Engraving

[Daddy1]

I am considering getting a laser engraver, the OEM laser engraver. Just wanted to know if someone has experience on engraving on pens with this machine or a similar machine. Do you have a jig you have to hold the pen in place. Any advise is appreciated.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

I'm not familiar with the engraver you mentioned. I have a Funsculpt 10w and a friend has an XTool 20w. Both are diode lasers on a metal frame. As far as your question about holding the pen I've seen it done three different ways. The way others engraved before I got started was they had a board with a V trough cutout in it. They would lay the barrel in the groove. The issue was that if you wanted two or more lines you'd have to guess and turn the barrel to engrave the next line. Also if the font was big the image will start to distort because it's on a round surface. I have a rotary attachment that has two roller that rotate the barrel as it engraves so the beam is at the center the whole way. It will also keep the spacing even and the lines straight. You can get by without the rotary but well worth the money to have. The third is a Chuck rotary that used for cups and such. There's a lot more set up needed for that. I've never used one so I don't know if it troublesome or not. Almost forgot. It's best to engrave the pen before assembly.

 

[SteveJ]

I have a Roly Lasermatic 10 which comes with a rotary attachment I have used effectively on about 75 pens. It works extremely well and has cutting and engraving capabilities as well.

I couldn't find a specific OEM laser engraver to compare directly, but the OEM branded I did find is the FiberCube series which is a different animal than the diode lasers most are using for engraving pens. The fiber lasers are capable of engraving metals more effectively (and faster usually) than the diodes.