Acrylic Sea Turtle Earrings
Instruction
Sea Turtles are such majestic creatures with a long life span. Imagine the strength and will it takes to endure the harsh oceans for so very long. It is no wonder that many believe these creatures to symbolize resilience, strength and wisdom. With these earrings, you can carry that with you to show your own attributes to the world. Simple to make and sure to be an eye catcher, you and your customers will love them.
This earring is on a single canvas and has engrave (Blue) and cut (Red) lines.
The settings included are for the P2. This can be made on other machines with the proper preparation but keep in mind that the P2 is a CO2 laser and is more suited to cut transparent acrylics. If cut on a different machine than a CO2, you may not be able to cut the acrylic.
I used 3mm (1/8") Acrylic. This looks better using this thickness as it allows the engraving to show through the opposite side. Using thicker may result in a duller appearance.
Begin by prepping your material. When using acrylic, I like to coat the surface being engraved with dish soap. This will prevent hazing over the surface. You could mask if you prefer to get the same effect. NOTE: Most transparent acrylics will have a shiny side and a dull side. You want the shiny side down. To protect that side, you will want to mask it to prevent transferance to the surface of any dust or grime that may be there.
Open the earring file and line it up on your screen to where you want it to cut.
Process the file using the above settings.
Remove your earrings from the machine and then rinse under warm water to remove and dish soap and dust. Remove any masking from the shiney side.
I like to use the Earring Hooks with Pinch Bails Clasp from Amazon. These are inexpensive and makes assembly of your earrings much easier since you will not need to use a jump ring.
When assembling the earrings, you will want the shiny side facing out which means that your hook should be aimed towards the dull side.
Put the pinch bail clasp in one side of the hole at the top of the earring and then “pinch” it shut so that it is firmly seated on both sides of the hole. Do the same with the second one and you have a pair of Sea Turtle Earrings.