I recently ordered a box of slate coasters and ornaments from Slateworx. They’ve got terrific slate products for using on my Glowforge, and they’re made here in the USA unlike almost all slate from other retailers. Check out these coasters I made.
The ones above are made from Colonial Black slate, which is harder and has the rough, cleft edges. The one on the left has the lacquer pre-treatment before engraving, and the right one had a lacquer spray before and after the engraving. I love the detail and contrast on both.
Sorry for the funky angle, but this is a square coaster again. This coaster is made from Black Pearl slate, which is flatter with a more consistent texture and flat edges. I think it looks more refined and contemporary, and it has great detail for the two-tone designs I tried. I’ve been very happy with these. While I like the detail and flatness of the Black Pearl, I think I like the rustic and all-natural feel of the Colonial Black coasters better.
I got these from Slateworx in Virginia. They get both types of this slate from Virginia and the slate is hand-cut to size at their shop. They even guarantee the slate 100% and will replace any if you receive damaged ones. They’ll send you some samples for free too, so you can try a couple pieces out.
Lots of cool options and products, I’ll be getting a bunch more!
It’s true, they’re more expensive than Michaels. But 5-6x is not accurate at all. However, the worst I saw for price difference per coaster was 2.3x comparatively (for an order of 10). At best, it’s 1.4x the cost of Michaels for the order of 100 coasters. Further, yes, I do think they’re better and worth the extra cost. Ask for a sample and see for yourself. You won’t get the texture and sparkle of the pyrite in the Colonial Black slate from Michaels, I guarantee you that.
And at the end of the day, I’d rather buy from guys who I’ve called on the phone and had good conversation and relationship with, and who machine US-mined product rather than the import sets from Michaels.
I started with Michaels sets, about 4 of them. But I’m from upstate NY and there’s quite the rich history of slate mining and manufacturing up here and in VT. I feel much better sourcing material from a friend here in VA than I do flipping product purchased from a big-box store.
@dan84 has it right, $19.95 for 10. Yes, it’s listed as a sale price, but I’ve never seen it at the $21.95 regular price. And the engraved set of 4 with the holder is $24.95, but it’s plain to see that those are very far from the Michaels sets.
Slate is a metamorphic sedimentary stone, but if your power is too high you will start to see tiny globules of can only be described as obsidian, normally an igneous mineral. For outdoor applications, it can’t be beaten. High contrast and bulletproof to UV. Mineral oil will also darken the stone and may penetrate a bit more.
Looks like you’re having fun!
Thanks for the info!
Much easier to buy than option of buying larger pieces (whether tile, or old school blackboards–or old roof tiles) and cutting down yourself!!
I do have to say from the user (or glass) POV, flatter/smoother is better… but I’m sure the “rustic” is not such a difference in height where layers have broken off that it would cause a glass to tip over!
