Designing your own brooch is not only great fun, it is also easily realised if you have access to a laser cutter. But what exactly do you need to get started?
Essentials:
- A design
- A Vector drawing tool
- A laser cutter
- A Brooch magnet (available at Lasersheets)
- Material for your brooch
Which materials can I use?
You can use a variety of materials for making your own brooch. They have to be compatible with your laser cutter. It is just as important that the material is strong enough, but not too heavy. As a rule, we use material that is at least 3 mm thick and we use a design that is no larger than 5 x 5 cm. You may deviate from this; it is merely our recommendation.
These blogs may be of interest to you:
- Materials for the Glowforge
- How do you find the perfect settings for your laser?
Let your creativity run free!
Think of a design or drawing that you want to use for your brooch. Consider the material you would like to make it from and think about what you are able to realise with this particular material.
Design ideas for brooches:
- Use a silhouette of an animal or object
- Make an engraving from a picture with a bitmap
- Apply contrast with an inlay
- Transform a drawing into a line engraving
When making a brooch, you want to get your idea across within the limits of a small shape. Adding more contrast makes your design clearer. Here less is more also applies. Just a silhouette can already be very recognisable, or try out a single letter in a beautiful font.
A brooch is a utensil, so refrain from adding sharp points and thin connections to your design. We recommend using a material with a thickness of at least 3 mm. Do not make your design larger than 5 x 5 cm.
Applying different materials to your brooch design
- Fluorine acrylic with surface engraving – it seems to glow
- Mirrored acrylic with a line engraving – sparkles like a piece of jewellery
- Walnut (MDF core) with surface engraving – beautiful wood grain and strong
- Coloured acrylic with line engraving – available in bright colours
- Birch plywood with line engraving – strong, high-quality wood
- Matt-gloss acrylic with line engraving – subtle pastel shade
- Engraving sheet with surface engraving – strong contrast for clear drawings
In the video below we show you what these materials look like when turned into a brooch.
What is a brooch magnet?
A brooch magnet is a handy alternative for a hook or a pin. You receive two magnets. The small one you stick to the brooch with the adhesive strip (included). The large magnet goes on the inside of your shirt or jumper to keep the brooch in place. This way you prevent making holes in your clothes.
