50mm brass Succubus coin
Engraving info :
Another birthday present since she gets a birthday week :) She deserves it!
Portrait wood engraving job I just finished for a client and got permission to post.
I don't think there was anyone in the world that did not love Dolly Parton, she will be missed.
Poplar wood - 282 dpi - engraved with my 5w OMG UV
Don't let people get you down and make you feel bad when you know you work hard. Ignore the hate and keep pushing forward. This is a photo I restored of my great uncle who was in Vietnam, he got his eye blown out from grenade shrapnel. One of the best men I have ever known. - Engraved on poplar wood.
Decide exactly what products I’m bringing
Make enough inventory in different designs and price ranges
Inspect every engraving for defects
Clean and finish each piece
Package or bag finished products
Add price tags
Prepare a few premium/display pieces to attract attention
Bring examples of custom engraving work
Decide whether I will take custom orders at the market
Know my material cost for each product
Know approximately how much machine time each product takes
Include finishing, packaging, and market fees in my pricing
Have clear prices customers can easily see
Offer products at several price points
Decide whether I want bundle deals, such as 2 for $___
Decide whether custom engraving costs extra
Table
Tablecloth
Display stands or risers
Small shelves or crates for different heights
Product holders for plaques, tags, signs, or engravings
Business/shop sign
Price signs
Custom-order sign
Good lighting if the market allows it
Extension cord if electricity is available
Tape
Zip ties
Scissors
Pens
Paper/notepad
Cleaning cloth
Cash box or money pouch
Small bills for change
Card reader
Phone fully charged
Portable battery pack
Venmo/PayPal/Cash App QR code if I use them
Receipt option if needed
Business cards
Etsy/shop QR code
Social media QR code
Contact information
Small cards explaining how to order custom work
Packaging with my business name when possible
Have an order form ready
Record customer name
Record phone/email
Record exact text to engrave
Confirm spelling with the customer
Record product/material
Record dimensions
Record design/reference requested
Record price
Record deposit/payment
Give an estimated completion or pickup/shipping arrangement
Photograph or save the approved design/details
Low-cost impulse-buy items
Keychains
Dog tags
Small engraved signs
Coasters
Magnets
Ornaments
Personalized name pieces
Gaming-themed engravings
Fantasy/mythology designs
Pet-themed items
Local-themed designs
Medium-priced decorative pieces
A few large premium pieces that show what my machine can do
Which products sell
Which products people pick up but don't buy
Designs customers ask about
Requests for products I don't currently make
Most popular price range
Number of custom-order inquiries
Total sales
Cash sales
Card/digital sales
Market fee
Approximate profit
Best-selling design
Slowest-selling design
Chair
Water
Snacks
Sunscreen for outdoor markets
Jacket/rain protection if needed
Hand sanitizer
Trash bag
Extra phone charger/battery
Count total sales
Subtract market fees and other expenses
Record what sold
Record what did not sell
Restock best sellers
Follow up on custom orders
Save customer requests as ideas for future products
Take photos of the booth so I can improve the setup next time
Note what I forgot to bring
Decide what to change for the next market
1. What actually sells?
Don't judge only by what looks coolest. Track what customers actually spend money on.
2. What price sells easiest?
Figure out your strongest impulse-buy price point and keep several products in that range.
3. What attracts people to the table?
Use your most impressive engravings as attention pieces, even if they aren't your biggest sellers.
4. What do customers keep requesting?
Repeated requests are potential new products.
5. Are custom orders worth pushing?
A small market can generate sales after the event if customers know you offer personalized engraving
IT was about a 7 min runtime with my 5w OMG UV laser - 100 mm/sec speed / 50 freq and 16 pulse @ 420 dpi - Kasia dither in Imag-r , Engraved in Lightburn 1 pass
So here is the video instead of a picture.
Brass dog tag
8-bit greyscale design
2222 / 85% / 110 / 150 @ 400 passes
60w OMG mopa fiber
2 hour 40 min runtime
8-bit greyscale
2222 / 85% / 110 / 150 @ 400 passes with my 60w omg mopa fiber laser
2.5 hours
I bought my 5w UV with the intention of using it to up my wood engraving game, but man the cold laser is incredible on ALOT of materials!!! I still love wood engraving, but I think canvas is one of my new favorites!
This is a 200mm slate from Amazon. I sanded it smooth using a disc sander, starting with 80 grit, then 150 grit, and finishing with 320 grit. After sanding, I applied a coat of lacquer and then engraved.
I prepare my slate the same way every time: sand it to 320 grit with a disc sander, wash it thoroughly, blow-dry it, apply a coat of lacquer, blow-dry it again, and then engrave.
200mm Slate from Amazon
Sanded to 320 grit and lacquer coated
420 dpi
200mm slate from amazon - sanded down and lacquer coated.
15 min engrave time using my 5w OMG UV laser.
depth map was run at 847 dpi - 5 passes --- Imag-r / Norton dither
engraving was run 1 pass at 254 dpi --- Imag-r / Marcin dither
engraved using my 5w OMG UV laser
2 hours for all 6 passes
Brass coin - 1 hour 20 min run time - 400 passes
Engraved with my 60w OMG Mopa fiber
Yesterday, after running a bunch of tests, I was convinced that images from most AI apps were simply 8-bit images saved in a 16-bit format. At this point, I'm no longer 100% confident that's always the case.
For this latest test, I exported one of my own 8-bit depth maps as a 16-bit image and then processed it with Gigapixel. I also created a small Python app that counts the number of unique grayscale levels in an image, and the results were interesting.
The depth map from Sculptok still measured only 256 unique grayscale levels, but the Gigapixel-processed image measured 62,963 unique grayscale levels.
At the end of the day, I still don't think this is the biggest issue with AI-generated depth maps. In my opinion, pixel distortion has a much greater impact on engraving quality than the number of grayscale levels. That said, I wanted to correct what I wrote yesterday based on the new information I found. If the evidence changes, I'm happy to update my conclusions.