Thread: Advice needed on engraving tombstones

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Getting ready to do some engraving into some styro tombstones this weekend. I have a Dremel with a router bit but am not sure how to go about this. A few questions:

What's a good font to use? (Easy to carve lettering?)
Do you bevel your cuts for the letters?
How deep do you cut?
How do I transfer my design and writing from paper to the styro for cutting?

There may be more questions to follow...
Thanks!

Bump, I really need the help.

Chimp
Change out this page Building Halloween Tombstones ...Terra is the Queen of building the tombstones. In my opinion (and Im sure that a lot of people on here would agree) she is the best on this forum! Watch the videos and she has links to others posts she has done as well. She covers tools, fonts, transfers...etc... Simply put, as stated before, she is the QUEEN!!!

Have a pair of pliers handy. If your Dremel is going to fast it will melt the foam and it will stick to the bit. Then, the area routed will be too big (one headache you won't want, plus it will keep growing in size). Try using lower speeds on the Dremel. I do not bevel mine. Don't go too deep. I tired that and found that although it sounds good, it just doesn't make that much of a difference. To transfer is easy, two ways: 1) Carbon paper (yes, they still sell it) 2) Trace with regular paper, have to press down to leave an indentattion.

Hope this helps

FYI - I've seen the "carbon paper" at craft stores listed as "transfer paper." I asked for it by a different name & the store worker didn't know what I was talking about....

I use a soldering iron with a skinny tip. Just go slow with a light touch or you will melt too much too fast. Stencils or carbon paper work great. The soldering iron also makes great cracks and chips. And yes, watch Terra's video's!!

when i use an Old English style script i cut the letters out with an exacto knife. I make a cut down the center of each line and then make cuts with my blade at an angle so I get a V shaped channelt for the letters. this is my Bram Stoker tombstone done with this technique.

Just this year I started using the Dremel with the router attachment. I think it's much better than A soldering iron or a versa tool. Try using the Copperplate Gothic Bold font. There's no need to bevel anything or cut too deep. In fact I find it easier to paint if you don't cut it deep. As for transferring, I print out what I need in the font that i want, and glue it in place with repositionable spray adhesive. I'll then trace the letters with an xacto knife, pull off the paper, and rout away! I use the multipurpose cutting bit (looks like a drill bit) and it doesn't melt the foam or build up on the bit.

I've also always used a Dremel for my stones, but to be honest, I think going forward I'll probably skip that and go the spray paint route. Spray paint eats foam (specifically, the propellant). We normally look at this as a bad thing. BUT, and I wish I could remember where I first saw this, if you mask the areas you DON'T want to etch, and hit the stone with a very, very light coat of spray, the foam will be eaten away, and you'll carve your stones with almost zero mess.

I haven't done this on an actual stone, but a few years ago I tried it out for proof of concept, and it worked beautifully.

So, because I am always trying to pass on any knowledge I can on here (and I have learned a lot), here is the link for the "Spray Paint" technique alluded to in the last post. Hope this helps. Easy Tombstones