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