Memorial Engraving

Hey all, did my first engraving and am fairly happy with the results. Modifying the vector files was very time consuming to ensure the V-Bit had the correct path to follow. I’m sure I could improve so happy to hear any feedback/advice from the pros.

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Nice job. The wood is beautiful but sometimes the wood grain can be distracting from the message. It looks like you put an oil finish on the engraving and it came out good but you might try painting parts of the engraving to make it stand out better. The whole carving may not look good painted but the name would highlight it better. I started out using tubes of acrylic paint I bought at Walmart. I sealed the project with dewaxed shellac so the paint would not absorb into the grain of the wood. Then I just painted with brush. I bought an airbrush and like it better but if the project is small the brush and paint are easier because the airbrush takes a good amount of time to clean. After you paint you just sand off the excess and re seal the wood with the dewaxed shellac and then top coat with either water or oil based varnish.

The emblem looks good with out paint and the complicated top piece would most likely be diluted for visual clarity with paint. But the leaves or wreath around would look good painted and the name would definitely stand out more with black paint. You can use blue painters tape to mask off the uncarved areas and to mask off any area with different color paint. If you paint with a brush make sure you do not let the paint puddle in the carving. You can always put a second or third coat on. Be sure the paint had dried overnight before sanding. If the paint is damp/wet the sand dust will collect on the paint.

You have made a fitting tribute to Major Alex. I do not recognize the language but it looks like the Indian Spinning Wheel in the center.

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Thanks for this advice! I was hoping to do another one with gold paint in the engraving. I agree that the top part will be too difficult, I’m wondering if oramask would work (probably not due to the complexity).

I actually sealed this with lacquer - I will try the dewaxed shellac next time though.

Also appreciate the feedback on the grain…maybe I’ll choose one with a little less figure to it next time.

Thanks!
JP