April 14, 2010

After much prayer and planning, we have decided to rename our business and merge it with our tile and hardwood business. The new name is Shelton Tile & Laser Design, and here is our new web site: http://sheltontile.embarqspace.com

Gunstock

Wooden gunstocks can be lasered to give a 3D "grip", or to add personalization or photos.

Black Marble Portrait

Photographs may be etched onto black marble with incredible detail. The one above is an 8"x10" portrait on marble. These are available in different sizes, generally 4"x6", 8"x10", 12"x12", but may be special ordered in other sizes as well. A decorative border and/or text may be etched around it, and these would make good memorials, wedding/anniversary gifts, or just for everyday photos you want to preserve. For custom images, the digital picture can be emailed or a standard picture can be used and scanned. (Just make sure you have the rights to use it, and are not using a picture for which someone else owns the copyright.) Good quality pictures are important to use; "soft-focus" portraits often look blurry when reproduced.

Laser engraved tile

Porcelain and ceramic tile can be laser engraved in black, bronze and blue, by using a laser-reactive product which permanently adheres the design to the tile. This can be used to create decorative tiles, such as a repeating pattern along a backsplash or in a shower, or a large design of an oriental style "rug". Stand-alone tiles can be given as gifts from realtors upon the sale of a new home, to be displayed inside or outside. Street numbers for homes and businesses can be engraved on tile for a unique customized look.



Tiles can be placed together to create a huge mural. Individual tiles sized 32" x 18" can be engraved.

Some snowflakes that don't melt

Some of these snowflakes are made from clear acrylic, which can be laser etched with text or photographs prior to cutting out in intricate shapes. These can be color-filled for added contrast. These would make good corporate gifts and churches use them for fundraisers as well.

Dog tags, etc, in anodized aluminum

Anodized aluminum in different colors can be laser engraved. It turns the engraved area a frosty white, and very detailed photos can be permanently engraved onto dogtags, signs, and other items. The T-shirt designs are popular for ball teams, the player's photo can be engraved, or just the name, team, year, and sports icon. GI-style dog tags can be engraved in different colors, as a unique tag for bookbags, luggage, keychains, or to hang around your neck or your rearview mirror.

In addition, other metals such as stainless steel can be permanently marked with a laser-reactive product which turns the engraved area a crisp black.

Marble Photo

Here is an image of a Boy Scout (with the scout oath and slogan surrounding) laser-etched on black marble. The pictures I took turned out terrible, but I scanned it and it looked a little better. In person, it shows a lot more detail.

Blue Jeans etching!

It's too fun, seeing how images look on different materials.

Yes, these are plain old blue jeans.

Engraving wood

The settings on the laser can be changed, so it can "carve" wood or it can "burn" an image into it. Here's an example. This is taken from the same original photo as the second one down in the Granite photo etching.

Granite photo etching

Here are some examples of laser etching on black granite. This top one is from a photograph taken in 1954. It's very difficult to take a picture of an etched piece of granite because of the reflections. I scanned these images and it lost some detail, but it gives you an idea of how it looks.

Welcome to the Blog!

East Tennessee Laser Design I have a laser etching business in the mountains of East Tennessee. This blog site will be a place for me to answer questions and display some samples. Feel free to sign my guestbook if you have any questions, comments, or (should I say it?) criticisms.