Metal engraving, in fact, is the process of carving a pattern on the surface of metal using an engraving tool or leaving a pattern on the surface of the metal using etching. There are many uses for metal engraving, apart from making personalized jewelry, it can also be made into everyday items that serve as accents to your life. And nowadays, with the advancement of technology, the fineness of metal engraving has long exceeded your imagination. In fact, if you want to categorize, metal engraving can be roughly divided into four types, one is hand engraving, and rotary tool engraving, chemical erosion engraving and laser engraving. Today here to briefly talk about hand engraving, rotary tool engraving and chemical erosion engraving of the three metal engraving methods.
Hand engraved metal
Hand engraving metal is simply the process of engraving on metal with a simple engraving tool. However, nowadays, with the development of technology, there are many engraving experts who use specialized pneumatic engraving machines instead of the traditional hand engraving tools. Hand engraving is one of the most traditional methods of metal engraving. A highly skilled craftsman will use a variety of different engraving tools to create a wide range of different engravings on the surface of the metal. Hand engraving metal is one of the oldest methods of engraving metal, but few craftsmen have actually mastered the process. This is because it takes a lot of time and effort to achieve a certain level of skill in hand engraving metal.
Steps for hand engraving metal
- Overall design: Before you proceed with the engraving, you need to have a general design of what you are engraving. Including the size of the carving pattern, what is the specific content and what is the form of expression, etc., you need to make detailed consideration. After all, if everything relies on improvisation, the probability of failure is very high.
- Outline tracing: after you have decided on your design, it is better for you to trace the rough outline of the pattern on the metal first. You can use a pencil to make the drawing, or if the metal you are engraving is a dark color, then you can employ a white marker to make the drawing on the metal.
- Formal Carving: Before you start formal carving, it's a good idea to prepare the carving tools you'll need. Of course, the engraving tools you are referring to are actually a variety of engraving tools with different engraving tips. Some of the more common types of engraving heads are flat, V-shaped, and elliptical. Each kind of engraving head engraving out of the effect is different, you have to choose according to their own design to use what kind of engraving tool. Of course, carving is also to have a certain imagination, because even the same carving tool, if you use a different angle to use, the final effect is not quite the same.
Rotary tool engraving
The rotary engraving tool is a modernized form of engraving. It also has another name called engraving pen engraving. Generally, the tool used for rotary engraving is a power tool equipped with a rotary cutter. Rotary tools are a little less time consuming than hand engraving tools. Rotary engraving tools are more suitable for engraving designs on metal surfaces. The advantage of rotary engraving tools is that they are highly efficient and are very versatile in their actual use. So rotary engraving tools are not only favored by many amateur metal engraving enthusiasts, but also doubly loved by professional engravers. Rotary engraving tools can be engraved in addition to some of the softer texture of the metal, but also can be used to engraving such as stainless steel metal.
Approximate steps for rotary engraving
Actually rotary engraving is similar to hand engraving as mentioned above.
- Use a marker to draw the pattern you want to engrave on the metal.
- Hold the metal part you are engraving in place with a specialized tool. The purpose of this is to prevent the metal from slipping during the carving process. This will not only affect the finish of the piece, but may also hurt your hands.
- Next you can begin your carving journey. It's a good idea to hold your rotary tool in a way that you would hold a pencil to hold your rotary carving tool to make sure your carving tool doesn't fall out of your hand.
One of the very outstanding advantages of rotary engraving tools is that if there is a small mistake while engraving, it can generally be eliminated. And rotary engraving also allows you to carve finer lines.
Metal erosion engraving
Metal erosion engraving is also one of the more common methods of metal engraving, which involves using special chemicals to erode away material from a specific area of the metal surface, leaving the desired pattern at the end.
The process of metal erosion engraving
Pre-preparation: Before you start engraving, you need to do a thorough cleaning of the surface of the metal. Then the areas that do not need to be engraved are coated with an anti-erosion material. Generally, these anti-erosion materials usually include materials such as wax or paint.
Intermediate Preparation: After the necessary treatment of the metal surfaces not to be engraved, the next step is to treat the metal surfaces that are actually to be engraved. Specifically, an aggressive engraving solution is applied to the metal surface to be engraved. The strength of these solutions is dependent on subsequent detailed analysis. This is because the strength of the solutions required for different depths of the pattern are different.
Post-cleaning: After the engraving is complete, the acid solution used above needs to be neutralized with baking soda or another solution. The purpose of this is to make the pattern on the metal surface clearer.
Necessary safety measures: When performing erosion engraving, it is best to operate in an area with good air circulation. The operator also needs to wear gloves and goggles. And the appropriate safety codes need to be followed when using chemicals.
