My Dad Gave Me Wings To Soar

Using photoshop I converted the image to black and white and adjusted the contrast. 

Next I used the selection brush tool to select and removed some of the clouds/sky so that it was not a straight line. 

I created a black circle and then used it as a layer mask for the image I had edited. I Merged the layers. 

Next I inverted the image and adjusted the contrast and Highlights once more to make sure there was enough grayscale variation. I saved the image as a PNG file. I imported it to xcs. 

I focused the laser manually after placing the coin on the base plate. I entered my desired settings in xcs and started embossing the coin. I could have done 254 layers, but I did not want to babysit the machine for 5.5 hours, so I bumped it down to 100. I left the coin in on the baseplate undisturbed. 

I changed the settings for the embossing to “settings 2” to clean up the coin and lighten things up. 

I used xcs to design the Text for the front of the coin. I set the engraving parameters  and started the engraving for the bottom layer which I wanted to be a “drop Shadow” I used “setting 4” parameters for this. 

I moved the placement of the coin front text slightly in xcs and set the parameters to “setting 5” 

I put the coin in brass blackener and then I used 1000 grit sand paper to remove the blackening from the places I did not want it to be. I washed it with soap and water and dried and buffed with a soft cloth. 

I manually focused the laser again for the engraving on the back side of the coin. I created the text design in xcs I used “settings 3” for the back. I chose a slower speed because I wanted it to be dark without having to put the coin in brass blackener again. Once it was done engraving, I washed it again and buffed it with a soft cloth.