Electric Pencil Engraver Directions
An electric pencil engraver allows you to personalize all kinds of material from glass to marble to metal. With a little practice, finding or creating personalized gifts for family and friends is never a problem. Simple household glass tumblers, bought cheaply, become expensive-looking items when engraved, and even simple designs that don't need extensive skill look impressive. Simple circles engraved up from the bottom of a tumbler, gradually getting smaller towards the top of the glass, look like bubbles and turn something commonplace into a work of art.
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Instructions
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Print out your chosen image onto ordinary computer paper, or draw a design freehand. Tape the outline design behind the glass, or if engraving onto an opaque medium, use transfer paper to trace the image onto the object. Choose a simple image to start with, something like an outline drawing of a single flower head or other simple motif.
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Use a small ball tip on the engraver to trace around the outline of the design. Work from top to bottom of the design using long continuous strokes. Don't press the engraver into the glass. Allow the tool to do the work.
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Remove the pattern from behind the glass when the outline is complete. Check to make sure all the lines are engraved, as it is hard to put the template back in exactly the right position if you later find you have missed a line.
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Use either a teardrop, cone or cylinder head on the pencil engraver to shade inside the lines. Shade the light areas of the design, leaving the dark areas plain. A way to practice is to draw on black paper with a white pencil. Shade in a logical direction for the pattern. For instance, shade toward the center for flower petals, and for grasses or feathers, shade in the direction of growth.
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Wash the engraved object to remove all the dust and any fingerprints or transfer marks.
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Tips & Warnings
Experiment with the different tips that come with your electric pencil engraver. There are no right or wrong tips to use -- just tips that produce different results. Play around the get the results that please you.
Work slowly and methodically with light strokes. Repeated light strokes with the engraver deepen the whitening effect of the engraving and make it easier to achieve a smooth shading effect.
Practice on a scrap piece first. Draw, shade, write letters or numbers. You may find that your doodle piece is attractive in its own right.
Pause frequently to wipe or blow excess dust off the design.
Use a glass pencil marker to draw directly onto a surface if you are confident in freehand drawing.
If you hear a high-pitched squealing noise, you are pressing too hard.
Engraving is a messy process. Wear a dust mask to protect your nose and mouth and prevent inhalation of the dust, and wear goggles to keep dust out of your eyes.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
