Author: eric

The black swallowtail butterfly is often associated with transformation, renewal, and personal growth. Its symbolism varies across different cultures and belief systems. In some Native American traditions, the butterfly is seen as a symbol of change and balance. In other cultures, it may represent the soul, endurance, or the concept of resurrection. Overall, the black swallowtail butterfly is often seen as a positive symbol of change and transformation.

To my Swallowtail out there…. I’ll see you on Saturday!

Got a little creative today for a certain someone I’m having dinner with on Saturday… But will she see this before Saturday?

Wolf and butterfly, heart in a sigh;
while chasing dreams, destined to die.
Forms a compass as they migrate;
touching center star as if by fate,
burned by their journey and parched dry.

Rain or shine enthralled by the sky;
awakens both to catcher in the rye.
Running in circles, cannot sedate,
wolf and butterfly.

A flutter of eyes and mournful cry;
kindred souls without a doubt or lie.
In that bonding they don’t hesitate;
though caught in their seasons quite late,
Winter’s touch approaching, won’t deny,
wolf and butterfly.

Wolf and butterfly, more time to buy;
perching soft and asking the wolf why.
“Pause on quest of chasing silver plate;
sleeping in cocoons don’t clean the slate.”
Reply,”I’ll keep you warm if you teach me how to fly.”

~Michael Cranford

So all the failed photo attempts that I tried with glass was because of grayscale. Glass is an all black & white medium. I couldn’t figure out why the text on all my failed glass tries looked so good, but the picture always looked so bad. Now I know. If you want a coaster with an actual picture on it, I’m definitely going to point you in the direction of slate.

All three of these were burned from the same graphic. If you want photo realism, I’d definitely encourage you to go with slate!

Monday 3-25-2024, I finally finished re-wiring all the workstations and after all the cleanup of the desktops where drinks had been spilled, I decided to practice my laser engraving and give them all a thank you for putting up with me! The most sincere compliment when all of the coasters I passed out are gone, so I’m making more for them. If any of you awesome nurses from Littleton ER are reading this… You got it! STAY AWESOME! (and don’t spill drinks on my computers!)

I’m getting better at glass, but honestly it’s still a pain in the ass. Right now I keep cracking the glass when I go to engrave. I’m going to figure it out and the results get better time after time. I ordered some glass coasters I’m going to try next to see if they are easier to work with than the rotary attachment on my engraving machine. I seem to be having problems with the graphic skewing on the cylindrical work area.

Started playing with stainless steel today. Thought some plant stakes with butter knifes might bet cool… What do you think? I found a color key today which was extremely helpful. Still need to find the balance between the number of passes, speed of the laser and power of the laser per pass… Glass is still a pain in the ass…

I decided to get a bit more adventurous with my canvass and went with slate. What I found most interesting working with slate is that you have to invert the image. It’s almost like you are working with a negative, but when it comes out on the black slate, it truly turns out amazing! What do you think internet? Do you think a custom slate coaster is worth $19 a piece? 4 for $35??? That includes the time for image editing. Bulk orders get a discount!

Hello there, this post is dedicated to my Custom Laser Engraving venture! Using a wooden bowl I bought at a yard sale, and a little bit of time photo editing, I put Cheyenne and her name on this bowl. How do you think it turned out?