Bear with me today, I want to show you why I haven’t been able to post any crafting goodness in a few days.
I am very blessed to have a laser engraving machine live in my laundry room. My Father-in-law owned a screen printing business, and also did engraving. When the economy went south, he wasn’t able to keep his shop open, but he still has a lot of equipment.
The “LaZor” in my laundry room
Top left – The laser is engraving the images and text onto the wood. This is painted wood, so I’m essentially making a stencil on the wood.
Top middle – That is what it looks after it is done with the laser. The laser burned off the tape and the top layer of of wood.
Top Right – I cover the plaque with paint. It is a special kind of paint, but I’m thinking I’ll have to try out acrylic on a personal project and see what happens.
Bottom left – After it is dried I peel off the tape. Then I have to pick out all the places where the tape didn’t pull out. O, A, P, R, etc. That intricate logo too.
Bottom Middle – Tada! All done.
Bottom Right – That is actually a plastic that I engrave and cut. It comes in many different color combos. It starts out with the whole thing gold, and the laser burns off the top layer revealing the black underneath.
The last project for yesterday were these golf trophies. This is an acrylic award. You engrave the mirrored image on the back, so when you turn if over if shows through the correct way. I think these are so pretty. I also liked they were giving an award for most honest. I thought that was pretty funny! You have to watch those golfers!
Most of the time, I stick to cutting out paper. It seems to be what my craft projects call for most. I’ve recently started cutting vinyl too though.
Congrats if you have made it down this far in the post! I’m thinking that to celebrate reaching 50 followers, I will have a small giveaway. I haven’t decided what yet, but I’m thinking it will be a custom “something” involving the laser. I’ll have to think on it a bit. If you’ve got anything particular you would like to win, leave me a comment. I’d love the ideas!
How cool is that!! I’d love to win anything!!
Might have to have a chat with you about commissioning something special to give my DH for his Commissioning ceremony this fall…you have all the neatest toys and tricks!
Wow! I’ve never seen one of these working! How neat is that! I bet that is so much fun to have in your house 🙂
I remember working with my mom when she silk-screened shirts. The possibilities are endless on what to make for the giveaway. I love plaques of all kinds with my family’s name on it! Or possibly pictures of the family in an award or such.
Hello! I just got my laser and wanted to test out how burlap would work and your blog came up. What were the settings if you don’t mind my asking. Thanks and your hanging looks great!
Terri in Texas