How to Engrave Flag Cases
Engraving is an art style that many people enjoy working in. Almost any material can be engraved, including glass, wood or metal if you have the proper bits and a hand-held, stylus engraver. All you need is the proper design as a template, and then you can simply draw in your own engraving. For engraving a flag case it's important that you choose the type of case, the material, and that you find an appropriate pattern all before you start carving into the case.
Instructions
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Draw the pattern that you want to engrave on your flag case in marker, noting the material and the proper bit to use. Also, if you don't want to engrave in wood, but the case is wooden, you can attach a metal plate to the case like a plaque. Use a straight edge to make sure that all of your characters are straight and that everything is how you want it to be once it's engraved.
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Engrave the pattern. Start by drawing in the outlines and then moving inward toward the center. Make sure that your grip is clean, and that you use even, smooth strokes like you would if you were sketching with a pencil. It's better to dig down a little at a time into the material than pushing down all at once. Just like when you're carving, you can always take away more, but you cannot put material back once it's gone.
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Clean up the engraving. Make sure that you blow out bits of material left behind, and if necessary that you use sandpaper or some other abrasive to clean off sharp or uneven edges. Once the engraving is complete, examine the flag case from a little bit away to make sure it is how you want it to be.
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Tips & Warnings
If you haven't had experience engraving the material your flag case is made of, practice on something similar first. There's no sense ruining your flag case as a trial and error process.
Decide what sort of feeling you want this flag case to offer before you begin. For instance, if it's a memorial case then something simple and solemn might be appropriate like a religious quote or the person's name, date of birth and death. If the case is to store a family flag, then perhaps a family motto or crest might be appropriate. Once you know the general theme of your engraving project, you can move on to designing it.
