![[Laser cut and engrave] The Happy Chef Dough Scraper – Color Engraved Stainless Steel](https://storage-us.atomm.com/resource/xtool/community/attachment/xtool-community/dde54b91-7c01-4ec8-96fb-5aca1e266b49.jpeg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_1200,h_900,limit_0/interlace,1/format,webp/auto-orient,1)
![[Laser cut and engrave] The Happy Chef Dough Scraper – Color Engraved Stainless Steel](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
The Happy Chef Dough Scraper – Color Engraved Stainless Steel
Color Engraving on Metal Contest
Instruction
Information
This stainless steel dough scraper features a cheerful “Happy Chef” mascot engraved using precision color-laser techniques. The design blends bold outlines with warm, vintage kitchen tones, creating an enamel-pin style illustration directly on the metal surface. The chef’s welcoming smile and signature thumbs-up gesture add charm and personality to an everyday kitchen tool.
The warm gradient background contrasts beautifully with the cool sheen of the steel, making the artwork stand out while still looking clean and professional. This piece is both functional and decorative — perfect for bakers, chefs, or anyone who loves character-driven culinary design.
The engraving is permanent, heat-tinted, and scratch-resistant, ensuring the artwork stays vibrant through daily use.
Instruction
Step1: Gather Materials
For this project, I used a stainless-steel dough scraper purchased in the kitchen and baking section at Vidler’s Five & Dime in East Aurora, NY for about $5.00. Before engraving, the metal surface was thoroughly wiped down with 91% isopropyl alcohol to remove any oils, fingerprints, or residue. This ensures the stainless steel is clean and ready for a crisp, even color engraving.
Step2: Prepare the Artwork
Since this project is built around a dough scraper, I wanted an image that matched the baking theme. I used AI to generate a chef mascot based on a prompt that focused specifically on baking and using a dough scraper. The cheerful chef perfectly captured the look and personality I wanted for this piece.
Once the artwork was generated, I imported it into xTool Creative Space and used the Trace tool to convert the image into a clean vector. This allowed me to isolate each section of the design and assign engraving settings to individual elements, ensuring the final color engraving would come through crisp and intentional on stainless steel.
Step3: Set Up Your Machine
For this engraving, I used the xTool F1 Ultra with the 20W IR laser module. Before starting, I made sure the flat stainless section of the dough scraper was properly leveled so the laser could produce an even, consistent engraving across the entire design area.
Using the Ultra’s Auto Focus feature, I set the correct focal distance, then captured the workspace image using the built-in onboard camera. This made it easy to align the chef design precisely where I wanted it on the scraper, ensuring accurate placement and a clean final result.
Step4: Engrave the Design
Load your prepared vector file into the xTool Studio app and set up the project with your chosen settings. Once everything looks correct, start the engraving. On the F1 Ultra, this design takes roughly 60 minutes to complete.
When the engraving finishes, do not move the dough scraper yet. First, carefully inspect the colors and overall depth to make sure they match what you were aiming for. If a section needs a little more tinting or a second pass, you can safely re-engrave it as long as the scraper hasn’t been moved. Any shifting, even slightly, will cause misalignment and ruin the precision of the artwork.
Step5: Clean and Finish
There isn’t much cleanup needed with stainless steel, but I always give the finished engraving a quick wipe with isopropyl alcohol. This removes any remaining residue from the engraving process and leaves the dough scraper looking sharp and ready to use or display.
