.com]

I second Barone. The firm I work for uses them for their baby gifts and I had Devin's bracelet engraved with, "Love Gennifer" for I think it was $13 with tax.

[oldhalloween.livejournal.com]

About $10 to engrave name and phone number on a medical ID bracelet. If you can set up a safe place to do it etching does give a satisfying result.

[tagaseguchi.livejournal.com]

I have taken items to this place at my mall to be engraved they do a nice job http://www.thingsremembered.com

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

Spydrman and I had our rings done there. I was not terribly impressed, honestly. They charged *far* more than I was expecting for a few words inside a set of rings ($30 per ring, so $60 for the set).

[tiatsuchi.livejournal.com]

Another thing you could consider is instead of engraving making it raised. You can buy silver clay which you could cut out or mold into the words you'd like and then fire it and the stabilizers burn off.

Dremel thy name is Tool

[brockulfsen.livejournal.com]

A Dremel tool is a workshop in a small box and has some lurvly accessories. So much more than an engraving tool.

However what most people mean when they think engraving is much better done with acid etching or other chemical processes, unless you want to pay a craftsperson to do it up right.

Acid etching is easy, and can be used for complex designs. Actual engraving, done well you are looking at many minutes for even "simple" pieces, and rates of several hundreds of dollars and hour equivalent.

However in a steampunk sense, you may wish to look at knurling, chasing and blind punching as techniques to mark metal.

Engraving

[purple-mark.livejournal.com]

I've engraved a few things with engraving tools, not the vibrating kind. It's tricksy and if you go that way practice on scrap metal first and don't have your other hand in front of the tool in case it slips. It leaves rather a nasty wound and then you have to get the burrs out, not fun. Practice where to stop and your curves and the amount of pressure and angles, but once you've got it down, you can save a lot of money and time, both of which you would waste taking it to an engraving place.

Re: Engraving

[agedgrace.livejournal.com]

I had a temp job at famous T jewelers once- learned to use engraving computer/equipment. Definitely worth hiring a pro- very tricky to learn/calibrate correctly. Most local trophy & award type shops would be probably have inexpensive/fast service, I'd guess.