Gardening is a common interest shared by millions all over the world. Since gardening is constantly growing in popularity, this item may find a home in your permanent product line. Here we'll discuss how to create a beautiful customized garden tile perfect for any green-thumb
Materials:
Four six-inch by six-inch laserable glass tiles - available from LaserTile. We recommend two different colors for contrast.
This sample club project is relatively simple. The first step is to engrave the glass tiles and then we'll adhere them to the acrylic base.
Begin by inserting all four tiles in the engraver. Make sure to place them color-side down because we will be engraving through the white coating on the back.
Next, open the file sc_garden_tile.cdr and personalize accordingly. Since we're engraving the back of the tile, we've mirrored the text and images so they appear correctly when looking at the piece from the front. For this project, we used a 45-watt Helix and ran the job at 45% speed and 100% power. Determine the speed and power settings for the machine you're using and send the job to the laser.
You'll notice the engraving appears very dark; however, when you turn the tile over you'll see a stunning metallic gray color from the front.
If you need to cut the 12-inch by 12-inch piece of acrylic for the base of the tile, now is the time to do it.
We used a 24-inch by 12-inch sheet of acrylic and simply cut one line down the middle . The acrylic was one-quarter inch thick.
When your base is ready, it's time to start gluing the tiles. Carefully apply glue to the corners of each tile and place them accordingly.
Note: Be careful not to get any glue on the engraved text/images because it will show through the front and appear darker than the rest of the design (as pictured to the right.)
After you've arranged the tiles to the acrylic base, you'll need to let it dry.
To avoid any shifting, place a weight on top of the tile and alow to dry for at least 1 - 2 hours.
Once all the glue is dry, this thoughtful gift is ready to find its home in the garden.
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