Signing Your Work with an Engraver
An
electric engraver, which can be cordless or corded, is probably the
marker of choice for signing your work. In addition to being
relatively inexpensive (under $20 US), engravers are also very
reliable and fairly easy to learn to use. They operate by
vibrating rapidly and when pressed against the surface of the glass
can be used to cut letters and shapes into the glass. Although
they're sometimes a bit awkward to handle at first, a few minutes of
practice on some scrap glass is usually sufficient to learn to
control the engraver.
Engravers come with a variety of different tip sizes and shapes.
In addition, on some models the vibrations of the engraver can be
adjusted if desired. Just about any brand of electric engraver
will work for engraving glass (Dremel even has an attachment), so
long as you .avoid impact engravers as they can break the glass;
instead, only use the more common and inexpensive rotary type
engravers.
The results of many of the engravers can be improved by using a
marker to fill in the grooves and highlight the signature. Excess
ink can be wiped away, leaving a more visible signature.
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Copyright 2005 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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