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Liesl Dexheimer
01-28-2014, 9:44 AM
I just recently posted a thread on locating a marble obelisk which I still can't find. I found a place called Topline Awards but am not sure if they are still in business. I'm trying to replicate a job for a potential customer. I'm unsure about color filling marble. I do have rub n buff but don't know if it will really "fill in" when lasered. Here's an example:

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What are your thoughts?

Mark Sipes
01-28-2014, 10:26 AM
Yes, Rub and Buff is the answer

http://www.unimarble.com/Product/Product.asp?page=2&DisPlayCode=2&SubDisPlayCode=

Have not found a wholesaler.... Sidman is out of business also...

Mark Sipes
01-28-2014, 10:57 AM
These guys sell wholesale - they will be at the ARA show in Feb....


http://quarryintl.com/ClientProductDetails.asp?action=1&ProductID=224&subsubcategory=&Category=4&HCatid=4&strSearch=category

Liesl Dexheimer
01-28-2014, 10:58 AM
Thank you for the reply. I did see the Unisub website but noticed it hadn't been updated and there was no contact info so I figured they were out of business. Too bad. :(

I'll look a little bit more but they may just have to settle for the LaserBits one. Can't seem to find any other place with marble obelisks...

David Somers
01-28-2014, 11:39 AM
Liesl,

This is the contact info I have for them. I am fairly sure they are still in operation. I think they are just not very good at attending to their web presence.

ADDRESS:
4350 Peachtree Blvd Ste 150, Norcross, GA 30071
TEL) 770-447-9699 FAX) 770-448-1298
TOLL FREE:
1-800-534-2098 FAX) 1-888-282-2401
EMAIL US AT unimarble@aol.com

Dave

Liesl Dexheimer
01-28-2014, 1:23 PM
Ok, thanks. I will try to get in touch with them.

Liesl Dexheimer
01-28-2014, 1:24 PM
Ok, thanks. I'm bookmarking this for future reference. ;)

Liesl Dexheimer
03-03-2014, 11:47 AM
I engraved the marble obelisk which was quite a pain unto itself lining everything up correctly. I used transfer tape and then color filled with gold Rub N Buff, then carefully peeled back the tape. Unfortunately some areas are missing paint, other areas need touching up. I tried to touch it up but haven't been too successful. Are there any tips or hints anyone can give me? Please help, this project has been sooooo stressful! :(


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Dan Hintz
03-03-2014, 12:12 PM
You need to ensure all of the loose marble is out of the engraved areas... even a hint of marble dust will allow a colorfill to lift. Throw some deionized water in there, scrub it with a toothbrush, and rinse with some alcohol before trying to color fill (let it dry first). There should be no need to use tape with Rub'n'Buff. Slather it in, then use a towel wrapped around a flat board (or another piece of marble) to clean (better yet, place the towel on a marble tile and rub the piece against it, rather than trying to manhandle a piece of tile and the award). Add a touch of alcohol to the towel to get rid of the stubborn surface colorant.

Liesl Dexheimer
03-03-2014, 12:34 PM
Dan,

Thank you so much!! I thought I could fill it without the tape but wasn't really sure. I wish I had used gold spray paint (with transfer tape) instead, it may have been easier. The problem is those tiny letters! I must be honest, I haven't done too much in the way of color filling. I will try your suggestion and post the outcome.

Mike Null
03-03-2014, 1:11 PM
Liesl

There are some jobs that to me, are more work than they're worth. I do not hesitate to outsource them and work on a shorter margin. For color filled marble I use Visions/Awardcraft. Their work is superb (sandblasted), customer is very happy, and I make a few bucks for sending the art.http://www.visionsawardcraft.com/Products/iteminfo.aspx?item=VFTM029&categname=Marble_and_Stone&facility=visionsawardcraft

There is a discount off their price list.

Liesl Dexheimer
03-03-2014, 2:01 PM
Ok, so I spent over 1 hr trying to fix up the award to the best of my ability. Not exactly thrilled with the results but it is better than before. I used some muscle power going in a circular motion over the paint. I used rubbing alcohol to try to remove some of the excess areas and I also used a toothpick to try to get in between the smaller letters. This was very difficult! I definitely lost $$ on this job. :(

What do you think? Any areas that could use more touch up?

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Liesl Dexheimer
03-03-2014, 2:20 PM
Unfortunately the thought never occurred to me until I was knee deep in this project. I now know for the future that it would be best to outsource this as it is waayyyy to much of a headache. I'm all for challenges if I am going to be getting paid enough for it. Definitely a learning experience.


Liesl

There are some jobs that to me, are more work than they're worth. I do not hesitate to outsource them and work on a shorter margin. For color filled marble I use Visions/Awardcraft. Their work is superb (sandblasted), customer is very happy, and I make a few bucks for sending the art.http://www.visionsawardcraft.com/Products/iteminfo.aspx?item=VFTM029&categname=Marble_and_Stone&facility=visionsawardcraft

There is a discount off their price list.

Mike Null
03-03-2014, 3:19 PM
I think your color fill job was quite good. If you want to do them in house I'd recommend a roll of laser mask from Johnson's Plastics. Squeegee that in place prior to engraving and use a wall paper roller to press it down even more after engraving then colorfill.

I like the cheap craft acrylic paints as they are soluble with both water and dna. When I out source they use a spray paint.

Dan Hintz
03-03-2014, 3:56 PM
I wish I had used gold spray paint (with transfer tape) instead, it may have been easier.

On using gold spray paint...

My findings have been it looks great in medium-sized areas, where it can look almost like gilded work... most of your lower text fits this bill. In very thin areas, such as the thin portions of cursive-style fonts, it looks less like gold and more like brown... not enough fleck and light in such a small area to make it shine (the "government computer news" text might be small enough to qualify for this caveat). In large areas, such as around the letters in the top logo, it looks a bit too much like, well, spray paint. So, you have to pick and choose where you use this method. YMMV...

I'm dying for a project to come along where I can try out some real gold gilding work. If you're award was just the GCN logo, I might have tried it there. Laser through tape, spray on the sizing, remove tape, lay down the leaf. I would probably look quite smashing against that black marble, but someone has to pay for it first.

David Somers
03-03-2014, 4:14 PM
Dan,

Check out an art supply shop. There are some faux gold leaf products that look quite nice and are inexpensive. They also have varieties of it that are a bit tacky in my book, but they are easy to spot. Application process is the same as for real gold leaf.

Try it on some wood and see what you think. If you want i will see if I have any at home tonight and could pop it in the mail to you. I have a good art supply just a few blocks off my normal bicycle commute home so it is easy stuff for me to replace.

I am curious about the rub n buff. I use over my signature on turned pieces. But those are very small lines done with a dental drill. That stuff seems to stay pretty soft, even after considerable time. How will that work on the larger color filled areas in Liesl's Obelisk? Will it remain soft to the touch, subject to being smeared off? Or is it your experience that it solidies enough not to be a problem?

Dave

PS.....how is the snow fall going?

Mike Null
03-03-2014, 4:18 PM
I have found a gold paint which has a very similar color and intensity to gold leaf. A close look will reveal that it's not but it is the best paint I've found short of gold leaf. It's called Precious Metals premium leafing finish. It is acrylic and available at Hobby Lobby. $5 for a 1.75 oz jar.

Dan Hintz
03-03-2014, 4:57 PM
Dan,

Check out an art supply shop. There are some faux gold leaf products that look quite nice and are inexpensive. They also have varieties of it that are a bit tacky in my book, but they are easy to spot. Application process is the same as for real gold leaf.

Try it on some wood and see what you think. If you want i will see if I have any at home tonight and could pop it in the mail to you. I have a good art supply just a few blocks off my normal bicycle commute home so it is easy stuff for me to replace.

I am curious about the rub n buff. I use over my signature on turned pieces. But those are very small lines done with a dental drill. That stuff seems to stay pretty soft, even after considerable time. How will that work on the larger color filled areas in Liesl's Obelisk? Will it remain soft to the touch, subject to being smeared off? Or is it your experience that it solidies enough not to be a problem?

Dave

PS.....how is the snow fall going?

I have a "bag" of the fake stuff... it's more of a bag than a folder, at this point, because it has been transferred from box to box so much it is mostly crushed powder rather than sheets. I should probably toss it and buy a new one. Someday...

I think the Rub'n'Buff suffers from the same poor looks issue as spray paint. It adds a nice contrast, but it's definitely not gold leaf. Unless you get an ultra-thin layer, it will stay soft for a long time to come. It's a wax, after all. If the item will ever be handled, paint or some other permanent color fill is preferable.



We got lucky here... yesterday's forecast was for 8-12", but we ended up with around 3".

Bert Kemp
03-03-2014, 8:52 PM
Ok, so I spent over 1 hr trying to fix up the award to the best of my ability. Not exactly thrilled with the results but it is better than before. I used some muscle power going in a circular motion over the paint. I used rubbing alcohol to try to remove some of the excess areas and I also used a toothpick to try to get in between the smaller letters. This was very difficult! I definitely lost $$ on this job. :(

What do you think? Any areas that could use more touch up?

283897 283898 283899Finger nail polish remover or acetone takes off rub & buff great not to much work.

Bill Cunningham
03-03-2014, 10:25 PM
Mineral spirits will easly remove Rub-n buf, it just disolves it right off. The bigest headache job I have ever done, was a bunch of alabaster pyramids which are very similar to marble.. Dan is right, if there is any marble dust at all in the engraved areas rubnbuf will practically fall out by itself.. I put both marble and granite in the sink after etching, and hit it with the hose to clean it out, let it dry then rub in the rubnbuff.. Because marble is also somewhat porous, I find that if you seal it first with a good stone sealer (before engraving and washing) the rubnbuff will not stick to what you don't want it to stick to, and even running a razor blade across the surface will remove the excess..

Liesl Dexheimer
03-04-2014, 10:10 AM
Mineral spirits! Why didn't I think of using that, lol!? I do use it quite a bit but I already had the rubbing alcohol out. I'm going to try some quick touch up now. ;)

Mike Null
03-04-2014, 10:19 AM
The nice thing about mineral spirits is that the odorless kind works on most kinds of paste waxes, including shoe polish, as well. Sometimes, if I have tough to clean areas on wood I'll use mineral spirits there too.