What material can I use to improve the visibility of etchings/engravings?
I am doing an engraving/etching for a gift and I want the lines and spaces to stand out from the metal in a more visual way. Please keep in mind that whatever material I use has to be able to stand up to standard pocket wear. I considered using a spray paint or enamel but I am not sure how well those would stand up to the pocket environment. Certain types of ink seem like they might be good until something wet touched it, but then would be a problem. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
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. If you plan on carrying the object around in your pocket, you might be better off substituting epoxy for Marcos' paint. The same basic procedure he outlines should work.
. Depends on who "they" is. Black seems to be a common color.
You have the right idea, paint! I used to work for a museum, and we took name plates, etc. for exhibits to a shop that did nothing but. Naturally, I had to give the guy the third degree (interrogate him) about how they did it. I think they used enamel paint, but of course it depends on what your material is. They masked around the letters with tape to protect the material, then poured a small amount of paint, the kind normally used with a brush, (not latex). Then they let it sit for a minute, then removed the excess with a single-edged razor blade, held almost vertically, like a squeegee. What was left was all of the letters filled with paint, and a very thin residue on the surface. Once the paint was dried, (and shrunken into the letters enough to leave a little bit of a groove, they -very carefully- wiped off the thin residue , with solvent, pulled off the tape, buffed a little and done!
Mar 4, 2009. 10:53 PMfinfan7 (author)
says:
Thanks, I think I even already have some black enamel in my cabinet. Now I just need to get the stencil ready to etch. Time for a trip to kinkos.
Yep, all you need is a high-strength enamel or epoxy-based paint suitable for use on metal.
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