Silver Dragon Fire

Creating the engraving file:

Although the engraving file that is uploaded is complete and ready to engrave,, it
took me quite a while to figure out how to make it so I’ve included
the instructions in case you want to make a different engraving with
aluminum tape on a tile. I’ve included the raw image files I used
if you want to try it yourself. If you are not interested in how this
is done, just jump to Alignment Marks

Draw a 100mm square. Open the background
file and size/crop to fit inside the square.

Load the dragon file and place and size where you want it, and change to binary with the
EFFECT tool.

Load the flames file, and place and size where you want it and change to binary with
the EFFECT tool. Convert the Dragon and Flames to vector images using
the BITMAP COPYING tool.

Delete the bitmap dragon and flame image, leaving only the vectors.

Using the OFFSET tool, set the offset to 1 for the dragon, and then the flames.

Hide the dragon and flames, but not the offsets

Move the background image to the top (right click on the image)

Use the BITMAP COPYING tool (0,0), convert the background to a vector image – you
can only use the MERGE tool on vector images.

Delete the bitmap background image.

Hide the dragon and flames offsets.

UNGROUP the background image, then, Using the MERGE tool, UNION to make it one
vector image.

Unhide the the dragon offset and move to the top (right click on the image) to the
top, then using the MERGE tool, subtract.

Repeat for the
flames offset.

Select the background and FILL.

Unhide the dragon, flames, and outline rectangle.

STEP 1: Alignment marks

Clean the tile with alcohol.

Using PREVIEW, focus and center the preview square.

Mark each corner of the square with a felt tip pin. This is important for lining up
multiple engravings.

Hide everything but the dragon and mark the four corners of the rectangle with a felt tip
pen, being very careful not to move the tile.

Repeat for the
flames.

STEP 2: Dragon Aluminum Tape

Spray the tile lightly with water. This is to keep the glue on the tape from
adhering to the tile and making weeding difficult.

Fastening the tape on the top side of the tile, lay it across the entire tile, covering
the rectangle marks of the dragon, and fasten the tape to the bottom
edge of the tile. Don’t worry about small wrinkles. They will be
burnished out.

Unhide the square outline, and CAREFULLY align the tile with the preview square.

Hide everything but the dragon, and start the engraving – 1063nm, 100/100, four passes.

When the engraving is complete, carefully weed the dragon.

Note: I find tweezers and a razor knife best for weeding. The razor knife is used
to lift up the edge of the section of tape to be removed, and then
the tweezers to pull it off. On the dragon, just poking the small
spots needing weeding is enough to lift them up so they can be
grasped with the tweezers. Be mindful when weeding that the metal
tape is not firmly stuck to the tile at this point, so go slowly and
carefully. If you make a major mistake weeding, the tape can easily
be scrapped off with a knife and the glue residue cleaned off with
alcohol and you can do it all over again.

Cover the dragon with a piece of paper, and heavily burnish it with something like the
back of the plastic handle of a screwdriver or similar object to
force the water out and stick the aluminum tape to the tile.

STEP 3: Flames Aluminum Tape

Repeat step two for the flames, fastening the tape on each SIDE of the tile, and use 6
passes.

STEP 4: Clean the tile

Remove the alignment marks for the dragon and flames with alcohol, BEING CAREFUL NOT TO
REMOVE THE IMAGE ALIGNMENT MARKS!!!

Engrave the background:

Using a foam brush, evenly coat the tile with TiO2 solution – 3 parts water, 1 part school glue, one part TiO2. Apply two to three coats letting each coat fully dry before applying the next coat, TAKE CARE NOT TO COVER THE ALIGNMENT MARKS, but don’t worry about covering the dragon or flames.

Hide the dragon and flames image and but show the alignment square and background image.

CAREFULLY focus and align the tile using PREVIEW.

HIDE the reference square.

Engrave 450nm 88 depth, 50% power.

Wash off the TiO2,

Cover the dragon and flames with paper and burnish again to make sure all of the water is removed underneath.

Clean off any glue residue and alignment marks with alcohol.

DONE!

You can clear coat with acrylic if you want, but the aluminum tape will adhere tenaciously to the tile without a clear coat if burnished such that there are no bubbles.