Customised laser-engraved necklace

thingiverse

I created these necklaces as seasonal gifts last year. I gave them out to women and girls, but was surprised when boys also loved them. I used gold-plated or silver-plated chains. Some recipients preferred to wear them as bracelets instead of necklaces. Kids between six and twelve years old enjoy making their own chains, which makes for a great bonding activity. # Assembling with a Chain You need chains, jump rings, two pairs of pliers, and one cutting plier. Open each jump ring by twisting it, then place the chain and the hole of the acrylic inside the ring. Finally, close the ring with the reverse twisting motion. You can see an example tutorial at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GoA-OZjvKc. # Size The designs use one pixel equal to one millimeter. The names are sized for three-millimeter acrylic and the holes are designed for six-millimeter jump rings. # Procedure for Different Names I included some common names, but I might write code to generate new names automatically in my next batch. This will include the placement of the holes, which require a bit of instinct. Once I have the code, I'll add it here. If you want to create a new name, follow these steps and look at the files for more information: - Choose the name and font type - Select the jewelry style (necklace or bracelet) and size the name accordingly - Type out the name in black, adding a stroke if needed (0.6 points) - Expand twice (once for fill and once for stroke), then unite the shapes - Offset the path for a clear background (two pixels in my files, in red) - Make hollow disks for holes that fit your jump rings (six-millimeter rings in my files) - Place the holes on the same line to avoid breaking them - Unite the background shape with the holes - Superimpose the expanded text with the background shape - Vertically reflect the design if you want to engrave the back of the acrylic - Engrave the name and cut out the background shape