Engraving on curved pen?

[baldysm]

I have a customer that needs a pen for a b-day gift in a hurry.

She would also like it engraved. I am because it is a curved surface. Will that cause problems engraving it? The wood is an English Walnut. Is that ok for readability, or should I suggest it get filled?

The pen is http://www.onlyonecreations.com/pages/wood-gift-pen.htm

I appreciate any advice.

Thanks

 

[daledut]

Ken at http://www.kallenshaanwoods.com engraves on curved surface pens all the time. He has quick turn around and good prices and did a great job with my daughhter's wedding pens (14 and a plaque). If you have time I would contact him.

 

[melogic]

Another good site is the site of Nick Silva www.studio-n.net
He is very good and reasonable. He will ship the items back the next business day after he receives it. Give him a look.

 

[Studio-N]

Hello. Here is a little info:
the CO2 lasers we use generally have a fixed focal point where the laser is at it's most optimal. That is why they work best on flat surfaces like a plaque. On a curved surface, it will engrave fine even as it starts to get out of focus up to a drop of about .05 inches. then the lettering will start to either not engrave as deeply, or in extreme drops will begin to elongate. Here is a worst case: if you took a baseball and tried to engrave a circle on top if it, it would go through the motions, but you'd end up with an oval due to the continueous drop around the ball.

Now having said all this - most pens do not drop off enough to be a problem. There are a few things we can do to compensate. You can always run multiple passes to ensure there is enough engraving done on the letters or it can always be done in seperate passes. For instance for 'john smith', the JOHN can be run first at one focal point, then the SMITH can be reset at a more correct focal point and run seperately.

Looking at the picture on your web site, I don't see a problem at all. This is not an extreme drop off and should engrave in one pass.

Best Regards,
Nick