Resin and clay Ornaments - Laser Engraving

[Mark Conde]

I really like the clay and resin ornaments that are on the market. Has anyone laser engraved either of these types of ornaments? I believe the ornaments are mostly marked with ink pens by hand. But laser engraving them has my gears turning. This would be an example of the type of ornament I am interested in. Thanks in advance for the feedback.


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/webkit-fake-url://742CC74D-E061-459B-BE54-AB5F33794EBB/BB-05.jpg

[Mark Conde]

Here is the image again of the ornament.211268

[David Takes]

I'm not sure why you would want to laser that type of ornament. That would be a set-up nightmare, especially since those ornaments are each a little bit different. I'd have to charge $100 for an ornament like that.

[Terry Swift]

I agree with Dave. Ornaments are a hard lot when you have something like that and put names at angles, etc. Maybe if you did a 1,000 or so - then the setup time would be minimal for each one if jigged somehow and you lasered 10-20 at a time.

[Mark Conde]

REally-- $100?
I did dozens this Dec. Using the centerpoint feature on my Epilog it was a breeze... I sold them for way less than $100 ea.

[Martin Boekers]

I am surprized they were that consistant. The one you show has 5 different spots and each
will vary from my experience. What I end up doing is scanning each then outline, position
the text. Engrave the outline and position the piece and pray it all lines up! :-)

I don't know about the $100 price, but you may consider vinyl cuts or waterslide decals
it may be quicker.

I have always had a hard time selling ornaments (even at $5ea) people are so used to paying
basically nothing for them they balk at pricing. That being said I am sure some find niches for them.

This year was the first year I actually sold a quantity. I'm doing Dye-Sub ones $6ea 100total for a local church
fundraiser. I figure about 4-5 hours time to do them.

[Chuck Stone]

the setup would be the issue.. looks time consuming.
If you make yourself a template, it shouldn't be too bad.
Trace the ornament and use that as the template for text
placement. Turn off everything but the text when you send it
to the laser.

If you trace the outline, burn that on a sheet of card stock
(don't go all the way through, obviously.. just enough to see it
for placement) Use that as a visual marker to place the ornaments
on the table.

Not sure about clay, but resins can be a funny thing with the laser.
Some will simply melt, some will engrave well and some fall in between.
Acrylic resins work well.. polyester and urethanes .. not so great.
IF you're not looking for depth, you should be OK.
Air assist is a must.

[Ross Moshinsky]

REally-- $100?
I did dozens this Dec. Using the centerpoint feature on my Epilog it was a breeze... I sold them for way less than $100 ea.

I have no idea what your shop is or isn't, but I'm assuming you don't have a retail space. Saying it would cost a $100 is basically like saying "I think this is going to take me an hour". By the time you scan and tweak and do some tests, an hour is definitely not far off.

We'd charge a setup charge of somewhere between $50-100 and then $5-15 per piece to engrave it. We need to cover our overhead. If you have no overhead, all you're doing is covering your time. You could charge a lot less and come out making more. Different businesses are setup different ways.

[Mark Conde]

My process is very simple.
Ea. stocking or in some cases a snowball where the name goes would be roughly measured.
In most cases its about .5 x .75
Then create a working space in Corel the same space
Type in the name to loosely fit that space
use the centerpoint and red dot feature to center
And then laser
Works like a charm.

I dont over think it. While using a template would work.. I can eyeball these things pretty quick. These have been my biggest seller this month. I could burn them all day. Customers love them. Not to expensive and cute as can be.

[Martin Boekers]

Glad that works for you! I wish I could get things to line up as easily!
I find the cheaper the product the bigger the variences.

I do lots of crystal globes and bases and each has to be tested for positioning.
When I gave it the quick once over I ended up with a lot of bad bases and many
extra globes :-)

My eye has never been that good at lining up things without a guide or an outline.
A 1/16" or a slight rotation here or there can make or break a product. Maybe I'm
a bit too critical on what I send out?

[Mike Null]

Mark

I agree with your method. That's the way I would do it and I'd guess I could knock out one in less than a minute per ornament.