How to Enhance Your Engraving with Color (2024)

Written by Annabelle
October 16, 2019

How to Enhance Your Engraving with Color (1)

Engraving is an awesome way to customize your item, but have you considered taking it a step further? There are several ways for you to make that engraving really “pop” and stand out. Read more to learn about enhancing your piece with color engraving.

What is an engraving?

There are a lot of common misconceptions that we get about the engraving process. “Can I engrave this in blue?” “Will it be black after the engraving?”

What you need to understand is that the engraving process does not add color. All you need to do in order to engrave something is to carve into the surface of it- think of it like scratching the surface of a tree trunk with a knife. For instance, if your item is gold, the engraving will reveal the gold color of the metal underneath.

How to Enhance Your Engraving with Color (2)

This tungsten ring shows its color underneath where it was engraved.

The method of engraving that we prefer to use for our clients has a bit of a darker look; this is due to the fact that we use a laser to cut into the surface of the item. This leaves behind some burnt metal residue that will eventually wash away. Some clients request for us to leave it as is, while other clients ask us to steam clean the item and remove the residue.

How Do I Color My Engraving?

In order to get started with color engraving, there are two methods you can consider.

  1. Antiquing: This paint-like process is very simple yet effective if you want to just touch up your engraving and make it a bit darker in order for it to stand out. The jeweler simply rubs the antiquing formula over the engraving, and lets it fill in the carving. Then they clean off the excess with an industry antiquing remover, and let it sit to cure. Once the antiquing is finished, it creates a dark, black, and clean look within the engraving. Antiquing only comes in black, but it makes up for its lack of variety by being extremely precise and easy to apply.

    How to Enhance Your Engraving with Color (3)

    This pendant was recreated in sterling silver and gold plated with an antiqued engraving.

  2. Enameling: Enameling is another way to do color engraving! This method is a little more involved than antiquing; the enamel is also a paint-like substance that has to be applied to the engraved area, and then baked to harden in an industry oven. Unlike antiquing, however, it can't just be rubbed over the area randomly. The jeweler needs to painstakingly apply the enamel to the location where it will reside, requiring a steady hand and a good eye. The engraving itself has to be wide enough to take the enameling– if the font is too thin, the enamel will look sloppy and spill over in various areas. As a result, the enameling method is more expensive and more difficult to apply than antiquing, but it offers a wide variety of colors and isn't limited to just black.

    How to Enhance Your Engraving with Color (4)

    This ring has enameling applied onto the sides.

Now you're ready to get started on enhancing your engraving with some color! Comment below if you have a piece you'd like to work on.

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How to Enhance Your Engraving with Color (2024)

FAQs

Can you color an engraving? ›

As we already discussed, you need a coloring agent for plastic color engraving. You need to apply it to the surface of the material. You can pick the desired color according to the project. After applying the agent, you can engrave the material similar to other materials you engrave.

How do I make my engraving more visible? ›

Antiquing: This paint-like process is very simple yet effective if you want to just touch up your engraving and make it a bit darker in order for it to stand out. The jeweler simply rubs the antiquing formula over the engraving, and lets it fill in the carving.

What paint to use to fill a engraving? ›

Try Engravers Enamel for For filling engraving in metal and plastic. Engravocolor sticks are perfect for brushless color filling of plastics and base metals. For rich looking fills on non-porous surfaces (like glass) try Rub'n Buff.

Can you color in engraving on acrylic? ›

In this blog post I'm going to give you some insider advice on how we can make an engraving a different colour, especially on acrylic. By infilling the engraved area with a coloured paint, you can transform your engraving from its usual laser finish to any colour you want.

What do you fill in engravings with? ›

Fill the engraving with paint! I used BreakThrough paint with a small brush (Q-tip also works well). BreakThrough is thick and quick to dry. I think any kind of acrylic paint would work.

What kind of paint do you use for laser engraving? ›

Our acrylic paints are designed for fill reverse engraved areas on signs or applications. Specially designed to use on laser engraved plastics our acrylic filler paints will not affect nor “craze” the lasered area.

What is a good font for engraving? ›

Times New Roman: A standard serif font for print, inscriptions in this font are easy to read. A popular choice for formal occasions. Arial: A sans serif block letter option, Arial is softer than Times New Roman, but is still legible on smaller surfaces if you would like a more casual block option.

How do you upgrade engraving effects? ›

There are three ways to upgrade Engraving levels:
  1. Engraving Recipes. Get them as quest rewards (especially Island Quests), Dungeon drops, and Raid drops. ...
  2. Ability Stones. They're obtained from quests and events, and can only contain combat Engraving bonuses (no class-specific ones). ...
  3. Equipment.
26 Apr 2022

Can engraving be buffed out? ›

To remove an engraving, a jeweler has to laser the metal at the area of the engraving, blasting it to level out the texture of the metal. Once this is done, the jeweler polishes the item and restores it to a smooth, blank surface.

How do I make my Cricut engraving stand out? ›

The best trick to enhance metal engraving made with the tip of the Cricut Maker is to use these two combined techniques: fill in the letters or drawings with hatches and use a product to darken the design. This tutorial will show you both techniques so that you too can make an engraving just like this one.

How can I make my laser engraving deeper? ›

A slower scanning speed means that the laser beam remains longer over the same area. This increases the amount of energy in that area, allowing you to engrave deeper and faster.

How do you polish engraving? ›

Use 400-grit sandpaper to remove the marks caused by the 200-grit sandpaper. Switch to 600-grit sandpaper, then 800-grit and 1,200-grit sandpaper to continue sanding until the metal has a smooth, polished surface where the engraving used to be.

What acrylic is best for engraving? ›

Cast acrylic is ideal for engraving because it turns a frosty white color when engraved. Cast acrylic can be cut with a laser, but it will not result in flame-polished edges. This acrylic material is better suited for engraving.

What kind of paint do you use to engrave acrylic? ›

Work the heavy body acrylic paint into the engraved areas using an artist's brush. A little goes a long way, so don't load up the brush with paint. I think spray paint is the worst choice. It is almost impossible to control because the paint is very thin.

How does color laser engraving work? ›

Laser engraving is a process that vaporizes materials into fumes to engrave permanent, deep marks. The laser beam acts as a chisel, incising marks by removing layers from the surface of the material.

What should you not engrave? ›

Which materials are not suitable for laser cutting and engraving?
  • Leather and artificial leather that contains chromium (VI)
  • Carbon fibers (Carbon)
  • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
  • Polyvinyl butyrale (PVB)
  • Polytetrafluoroethylenes (PTFE /Teflon)
  • Beryllium oxide.

Do you mask acrylic before engraving? ›

mask over the surface to protect the material, or leave the protective backing that comes with the acrylic in place. If residue forms during engraving and cutting, apply a light layer of liquid dish soap to the surface of the acrylic.

Do engravings fade? ›

With time and wear, some engravings will fade away, especially those on soft metals such as gold or silver, which can lose metal over time and make an engraving harder to see over the years. That's not a problem, though; engravings can always be redone.

How do you level up class engravings? ›

You need to use 20 uncommon recipes of specific engravings to unlock it. Then you can upgrade it by using 20 rare recipes, followed by 20 epic recipes, and finally 20 legendary recipes. Each level of the engraving gives you 3 points when you equip it, meaning that uncommon is 3, and legendary is 12.

How long do engravings last? ›

With good etching technique and a protective sealant, you are assured that the text or image engraved will remain sharp and clear for years and even decades, as long as the stone surface remains in good condition.

Can laser engraving be colored? ›

Color laser marking, or color laser engraving as it's also known, is the process of adding color to an object that is being marked. “Marking” is the more apt term since engraving removes a portion of the material's surface, creating a cavity, while marking merely “stains” the surface.

Should you stain before or after laser engraving? ›

Make sure that you stain and clear coat your wood before engraving.

Does laser engraving last forever? ›

Yes, laser etching is permanent. A laser etched mark will remain readable for the part's useful life with better readability than other direct part marking technologies.

How do you darken wood carvings? ›

Adding Subtle Color to Any Carving
  1. Apply a Base Coat. Create a colorful base coating on the wood spirit using acrylic paints. ...
  2. Applying the Oil Stain. When the base coats of acrylic are dry, apply several light coats of polyurethane spray sealer to the entire work. ...
  3. Dry Brushing and Roughing. ...
  4. Painting the Eyes.
13 Jan 2010

Can I stain over painted letters? ›

While you can stain over paint, realize that you are creating a unique look, not an authentic stained wood-grain look. For that, first strip off all of the paint, then apply the stain.

Can you make money with engraving? ›

Laser engraving is a great business, and users can earn a handsome amount by making products through engraving and selling them online. It is an easy and quick source of earning that can start from your own home and with a little investment.

Which is better etching or engraving? ›

Etching is faster than engraving because it requires less energy from the laser beam. You may need laser etching if: Your part is made of any metal, except stainless steel. You want the fastest laser process.

How do you blacken silver engraving? ›

Pro: if you are working with sterling silver, brass, and copper, you can blacken the lettering with a liver of sulfur. This coloring method is long lasting. Dissolve a small amount of liver of sulfur in hot water, and apply it over the lettering with a paint brush.

How do you get blue class engraving books? ›

The primary method of getting Engraving Books is as a reward for Quests (also a great method of farming Silver). These can be Story Quests, Side Quests, Roster Quests, or even World Quests, and players likely received a large chunk of them when they leveled their first character from 1 to 50.

Does engraving devalue? ›

As soon as you add any engraving or embellishment to a watch, it'll depreciate quicker than the seconds hand can tick around the dial. Instead, put your energy into maintaining its factory freshness.

Do Engravings affect trade in value? ›

Engraving any consumer product will degrade its trade in value. The company buying your device for resale cannot sell it for as much as an un-engraved device so they in turn offer you less for it.

What is burnishing engraving? ›

Burnishing is a surface marking technique intended for coated metals - usually lacquered brass - where the coating is removed to expose the bare metal. It is a method of rotary engraving on metals that tends to bridge the gap between diamond drag (scratch engraving) and routing.

How do you fix etching mistakes? ›

For small mistakes, try a small dot of clear nail polish to cover a small mistake. The etching error will not go away, but the clear nail polish will cover the mistake and your eyes will not see the obscure etched area.

How do you increase nodes on engraving? ›

Node Points are gained through Ability Stones, Accessories, and Learned Engravings. Each of these gives varying values, and accessories will not start having them until Item Level 302, once you get into the endgame content.

Can you fill engraving with paint? ›

Fill the engraving with paint! I used BreakThrough paint with a small brush (Q-tip also works well). BreakThrough is thick and quick to dry. I think any kind of acrylic paint would work.

What paint to use for engraved acrylic? ›

Also, after engraving, you do not need to apply the paint with an applicator of any kind. Instead, use a high-quality spray paint, such as Krylon or any other well-known brand of spray paint, to lightly spray the acrylic with the masking still in place.

Can you polish engraving out? ›

To remove an engraving, a jeweler has to laser the metal at the area of the engraving, blasting it to level out the texture of the metal. Once this is done, the jeweler polishes the item and restores it to a smooth, blank surface.

Can you laser engrave in color? ›

Color laser marking, or color laser engraving as it's also known, is the process of adding color to an object that is being marked. “Marking” is the more apt term since engraving removes a portion of the material's surface, creating a cavity, while marking merely “stains” the surface.

How can I improve my laser engraving? ›

Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to ensure that you are operating your laser at its highest potential.
  1. Engrave multiple items in one batch. One thing that will reduce production time is printing multiples. ...
  2. Adjust the resolution. ...
  3. Use color mapping. ...
  4. Pre-engrave items. ...
  5. Use center engraving. ...
  6. Use the Job Manager.
3 Jan 2018

How do I make my Cricut engraving deeper? ›

Duplicate and Align to center, then attach the designs for a deeper engraving. This is a little trick that essentially has your Cricut making multiple passes over the same image. I usually duplicate two or three times and have been really pleased with the results.

How do you apply engrave effect? ›

To apply an engraved effect to text using an Action, simply open your desired image in Photoshop and select the “Text” layer. Then, go to Window > Actions and click on the “Engrave” action. Finally, just click the “Play” button and watch as your text is transformed into a beautiful engraved masterpiece!

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