Laser Engraved Ceramic Tile

Using my NEJE machine to engrave Cinderella's Castle.

I thought I'd try engraving a ceramic tile with my NEJE Master 2 to see what would happen. Before I started the engraving, I prepped the tile with a cold galvanizing compound to create a matte surface. I later tried coloring the engraving with alcohol inks.

Prepping

White Ceramic Tile Square

I had a few ceramic tiles I got for approximately $0.60 USD a tile from my local Home Depot store. A couple months ago I engraved a couple tiles, but I didn't document the process. Recently, I thought I'd engrave a ceramic tile to share the process and experience with you.

My laser engraver won't engrave shiny surfaces. Well... it's more like it shouldn't engrave shiny surfaces so that the laser light doesn't reflect off the surface and set something else on fire. I'm not willing to test it out, so I needed to dull the tile's surface temporarily.

Cold Galvanizing Compound Can

Spraying Tiles

I sprayed two coats of Rust-Oleum's Cold Galvanizing Compound. It creates a matte surface ideal for laser engraving. Excess compound not engraved onto the tile washes off well.

I sprayed outdoors and let it sit under the hot Texas sun for a few hours.

Engraving

KingPNG Castle Silhouette Image Screenshot

I downloaded a Cinderella castle silhouette image online. I uploaded the image to the NEJE app on my laptop, resized it to fit the tile's dimension, used the positioning feature to determine the tile's placement under the laser. I put on my laser goggles to adjust and narrow the focus of the laser light.

NOTE: I opened my garage door to allow maximum air flow and ventilation. Everything I've engraved so far emitted an odor. Some items stink more than others when engraved, and this tile was no different.

Sprayed Tile Under NEJE Master 2 Machine

While I previously sprayed three tiles, I only engraved one before sharing this blog post. With the settings I used below, it took nine hours for the laser engraving to complete from start to finish. I didn't want to engrave any additional tiles immediately after. I wanted my machine to rest for a short while.

Laser Engraving Tile

I used the following settings in the NEJE app:

• Laser brightness: 50%

• Sensitivity of tilt detection: medium

• Motor speed: medium

• Laser power: 100%

• Burn time: 30mS

• Total passes: 1X

Cleaning

Wire Brush Over Engraved Tile No-No

I washed the excess compound off with water and an old toothbrush. The process took time and I got impatient. I tried using a wire brush, but it created deep scratches on the tile's surface.

Toothbrush and Engraved Tile

It didn't take long for me to embrace patience and continue scrubbing with an old toothbrush.

Adding Color

I've seen many YouTubers use acrylic paint to fill-in the engraved areas of a tile and wipe off excess paint with a damp cloth. I haven't tried it myself yet, but it should work well.

However, I wanted to experiment with using alcohol inks to fill-in the engraved areas of a tile. I wanted to see how vibrant the colors could be and how long it'd last without sealing the colors in.

Two Alcohol Ink Bottles Over Engraved Tile

I dropped blue, pink and white alcohol ink colors over the engraved areas of the tile. Things looked good until I tried to wipe off the excess ink. I used a shop towel and rubbing alcohol to clean the surface.

Wiping Ink Off Engraved Tile (1)

Wiping off the excess ink worked, but it took a lot of wiping to get it all off. It also wiped off much of the color from the engraved areas creating a saturated look. The pink and white inks were non-existent.

Dropping Pink Alcohol Ink On Engraved Tile

I added more drops of pink alcohol ink to see what would happen. It didn't spread the way I hoped, so I added more drops of blue ink.

Wiping Ink Off Engraved Tile (2)

It ended up mixing with the blue ink creating a deep blue-ish purple hue after wiping the excess off.

Toothpick Scraping Alcohol Ink Marks

Because I scratched the tile's surface with a wire brush, ink remained where I didn't want it to be. I used a toothpick to scrape off the unwanted excess ink that wouldn't wipe off with the shop towel and rubbing alcohol.

My Thoughts

Finished Cinderella Castle Engraved Tile

Engraving ceramic tiles was a unique art project experience. It was easy to find a silhouette or outline online as an image source.

The engraving itself took a long time and required some babysitting because I don't intend to have my house burn down any time soon.

Finished "Aurelius" Engraved Tile

While using alcohol ink worked to color the tiles, it seemed like more work than it was worth. It was messy and required lots of wiping with rubbing alcohol to clean up the excess ink.

Using multiple colors didn't work as expected, but it's possible I did it all wrong. Maybe I used too much alcohol inks? Using a single alcohol ink color took just as long to clean up the excess ink.

Finished Stitch Outline Engraved Tile

Despite the coloring nuisance, I liked the way the tiles turned out. Multiple applications of ink in between wipes resulted in a vibrant color. Even using a single alcohol ink color, while saturated in appearance, looked good. I may continue coloring engraved tiles with alcohol inks, but I'll also experiment with other coloring options.

What's Next?

I have more traditional art to share, so check back Thursday to see what I post next.

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Thanks, and have a great day!

Simply Jelly Jam