# Brass engraving, anodizing, printing, etc.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brass-engraving-anodizing-printing-etc/245889>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 19, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brass-engraving-anodizing-printing-etc/245889 "2004-05-19T02:05:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brass-engraving-anodizing-printing-etc/245889/1 "2004-05-19T02:05:40Z")

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As some of you may know, I am working on a homemade mercury barometer. I’ve got the mercury, the glass tube, etc. I’ve only found one place that sells barometer “cards” [www.barometerworld.com](http://www.barometerworld.com) but these don’t look so great.

However, I think it would look _really_ sharp if the readout was on a polished brass plate. I have learned that custom engraved brass plates look really sharp - and are really expensive. So, are there any cheaper ways that printing can be done on brass - anodizing - that sort of thing? And does anyone know a company that does this type of work? I would like 2 brass plates - 1 that goes from about 27 to 32 inches and another that is graduated in millimeters.

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**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brass-engraving-anodizing-printing-etc/245889/2 "2004-05-19T05:50:25Z")

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The last time I had brass engraving done, it was simply by the letter, and not too steep (been awhile, though.) For something like a barometer scale, where precision is important, that’s probably a lot pricier. My 2 cents worth, you can etch brass with acid (wear goggles!), or by sandblasting. Probably not too helpful.  
Another possibility would be to make a copy of an existing scale. If you can borrow one, most engraving shops can copy it with a pantograph. This should be considerably cheaper than if they had to do all the layout themselves.  
Last possibility, do the engraving yourself. Dremel makes a rotary engraving tool (not the kind that buzzes as you scratch the surface, more like a miniature router) that’s not too pricey, and there must be stencils available for lettering and such. I don’t know what the relative costs of all these is, but it might give you some ideas.

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**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brass-engraving-anodizing-printing-etc/245889/3 "2004-05-19T07:43:13Z")

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**Rhubarb**  
Thanks for all the suggestions.  
One thing I should mention is that I have made my own computer printouts which are _precisely_ to scale. Of course, a paper printout doesn’t look great for a barometer scale. Still, would this help out an engraving shop or would it help me if I got the Dremel engraver?