Highlighting Laser Engraving

[Rich Sloop]

Several folks have referenced making the laser engraving stand out, but no other detail.  One gentleman said he lightly rubs black shoe polish into the engravings. Is there a recommended way to prep or highlight the laser engraving before final finishing?

[sheepsail]

I can not speak yet for ship models.   On Pipe organs I have used wax crayons (Black or white) to fill in the text.

[brunnels]

1 hour ago, sheepsail said:

On Pipe organs I have used wax crayons (Black or white) to fill in the text.

Also a popular technique within the Collectible firearms community to highlight arsenal/manufacturer stampings.

[Chuck]

Rich...Just make sure you seal the wood first so the areas you dont want to darken can be cleaned up easier.   Maybe apply some Wipe on Poly.   Otherwise whatever you use will soak into every soft area and get dirty and wont be easily cleaned.

[Gregory]

7 hours ago, Rich Sloop said:

Several folks have referenced making the laser engraving stand out, but no other detail.

Do you have an example of this?   What material/s are you referring to?

 

[wefalck]

For engraving in metal there are two methods:

 

- filling in with (black) paint; this should be a hard paint, so acrylics are not a good choice, as once the paint is dry, you would rub down the excess with fine(st) emery paper; this is a common process for instrument scales, door-signs, etc.

 

- applying metal black (on suitable metals) and then same process as above.

 

In principle the same technique can be applied to wood too. However, the wood needs to be sealed first with wood-sealer and then some gloss(!) varnish, so that excess paint can be wiped off quickly. Finally, the varnish can be rubbed down again or some matt varnish applied on top.

 

Again this technique can also be applied to (laser-)engraved surface that have been painted. One would not rub down the varnish, however, but rather apply a thin coat of matt varnish.

 

I have used all of the above techniques on a variety of materials.

 

[RolandR]

I found (my own and bought pieces), the engraved lines are deep enough to keep the scorched lines even when sanding the pieces. I carefully clean the pieces including with compressed air before I stain them.

I like my lines very faint and not stand out from a distance. To me, it is more prototypical.