Contained herein are mind bending descriptions and totally useless, but otherwise interesting information about the materials and processes that are used in making the name plates that we sell.

“I have tried to know absolutely nothing about a great many things and I have succeeded fairly well.” -- Robert Benchley.

We feel that the more informed you are about our products, the more you will appreciate them. This is the bottom line… we want you to know that you are getting a great product for your money. Without a doubt the best part of this whole thing is the coupon. It saves you money and you can use it towards your next purchase. Now that's really cool.

“I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them.” -- Phyllis Diller.

PART ONE: What’s my desk plate made of?

Following are some interesting tidbits of information about the materials used to make your nameplates.

Optic Crystal

Optic Crystal is 100% lead free and extremely hard. It is this hardness that provides the basis for the brilliant cuts and bevels, as well as the ultra high polished surfaces.

Optic Crystal is manufactured in large sheets up to 3 inches thick, and while molten, is subjected to extreme pressure to ensure no bubbles, flow lines or other distortions.^[1] Because each piece is hand polished and beveled, slight variations may occur in overall dimensions. Optic Crystal represents the ultimate expression of excellence and is a great way to recognize achievement.

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” -- Mark Twain

Glass

Naturally occurring glass, especially obsidian, has been used since the Stone Age. It was extensively traded due to its limited source areas. Archaeological evidence suggests that the first true glass was made in coastal north Syria, Mesopotamia or Old Kingdom Egypt. The term "glass" was developed in the late Roman Empire. It was in the Roman glassmaking center at Trier, Germany, that the late-Latin term glesum originated, probably from a Germanic word for a transparent, lustrous substance. ^[2] Glass is made of three basic minerals: Sand (silica)-intense heat changes sand into a fragile form of glass; Soda ash (sodium carbonate)-added to the mixture to lower the melting point of the sand; and Limestone-this is added to make the glass stronger. The raw materials are melted together in a furnace at a temperature of 1600º C.

Marble

Marble is as ancient as the earth itself. Through the ages, marble has symbolized universal beauty, grandeur and achievement. The word Marble is derived from the Greek word marmaros which means "shinning stone".

Marble is a metamorphic rock and formed when limestone or dolomite rocks crystallize twice under the influence of heat and pressure. The rocks are compressed by these elements and undergo an absolute metamorphosis (complete transformation of shape and form). White marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure limestone. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marbles are due to mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, or iron oxides which were originally present as layers in the limestone. Green marble, or "serpentine", results from silica impurities.

“I would talk in iambic pentameter if it were easier.” -- Howard Nemerov.

Acrylic

Acrylic is a clear plastic that resembles glass. Common brands of high-grade acrylic include Lucite and Plexiglass. There are two basic types of acrylic: Extruded and cell cast. Our products are made of cell cast acrylic, the highest grade. It is harder and resists scratches. Advantages of acrylic over glass is weight and transparency. Acrylic is only half as heavy as glass and a transparency rate of 93% makes it the clearest material known.

Piano Finish

About that “piano finish” we hear so much about. There are two distinctly different finishes being used today; the traditional hand-rubbed piano finish and the more recent ‘high-gloss” finish. Our desk plates are manufactured using the second technique. The high gloss finish is created using polyester, a plastic, which is sprayed on rather than laid by hand. This technique is used extensively in Asian countries where our piano-finished desk name plates are manufactured.

Creating the Piano Finish: The wood piece is first sanded; the next step is to pore-fill which creates a smooth surface; sanded again then stained in a Rosewood or Black finish; sanded once again; the final steps are applying the polyester (up to 20 coats!) to create the beautiful piano-finished look.

“Today is ‘Take our Daughters to Work Day.’ This is when girls ages nine to fifteen go to work, or as it’s called at the Nike factory - Thursday.” – Bill Maher

PART TWO - How is my name inscribed into the desk plate?

We use two methods to inscribe your name into your desk plate; laser engraving and machine routing.

“A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.” Groucho Marx

Laser

We use a laser to burn, engrave, etch and vector cut a variety of materials, including glass, crystal, acrylic, leather and wood. The LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is a triumph of modern optics.

By exploiting a quantum mechanical effect called stimulated emission, lasers generate a coherent, nearly monochromatic beam of photons. To create a laser, two components are necessary: a gain medium and a resonant optical cavity. For a gain medium certain crystals, glasses and gasses may be used. A resonant optical cavity is a specially sized chamber with a mirror at one end and a semi-silvered mirror at the other. The two reflective surfaces cause light trapped inside to reflect back and forth through the gain medium, acquiring greater energy with each pass. When this effect levels off, the gain is said to be saturated and the light becomes laser light. ^[3] This laser light is used to vaporize the material upon which it is focused.

When the laser was patented by Bell Labs in 1960, it could not be given any applications. Today, the laser is among the most versatile of technological wonders.

Machine routing (rotary engraving)

Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. Historically, engraving was an important method of producing images and was accomplished by hand. Today, for most commercial applications, hand engraving has been replaced with computerized CNC milling and engraving machines. Stainless or carbide cutting bits driven by high-speed motors are used to cut the material.

So there you have it, all of the information that we could muster without becoming comatose.

“Doing nothing is very hard to do… you never know when you’re finished.” – Leslie Nielson

^{1 Crystal Art USA 2 Wikipedia 3 Wikipedia}