Maker Bracelet Engraving

Learn to engrave aluminum bracelet blanks with a Cricut Maker and Maker Engraving Tool by completing this ready made free project. In particular, learn to place a design precisely on the blank using a sensor jig you make in minutes and can re-use for every bracelet thereafter.

Video Notes

What you need:

• Impressart 5/8 inch (16mm) Aluminum Bracelet Blanks and bending bar (available at Michaels, Joann, Hobby Lobby and Amazon)
• any matte finish white card stock that will run through your printer (the heavier the better)
• high tack double sided tape
• painters tape
• printer
• Cricut Maker and Engraving Tip and QuickSwap Housing

Print then cut the jig (one time process)

1. Open https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5f772de52b7b040eb05e7765 in Design Space.
2. Under the Save pulldown select Save As, uncheck Public, rename if desired and click the Save button.
3. Click Make it and follow the prompts to print onto white matte finish cardstock with your printer. (Use the system dialog so that you can access any settings appropriate for your card stock.)
4. Place the printout on your mat and continue with the prompts.
5. Choose your material setting based on the card stock you are using (heavy cardstock or medium cardstock, for example).
6. Load any color pen into the Accessory clamp.
7. Load the fine point blade into the Blade clamp.
8. Load the mat and press the Go button.
9. The Maker will read the sensor marks, draw a rectangle and cut out the bracelet slot. You may remove the completed jig from the mat for safekeeping, or proceed.

Load the jig

1. Put the jig on the mat as you normally would position an item for print then cut, lined up with the upper left corner. Remove the cutout if you haven’t already.
2. Remove the protective plastic from both sides of the blank, apply double sided tape and place the blank squarely inside the jig’s slot, flat against the mat.
3. Provide additional security with painters tape, taking care not to extend tape outside of the drawn rectangle. 

Engrave the breathe project

1. Click https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5e5ac8e297e8d906a2478e66 to open project in Cricut Design Space.
2. Under the Save pulldown select Save As, uncheck Public, rename if desired and click the Save button.
3. Click Make It and follow the prompts.
4. On the Make screen click “I’ve already printed” 
5. Choose Foil Holographic Kraft Board as the material. 
6. Load the Cricut Maker Engraving Tool into the B clamp.
7. Slide the star wheels such that they will be outside the bracelet blank.
8. Load the mat (that has the bracelet secured in the jig).
9. Press the Go button (the Maker will read the sensor marks and begin engraving).
10. When the engraving action is finished, it will prompt you to install the Fine Point blade, but *do not install the blade*. Instead, remove the Engraving Tool, leaving the B clamp empty, and press Go. (The Maker will “air cut” the perimeter) and stop.
11. Inspect your engraving. [If you want to do another pass, click Go, re-install the Engraving tool and click Go again to repeat the process.]
12. When you are satisfied with the engraving, click the unload button.
13. Remove the shavings from the piece with tape. Remove the bracelet from the mat.
14. Buff engraved surface as desired to remove roughness. note: the breathe design is too fine to take colorant evenly, so I recommend leaving it bare
15. Bend bracelet with bending tool. (see How to Bend Impressart Bracelets)

Additional Info

Font for “breathe” is Bellwethers (#afflink no purchase required for this project, but I know you are going to ask what the font is).

Until more videos are ready, please see my Instructable on Cricut Precision Jigs for instructions on how to make your own jigs and templates.
To or use the bracelet jig with your own design, use the blank bracelet template at https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5d2cb7fc50e77505ef69c757 (set engraving design to Engrave linetype, Center and Attach to the existing flattened set per Step 7 of the Precision Jig instructable.)

For more Maker engraving resources and help, join my Cricut Engraving with CleverSomeday Facebook Group.