oval ceramic plaque!!

[beefyor1983]

Hi guys m main job is as a cnc machinist in a granite marble worktop firm!!! We have started into doing headstones etc. I seen the company buying oval cermaic plaques with the deceased persons photo for sticking onto headstones and other memorials. My question is can this be acheived with a flat press etc or do they need to be kiln fired at a higher temperature. Ive seen the kiln fired plaques being sold for 50 euro each to my company. My idea was i could do the plaques myself for a fiver less etc. My problem is would my heat press method be of less quality than the kiln fired product at a higher temp also which process keeps the image the most clear for the longest period of time!!

[socialgiraffe]

Hi there

Assuming you can get a plaque that is suitable to withstand any weather then you can "die" sub using your heatpress if the substrate is thin/flat enough. A good example of this sort of thing is the photo slates sold by BMS. If you could fix them on to your head stones there is no reason why they will not last longer than the deceased! Another thing to try is plan white metal. The sort of material that is used for iphone inserts. very durable and very thin for easy mounting.

Both methods, kiln and heat press, will last a similar amount of time, however you may need to UV cure your item after pressing to prevent sun fade. You can get spray UV curing cans from various online sources and you may need to use it.

Personally I would test one with and one without UV curing by pressing both and leaving them in direct sunlight for at least three months.

[DS Designs]

I've done several of these very things on ceramic ovals and un uv protected they hardly last 12 months before they fade severely. Last one I done was sprayed with 5 coats of a uv protector, this has only been 2 months ago so cannot comment yet how long it will last.