Something I've been wanting to try for a while is brick engraving. Businesses do this a lot for dedication bricks or donor bricks. When I was in 3rd grade, they tore down my elementary school and built a new one. They engraved a photo of the old school on the bricks from the building along with the name and dates it stood. I always thought these were cool :)
I finally got to try my hand (or should I say laser) at some bricks. Before I left work, a friend gave me a brick paver he had from a landscaping job he had done. This was the first brick I tried. As most of you know I'm not a gardener, so I didn't know that pavers are just painted/stained concrete! The result was pretty good and had good contrast, but I need to find out if it's safe to laser concrete with all the little pieces flying off! If I find out it's safe to use these, I think they'll be a great idea for gardens.
The next brick I tried came from an old building that was torn down in town. I had been told that clay bricks will turn a nice black color when engraved. From what I could tell, this brick was solid clay. It had cracks in places, so I could tell it wasn't concrete. The result was a nice solid engraving, but it didn't turn black. It's more of a gray color, but it still looks good.
The last brick I tried was also one that came from an old building. A friend wanted me to engrave this brick which came from her dad's old homestead. This brick looked much like the one I had engraved before, but the results were different yet! Again, good results, just different.
I still have some research to do before I offer these on a larger scale. I've been happy with the results, but I want to get a consistent engraving. And I want to find out why they don't turn black. I'm afraid my laser might not have enough power to turn the brick black. In that case...gray will work just fine :)
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17 comments:
This is such a great idea! I love the result in the last brick :)
I had no idea you could even do this! How cool
Wonderful idea. I like the white/grey color of the engraving.
This is pretty cool! What kind of a laser do you use?
Wow, Edi! What a fabulous idea! The bricks look great!
Strangely I've never seen engraved bricks before! Yours look amazing!!
Great job :)
These are so cool Edi! What a great idea. These would make for unique house warming gifts!
What a great idea, engraving bricks. I think they all turned out great, and when you are ready to incorporate them into your collection they are going to be a nice addition.
Valerie
Everyday Inspired
What an interesting concept! I enjoyed seeing the different examples. Best of luck working on getting a consistent engraving.
That is a whole lot engraving. You aren't going to break your machine are you?
They all look great, but it is a mystery why the coloration is different on each one. Hmmm.
Where's that cute Sherlock Holmes when you need him?
Yep I think people would love these. When they demo'd the house I grew up in my mom got each of us a brick from the site and had the place and dates put on there.
You're sure giving your laser a workout! They turned out great! They have engraved bricks in front of California Adventure at Disneyland. :)
That's fascinating! I hope your work this out because it's a great idea!
Wow - I had no idea you could laser a brick! They look really cool!
this is great for businesses, and like you said, for fundraisers. The last brick looks fantastic! {:-D
What an interesting (and creative) way to use your laser! I don't think it matters that the letters, when engraved, are not dark. They look great!
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