Category — Engrave-A-Crete Tools

Brian Pollock has joined the shipping team at Engrave-A-Crete.  He brings shipping experience from other positions and particularly likes the challenges shipping brings:

• pull the right products
• double check
• pack them carefully
• get them off to the customer

Besides making your order a priority during his time at work, Brian is a lifelong resident of Mansfield and a student at Drury University, finishing a Bachelors degree in Criminology/Psychology/Socialogy.

Future plans include joining the National Guard Reserves.

Brian enjoys hunting, fishing, family and his church activities.

When electrical equipment that has been working fine suddenly gets  sluggish or stubborn, the first thing you want to check is the motor brushes. Over time, they can start to burn with use, and periodically need to be replaced.

Checking the brushes as part of a regular maintenance plan for your tools can keep you ahead of the issue, plus extending the life of the motor and the entire tool.

Other ways to extend the life of your equipment:

• Oil (8-10 drops of oil on the KaleidoCrete tools just before you quit for the day)
• Blow the dust out of the motors on the Super Compact, Mongoose and Lil Beaver at the end of the day.

Concrete dust isn’t any kinder to the motors of your equipment than it is to your lungs or eyes.

Routine maintenance on your tools will extend their life and is easy to do.

If you have questions about equipment maintenance or anything else about decorative concrete, feel free to call Chris at 1-800-884-2114.or email chris@engraveacrete.com.

Also be sure to check out the maintenance videos we already have posted.

This is an introduction to using multiple templates with the KaleidoCrete System.

In this video, decorating with multiple template, & cleaning up template shadows is demonstrated.

This is part 20 of an on-going series on Decorative Concrete, and is taken from the DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving, The Basics.

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Many template designs have bridges. Bridges are small sections of plastic left in the template to hold the design together. After initial engraving, the shadows from the bridges must be removed. To reduce the chances of frayed edges, angle the Wasp slightly toward the area to be removed. Also taking the time to clean up jagged edges produces a nice finished look.

Double template sets are useful for quick bridge shadow removal, using either the Shark or the Barracuda. The first template is the main design containing the normal bridges. After engraving with the first template, align the second template with the design for quick and easy bridge removal. Consider double template sets when you have to cut the same design repeatedly. Double template sets can save you time and money.

Large templates are often produced in multiple sections for easier handling and transportation. Multi-piece templates are spliced together with butterflies. As with single templates, place the multi piece template on the slab and align the template to the exact position desired. After you are satisfied that the template is correctly placed, lightly spray gray primer to define areas for color separation and to assist with realignment of the template. Do not use brightly colored paint. Some will likely remain after cutting is completed and will detract from the appearance.

Remember, the image within your template may not be centered within the plastic. Some repeating geometrical designs can be built as half or quarter templates. In these cases, you would merely repeat the half or quarter to form a full image. Using a partial design can save dollars on templates, but more work and complexity is created on the job site.

Purchase the DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving, The Basics to see this series in its entirety.

This is an introduction to using single templates with the KaleidoCrete System.

In this video, decorating with a single template, & cleaning up with the Wasp is demonstrated.

This is part 19 of an on-going series on Decorative Concrete, and is taken from the DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving, The Basics.

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Place the template on the slab and align the pattern to the exact position desired. It is often helpful to trace the design on the concrete to ensure the final position of your design is visually pleasing and to assist with the realignment if the template ever moves.

Also remember the image within the template may not be centered within the plastic. Always measure twice or more, and cut once.

When cutting with the Shark or Barracuda, first place all the impacting teeth inside the template opening of the design. Apply light downward pressure, and then squeeze the trigger.

If you start the tool prior to placing the impactors inside the template opening, you may damage the template, limit the number of times it can be used, and increase the length of time needed to complete the project.

To obtain a nice, crisp cut along the template edge, slightly angle the tool toward the side of the template opening. It is important to continuously move the tool during the engraving process.

Generally, use a circular motion in large areas. Narrow openings will only allow you to make back and forth linear motions.

As you are moving the tool within the template opening, visually inspect that the bottom of the cut is even and to the required depth. Failure to continuously move the tool will result in an uneven cut and unsightly depressions.

Using The Wasp

Turn the Wasp on and off by twisting the valve body. Sometimes the Wasp needs a jump start. Twist the valve until you feel air coming from the tip. Tap the stinger into an engraved area to start the pecking action.

When using the Wasp, treat the tool like a sharp pencil. Pressing on the stinger sideways too hard is likely to break it. Allow the Wasp to do the work by applying the least amount of pressure as possible.

Purchase the DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving, The Basics to see this series in its entirety.

This is an introduction to the KaleidoCrete System.

In this video, you are introduced to the system and the tools that comprise it: the Shark, the Barracuda & the Wasp.

This is part 18 of an on-going series on Decorative Concrete, and is taken from the DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving, The Basics.

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The Kaleidocrete System is an innovative concrete engraving system which allows you to reproduce nearly any design in any scale in existing concrete.

You or your customer’s imagination is the only limit to what can be created with the Kaleidocrete System.

As an example, you can easily reproduce corporate logos, numbers, or custom design graphics.

Kaleidocrete templates are manufactured for the design you want to reproduce.

The templates are constructed from one half inch thick durable plastic panels.

Using templates as patterns to create exacting designs, the Shark, Barracuda, and Wasp tools rapidly peck at the concrete surface, chipping away until you reach the desired depth.

Kaleidocrete tools are air powered and require a compressor that will maintain 12 CFM at 90 PSI.

During this segment, we will be demonstrating the Shark, the Barracuda, the Wasp, and various Kaleidocrete template sets.

The Kaleidocrete system tools have specific purposes. The Shark has 64 impact cutting teeth and is used for engraving designs that have large open areas greater than three eighths of an inch. The Barracuda has 29 impact cutting teeth and is used for engraving areas where the template space is under three eights of an inch. The Wasp, is used for fine detail engraving, free handwork, and is efficient in design, cleanup and touchup.

All Engrave A Crete tools are designed with safety as the number one priority. Just like any other tool, it is essential that you use and wear all the appropriate safety equipment including by not limited to eye, ear, and respiratory protection. When making adjustments or changing components of the engraving equipment, you must disconnect and unplug the tool from the power source.

Purchase the DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving, The Basics to see this series in its entirety.