Hi guys,
New user here
I’m trying to engrave slate, I’m using the recommended settings,
But im getting no definition on the faces, any idea what im doing wrong
many thanks
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Two things. Well, three (and a half) things.
Thing 1: Slate engraves white on black (ok light grey on dark grey) so it’s essentially a negative. You should invert your image before engraving.
Thing 2: slate doesn’t handle greys easily. You might get better results by using “convert to dots”.
Thing 3: in general you should prepare your images to be very contrasty before engraving. There are guides to this, check out #9 in my FAQ for more info on photo prep:
The extra half thing: not all images are great candidates for engraving. Your picture is great, captures a fun moment, I’m sure it’s a keepsake. That said the best engravable images tend to be simpler with clear subjects and uncluttered backgrounds. There’s a lot happening here, it may not be the ideal image to try, especially on a material like slate where greys are hard to capture.
Ok one more tiny thing: as you test again, you can sand slate down to get a fresh surface. A good way to save material as you get it dialed in.
OK, ok one tiny tiny last thing: slate can be enhanced by wiping it with mineral oil before engraving. Helps the contrast. Use a tiny bit, wipe it on and off so that it’s dry and then engrave.
Good luck!
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Great advice @evansd2 . You might try engraving on a different material if you really want that pic. Slate isn’t really a good choice like 2evand2 said.
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I would recommend the Norton tile method. I believe that picture would do great on tile. If you are not familiar with this do a search on this forum. Good luck with your project.
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You may also wish to consider a higher lines per inch to get as much detail as possible.
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@scott24 , any update?
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I use these settings to engrave slate. I prepare the slate with shellac to make the black more pronounce and in most cases, I invert the image
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I’m still playing with settings at the moment, switched onto pens, note books and other stuff.
Managed to get something engraved without as much detail
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Thank you, Been looking at this method, looks pretty good
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Oh that’s lovely!
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What’s a good source for slate?
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I got mine from amazon, pretty cheap and good quality
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Thank you Scott
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