| Engraving... what comes to mind is the | | | | equipment which follows the commands for each |
| permanence and the sense of personal | | | | movement This method is more sophisticated in |
| ownership it gives to a precious stone, | | | | that one can vary the fonts and the sizes of |
| metal, or wood. It basically entails removing | | | | the patterns just with a few clicks of the |
| a portion from the exterior of a bare | | | | mouse. |
| material by etching signs, insignias, or | | | | |
| designs. | | | | Laser engraving, on the other hand, uses a |
| | | | laser beam rather than a stylus or a sharp |
| Engravers-to-be need to choose from 4 | | | | tool, to etch a design on a blank surface. |
| techniques: hand engraving, pantograph, | | | | |
| Computer Numeric Control engraver and laser | | | | However, laser engraving utilizes computer |
| engraver. | | | | software to convert the design into numeric |
| | | | instructions. Engraving using this method is |
| Hand engraving is the oldest approach of | | | | more precise, fast, and clean. The downsides |
| engraving and the most expensive too. This | | | | to this method are its being high-priced and |
| is performed with the use of a chisel or a | | | | selective material requirement. |
| sharp tool carefully tapped into the material | | | | |
| surface with differently weighed hammers. | | | | Materials commonly used for engraving are |
| Each tap should be controlled for precision | | | | stone, brass, aluminum, wood, and plastic. |
| and accuracy of the over-all design. | | | | |
| | | | Brass and aluminum plates are normally thin |
| For minute design details, the hand engraver | | | | and engravers etch on them and later attach |
| has to use a magnifying glass or enlarging | | | | them to trophies, frames, and other surfaces. |
| equipment to ensure that the design is | | | | The metals' glossed coating is first removed |
| followed to the minutest details. | | | | to enable the etching tool to write on the |
| | | | surface beneath. However, this process |
| Engraving by pantograph or the drag method is | | | | scratches only the top portion of the |
| another old style that requires the use of a | | | | material. |
| device (the pantograph or commonly called a | | | | |
| tracing machine) to scrape the surface of a | | | | Deep engraving, on the other hand, requires |
| material with the use of a sharp stylus | | | | digging deeper into the material. This is |
| manually operated by the engraver. | | | | particularly used for permanent name plates |
| | | | and industrial molds. |
| The basic concept is tracing the letters or | | | | |
| the design patterns from the design paper to | | | | Wood, as well as plactic, is other commonly |
| the surface material using a sharp tool or | | | | used engravers' materials. Wood engraving is |
| the pantograph. The risk of this method is | | | | not as common as brass, aluminum or plastic |
| the uneven, probably unprecised way of | | | | engraving. Engraving tools (laser or stylus) |
| etching the design or letters. | | | | marks the wood material and the cut area is |
| | | | filled with coloring material to provide |
| Since the stylus operator controls the | | | | contrast. |
| writing, mistakes like those caused by shaky | | | | |
| hands are not unlikely to occur. Pantograph | | | | Engraving on plastic is done on thin layers |
| engraving is faster than hand engraving. | | | | of the material, usually differently colored. |
| | | | The stylus or laser cuts away the upper |
| Computer Numeric Control (CNC) engraving is a | | | | portion of the plastic thus showing the next |
| more precise method as it is | | | | colored layer. Shown together, the over-all |
| computer-controlled. The letters or design | | | | appearance of the engraving is one of |
| are written in a uniform manner and use | | | | contrasting colors. |
| particular graphic software like that of | | | | |
| cross-stitching. | | | | One has to decide which approach he is most |
| | | | comfortable with, considering the price of |
| The computer changes a design into numeric | | | | the equipment and tools to be used in |
| instructions which is then transmitted to an | | | | creating one engraved piece of art. |