Hello! I’ve taken a creative approach to making a mark on my cultural identity…with my own personal signature. Here’s how I did it.
For this project, I chose to create a Chinese seal, an engraving used to mark documents and establish personal identification, similar to the way we sign important documents, using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. However, I decided to highlight the Chinese characters of my personal seal with red resin. More on that later.
First, I had to get an image of my personal seal. I used an online website (linked here) to generate a seal with my Chinese name and a traditional script.
My personal Chinese seal. To read it, you start from the top right and read top down, then right to left: “王秉源印”
Once that was done, I imported the image into Adobe Illustrator and converted it into a vector graphic using the “Image Trace” function with the “Black and White” preset. After exporting the resulting SVG file, I imported it into Carbide Create, where I generated toolpaths for the CNC machine by removing one of the border lines from the imported file and making some sizing modifications to the top left character. Note that I used a contour toolpath set to a 1/8-inch endmill bit for the outer border line through the stock material and multiple pocket toolpaths for the Chinese characters, all of which had a 1/8-inch depth and were set to a 1/16-inch endmill bit.
The pocket and contour toolpaths as displayed in Carbide Create.
Once the toolpaths were finished and I exported the resulting file, I selected the wood planks that I had used and planed them using a planer to ensure that the top and bottom faces were level.
The wood planks after running them through the planer.
Then, I picked out the 1/8-inch and 1/16-inch endmill bits that I used to cut into the wood planks using the CNC machine.
The 1/8-inch endmill bit I used for this project.
The 1/16-inch endmill bit that I used for this project.
It was finally time to begin the CNC machining process. I initially used the Nomad 3 because of its small footprint (and because that was the machine in which I first learned how to use the Carbide Motion software associated with the Nomad 3). The process began by cutting out the Chinese characters using a 1/16-inch bit, followed by cutting out the piece itself using a 1/8-inch bit.
The resulting wood piece after machining using the Nomad 3.
However, I tried out the Shapeoko machine, and it delivered more high-quality results with my pieces, so I chose to stick with the Shapeoko instead of the Nomad 3, especially since it also used the Carbide Motion software. I used the same machining process, including pocket and contour toolpaths, as before.
The Shapeoko in action, engraving the Chinese characters of my seal.
The clean workspace in the Shapeoko after the CNC-machining process.
The resulting wood pieces after going through the Shapeoko.
After CNC machining, I sanded each resulting piece, progressing from 80-grit sandpaper to 150-grit sandpaper and finally to 320-grit sandpaper.
The sanding setup, with the many sandpapers I used to ensure that each resulting piece is smooth.
The resulting wood pieces after sanding.
I should take a moment to point out that there were two plans for approaching post-processing after CNC machining. The first plan involved staining the CNC piece after sanding with True Black wood stain and then applying ruby-colored resin. You can see the staining setup below for one of the wooden seal pieces.
While I waited for the black stain to dry out, I mixed the resin solutions, Part A and Part B, in a 1:1 ratio in a mixing cup, along with a couple of drops of ruby-colored dye, using a popsicle stick.
The initial resin setup, including all necessary solutions and cups.
Once the stain had dried, I wiped off the excess stain and poured the resin into the Chinese character holes I had created in the wood. After the resin hardened, I finished the piece using Danish oil. The resin at the end looked darker than intended, and I didn’t see the red coloring at all. So, it was time to go back to the drawing board.
The finishing setup for the first wood seal piece, which includes the Danish oil.
For the second plan, I decided to finish the bottom and sides of each piece using Danish oil and use multipurpose primer on the top surface (the one with the Chinese characters cut out) with a paintbrush.
The post-processing setup, with the primer and the Danish oil.
After waiting for the primer to dry, I wrapped some blue masking tape around each piece along the sides and spray-painted the top with a coat of white spray paint. I then left the pieces to dry overnight.
The spray-painting setup, with the spray paint can and the tape-wrapped pieces.
The CNC pieces on the drying rack, sitting on a paper towel.
However, after leaving the pieces out to dry, I realized that the holes for the Chinese characters are too small for me to directly pour the resin from the mixing cup, so I have to use plastic pipettes to transfer the resin from the cup. I knew, though, that doing that would come with a risk of staining the top surface if any of the colored resin touched it, so I laser-cut a piece of wood with cutouts of the Chinese characters, ensuring the top surface was protected from any resin residue that might come into contact with the wood.
The wooden cutout of my Chinese seal after laser-cutting.
Next, I mixed the resin solutions, Part A and Part B, in a 1:1 ratio in a mixing cup, along with a couple of drops of ruby-colored dye, using a popsicle stick (following the same procedure as before). Once all solutions are thoroughly mixed, I used a plastic pipette to transfer the colored resin from the cup to the CNC-made indents through the laser-cut wood onto one of the painted wood pieces, which I will refer to as the test piece in this blog.
The laser-cut wood cutout laid over the top of the test piece.
The resin setup with the laser-cut piece.
After removing the laser-cut piece from the test CNC piece, I found that the resin had made a bit of a mess that I had to wipe away using a paper towel. Even doing that did not eliminate the color residue that remained on the wooden surface. Thank goodness I did the laser-cut piece test on that test piece, as I have now learned that I need to apply the resin using just the pipette.
The test piece with the ruby-colored resin after removing the wooden cutout.
For the next two pieces, I mixed equal proportions of Parts A and B, with 5 drops of ruby-colored dye added. After that, I used another plastic pipette to fill the engraved Chinese characters with the resin. I took advantage of the resin’s viscosity and dragged the tip along the path of the characters while squeezing on the pipette’s bulb. This method was a much cleaner way of applying the resin, without creating a significant mess.
The final resin setup with the new batch of ruby-colored resin.
There was still some color residue from the resin on the top surface, so I patched it up by creating a pool of white spray paint using the can and using a fine-tip paintbrush to paint over the color residue.
The paintbrush setup, with the white spray paint can.
It was hard to cover up the residue, but the resulting pieces were cleaner than before, and I’m proud of how they turned out. Now, I can honor my culture in a way that resonates with me, all thanks to the power of CNC machining. These pieces are the next (and penultimate) entry in the EDES 210 project train. See you for the final addition to the train!
The final resulting wood pieces with the ruby-colored resin!
- 1 3.5-inch x 0.75-inch x 8-feet piece of wood (source: here) = $8.52
- 1 can of white spray paint (source: here) = $6.78
- 1 quart of True Black wood stain (source: here) = $13.98
- 1 can of multipurpose primer (source: here) = $12.98
- 1 bottle of resin Part A and 1 bottle of resin Part B (source: here) = $36
- Ruby-colored dye (source: here) = $9.96
- Danish oil (source: here) = $14.98
- Sandpaper:
- Fine-tip paintbrush (source: here for one set) = $6.99
- Large-area paintbrush (source: here for one set) = $7.99
- Small mixing cups (source: here for 200 count) = $0.50 for 5 cups
- Popsicle sticks (source: here) = $1.47
- Set of plastic pipettes (source: here) = $5.99
- Considering that $7.25 is the minimum wage in Texas and that I spent about 8 hours working on this project: $7.25 per hour x 8 hours = $58
- It’s going to be a whole lot to add up…
- $8.52 + $6.78 + $13.98 + $12.98 + $36 + $9.96 + $14.98 + $5.99 + $3.99 + $5.99 + $6.99 + $7.99 + $0.50 + $1.47 + $5.99 + $58 = $200.11
As for progressing on my quest to create the perfect mark of identity, I’ll see if I can use CNC machining to create a stamp, albeit a large one…
