Has anyone done engraving or cutting to create textured surfaces for stamping pottery or ceramics? Wondering how to do it either on a flat surface or on a rolling pin.
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Not a potter so I may be misunderstanding - but if you mean making a stamp out of something else (acrylic for example) in order to push patterns into clay, then not as far as I know, but it would 100% work. Acrylic or wood (or Delrin which is extra sturdy stuff) make great stamps for leather. The process would be likely almost identical for clay 
Rolling pins are also definitely an option. I started a project to attach a veneer with engravings to a rolling pin (since I’ve never set up a rotary station to engrave directly into a round object) but it never got further than the design phase. If you do something like that I’d be thrilled to read about it
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Use the stamp function if you have premium. If you don’t, just reverse your artwork so that the stamp parts are white and the negative space is black.
You’ll find this thread very helpful
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I was thinking I could actually engrave the rolling pin, engrave, then rotate, etc.
But not sure how the Glowforge will do with the rounded surface.
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I’ve made a number of stamps, engraved pattern sheets, and stencils for pottery with the Glowforge.
I use Illustrator to create my designs, but you could also use the “trace” function with the Glowforge to create designs to engrave.
I use birch plywood sheets to engrave for pottery, and laser-safe plastic, or tag board, to create stencils.
I’ve also used Medium Draftboard or other laser-safe MDF, but you need to use more cornstarch on the design to prevent the clay from sticking.
I’ve not tried it on a rolling pin; most lasers that do that have a special roller add-on, such as for engraving glassware.
Here’s an example of a repeat design, drawn in both outline (to cut a stencil) and fill (to engrave the black area.)
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Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing the design and your experience.
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Here is an example of a rolling pin engrave: Rotary engraved rolling pin
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thank you. I don’t have premium, so can’t use the stamp feature. What do I need to do to my drawing in AI to make it so that it cuts out the outside of the design, leaving the inside intact to make an imprint on the clay?
Hi,
In A. Illustrator I use a .25 stroke for cuts, to cut shapes, such as the outline leaf design I posted. Besides stencils, I’ve also cut individual stamps (birch plywood) with single leaf designs.
Two ways to make the stamp pattern on a sheet of wood or other material:
- One with the leaves burned/engraved- when you roll clay into it, the leaves will be raised-
- Or with the background around the leaves burned/engraved, so on the clay, the background will be raised and the leaves indented-
Here’s a video of how I changed the leaf design so that the background will engrave-
-make a background shape, drag the leaf layer on top, and use the Properties panel to Minus the front layer. In my sample, the blue will engrave, leaving the white leaf areas raised.
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It’s definitely doable - that’s the link I posted above:
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thanks for the video - I don’t hear any sound though - is there?
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