Whenever your friend’s birthday is coming, there is a question that will definitely bother you – what kind of birthday gift should I give to my friend that is more special? The most direct and effective way to make ordinary gifts memorable and precious is DIY engraving. As long as you engrave your friend’s initials or birthday and other special information that can represent your friend on the gift you choose, no matter how ordinary the gift is, it will become unique. You can choose to engrave on the gift yourself, although this takes a lot of time and effort, but it is very helpful for you to further express your feelings. If you don’t have much time, it is also a good choice to engrave the carefully selected gift to a professional engraver.
Of course, before you decide to engrave on the gift, you need to know what gifts can be DIY engraved. Metal gifts are the first choice, such as metal tableware, water cups, necklaces, and earrings. Some objects made of hard wood such as signs and photo frames are also OK. You can also choose glass products such as standing lamps and glasses.
Let me introduce you to some information about DIY engraved gifts, custom engraving and design so that you can better engrave your gifts.
Preparation before engraving
If you have some experience in engraving and have your favorite engraving tool, you only need some creative inspiration to start your engraving. Then you can skip this step and go directly to the next step.
If you are still a DIY engraving novice, but have your own ideas on how to engrave a unique gift, we can give you a basic introduction to the things you may use in the engraving process so that you can smoothly start your engraving journey.
In terms of the choice of engraving tools, some people will use a laser engraving machine, which looks cool, but in fact it does not show a particularly good effect on many materials because its engraving marks are relatively shallow; some people will use non-electric engraving tools, but this tool is not very friendly to novices because it is not easy to use, the learning cycle is relatively long, and the applicable materials are very limited.
For novices, the engraving tool I recommend is a pneumatic engraving machine. Because it has a good engraving effect and is more applicable.
Advice for beginners
Before you confirm the engraving machine you want to buy, I suggest that you try to practice on metal materials first. Pneumatic engraving machines and electric engraving machines are both easy for novices to use, and they can be used for almost all engraving projects. Holding their engraving handles is like holding a pencil in your hand, and beginners can quickly master it.
Different metals have different hardness and different difficulty in engraving. Among many metals, gold, silver, copper, and aluminum are relatively soft and easier to engrave. It is a good choice for beginners. Of course, in the early stages of practice, it is recommended to choose cheaper metals.
One thing to note is that DIY engraving is not recommended for gold-plated metals, because engraving will damage the surface metal, exposing the underlying metal to the air, and the colors of the surface and underlying metals are generally different, and the effect presented is very unsightly.
Engravable jewelry
When it comes to engraved jewelry, most people first think of wedding rings and some small accessories. In fact, as long as you think outside the box, in addition to common jewelry, there are many jewelry that can be engraved, such as necklaces, bracelets, bangles, earrings, hairpins, etc.
You can buy jewelry of various shapes that have not been engraved in various shopping software, starting with simple patterns such as round, rectangular, and heart-shaped. After becoming proficient, you can also engrave some complex patterns of your own design. Once you start carving, you will find that carving jewelry is not as difficult as you imagined.
Engravable wooden gifts
Wooden signs and pen holders or business card holders with names or special words such as “smile, effort, peace” are all good office accessories. Use your brain. In addition to these engraved wooden gifts, you can also choose coat racks, jewelry boxes, cutting boards, wine racks, woodworking tools, etc.
You can also apply varnish and paint on the carved wooden gifts. The purpose of this is to make the surface of the gift more glossy, presenting a perfect effect and also conducive to preservation.
Engravable glass gifts
You can engrave names or simple patterns on customized decorative mirrors, vases, glass water cups, and wine glasses.
Summary
Although you can engrave the gift to professionals, it would be a fulfilling thing if you can buy your favorite engraving tools and carve a work yourself?
This article only introduces some common and suitable materials for DIY engraved gifts, such as metal, wood, and glass, but I believe that there are still many materials for engraving that have not been discovered by people. If you are interested, you can try to explore them.
If your friend receives a unique gift that you spent time and energy to DIY carve, she will definitely feel your sincere friendship for her, and it may also further warm up your friendship.
