Use of mc etcher for colors

Im working on an xmas project where i want to put a logo or something similar onto a piece of aluminum using the mc etcher. I was wondering if anybody has examples of a project where they used different angles or fill patterns to show differences in the etching to account for color differences in the logo. Maybe background was etched one way and letters on top were etched at another angle of fill pattern.

I dont have a specific logo in mind, just trying to spark an idea from my brain.

Look at @KevBarn14 's video on “Rub and Buff” for some ideas:

1 Like

I did watch that the other day. I will most likely try that at some point. My brain is more steering me away from color and just a clean aluminum look. Was thinking different etching angles would show a different look that i could use to seperate the colored logo portions

Check out the computer I engraved. Utilized the gradient lines stepover to produce “color” differences.
Carbide 3D shared a post on Instagram: "MC Etcher diamond tip drag engraver + MacBook Air on the Dark Side of the Moon.  You know it’s yours. 

#carbide3d #shapeoko #cncrouter #instamachinist #cncowners #creativity #inspiration #design...
https://www.instagram.com/p/Chspwt8vndJ/?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU=

5 Likes

These ornaments were done with the 90º McEtcher on anodized aluminum sheets, roughly .030 thick. I just let the McEtcher scratch away the anodized coating.


4 Likes

Thats what i was envisioning in my brain, just couldnt compute it to a finished product. Thanks!

I like that idea also for some color. I thought about doing some anodized dog tags for my parents dog.

That is something I’ve been racking my brain over as well. This looks great, did you turn off the spindle & what feed rate did you use?

Yes, the spindle was off as the McEtchers are meant to be used as a dag only. I used the settings for the tool as defined in the tool table but I did preload the bit a few thousands when I set Z zero.

There is A LOT of Z retracts when using the Engrave function so you may want to look at your retract height, keep it as short as possible. That helps cut down engraving time a bit.

Tape and super glue are great for work holding on this job.

This topic was automatically closed after 30 days. New replies are no longer allowed.