I’m working on some projects that would greatly benefit from having engraved metal plates mounted upon them. I’ve seen some nice examples of GF engravings on anodized aluminum. Problem is, of course, that the GF can only engrave AA, but not cut it.
I need smaller pre-cut pieces of anodized aluminum in shapes and sizes you might find on wood presentation plaques (see the attached image). Maybe in the three to six inch range (see the photo below for an example of what I’m looking for). I’ve seen a few on Amazon, but it’s vague whether they’re suited for GF engraving. I can be flexible about color, though I’d prefer gold.
Can anyone here refer me to a source of smaller pre-cut anodized aluminum pieces that would work well on the GF?
would you consider a metallic look 2 color acrylic? you can cut it to the exact size and shape you want, engrave the text, and it does look like metal.
I know about the metallic acrylics you can get from Inventables and other vendors, and have worked with them a bit. I’d prefer to work with actual metal on these jobs if possible.
Anodized aluminum engraves nicely but anything else requires a marking spray. You’re right that it can not be cut, so you have to find pieces that fit your project, or be prepared to shape them yourself. I have a box of AA plates that are easy to cut and shape, and of course engrave. I’ve used quite a few for custom projects.
I have used AA business cards, dog tags, and bottle openers and had absolutely fabulous results. For your purposes, I would say the business cards would work well, and they are dirt cheap, and come in all sorts of colors, probably even brass-ish.
