Hi everyone! Hoping someone here has a way to achieve what I’m thinking up over here.
I’m making name puzzles for kids in my family for the holidays. I usually put patterned paper inbetween the wood layer of the puzzle like so:
I like the depth created by the clear acrylic over the pattern. BUT - as a Mom of 3 kids I know for sure thise clear pieces are getting lost
So that leads me to my question. How/what could I use to attach the paper to the back of the puzzle piece instead so that they are easier to see when out of the puzzle? I need them securely attached and also protected from the back side somehow so the paper doesn’t get damaged…
Gluing things to clear acrylic is really kind of a pain. The glue tends to be really obvious.
Someone else might have a better idea, but what about just using a more fun acrylic? I wouldn’t use a printed acrylic, although those are gorgeous, because they may not hold up to the wear and tear of a puzzle and I’d be nervous about kids putting them in their mouths. But something with an embedded element would give some depth. I love this stuff: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1318983625/full-sets-of-acrylic-pmma-2-sided-dot
This isn’t the best picture, but I used it for the hearts in the earrings on the left:
You could use patterned acrylic that is clear acrylic with a uv printed pattern. There are some really fun patterns - but pricey. Lots faster to produce, however.
There is a cheap acrylic used for picture frames (replacement “glass”) that I use a lot for reverse engraving, things like jar labels and such. All on the back, I paint it the main color, then engrave the words on the GF, paint again with the letter color, then a backing color - often a simple grey or white. Then cut the pattern.
The lids rotate easily when opened, so they’re not all perfectly straight, but you get the idea. Yes. Gold paint, engrave. Black paint to fill in the engraved letters. Then cut.
I used to make jigsaw puzzles this way. I have a cold laminator and use the perm/perm clear adhesive. Takes some time to learn how to get it right, but it’s worked really well for me.
Adhesive link: Mounting Adhesive - LaminationKing.com
It was probably rustoleum but not certain which - I have a gold and then a “premium metallic” gold as well.
I honestly don’t stick to any one brand because since I learned how to properly apply it, I’ve never had any issue with any kind of spray paint. And that is simply to lay down really light coats to start with. Yeah, there’s a lot of waste, but that beats wasting whatever is being painted. I also “back up” lighter colors with silver and/or white to get them to show their true color. For red and gold, I might use silver, or white. Whichever comes to had first. Yellow and green, always white.
The acrylic sheets I referenced are 3mm. Some can be cut by the Aura, some can’t. The reference @evansd2 shared should help. If you’re interested in Smokey Hills’ materials, they label their listings with Aura-safe materials. I think they’re highlighted, but you should be able to see that.
