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![[Laser cut and engrave] Laser Engraved Metal Santa Claus Dog Tag Pendant](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
Santa Claus Keychain
Color Engraving on Metal Contest
Instruction
Information
Hi everyone, it’s been a while since I posted, but I recently got an F2 Ultra and wanted to try out some color engraving. This is a Santa Claus keychain that I made.
This is definitely geared more toward the F2 Ultra, but it should work on most of the IR lasers that xTool makes. Just make sure to adjust the color settings to suit your machine, and always wear your safety gear.
Instruction
Step1: Make the Graphic
First, I used the new xTool AI software to create the graphic of Santa. I imported it into the sheet, and next we’ll turn it into an SVG graphic that’s ready for laser engraving.
Step2: Outline Graphic
Now this part is a bit more involved. First, use the Trace tool to split the graphic apart. After that, make sure the different colors are separated into individual layers instead of being merged into one. This lets you edit each color properly.
From there, ungroup the layers and set them to Engrave rather than Score. Next, separate the background from Santa’s face. Finally, release the red layer so each part engraves individually instead of as one big block. This gives you much more accurate color results.
Step3: Set colors
Now I used the xTool color-engraving tutorial to find the best settings for the red on the hat. Here is the link to the tutorial.: Start Color Engraving with xTool F2 Ultra - xTool Support Center
I had some trouble getting a solid black, so I used the black settings from the Color engraving of Van Gogh’s portrait on a stainless steel plate
Step4: Laser
Now it’s time to laser your Santa. Make sure you wear your laser safety glasses, and keep in mind this project takes about 8 minutes
Step5: Your Done!
You’re done! Great job. I hope you had fun and learned a bit about the process of making a color engraving.
