This is how I engrave a picture and text onto a black anodized hip flask with the xTool F2. It makes a great premium gift, for a groomsman, a friend or yourself, and you can sell them too. The same process works with any image and any text.
I'll give you two sets of settings: one for the image and one for the text. Everything else, from cleaning the flask to framing it, is below step by step.
Jump to: Choosing a flask · Cleaning and focus · Preparing the image · Adding curved text · Settings · Framing and engraving
1. Choosing the flask
I'm using a black anodized hip flask. These are a really common blank you can get from most wholesale and retail websites. They're fairly cheap, they come in different sizes, and you can also get plain silver stainless steel versions.
One thing to be aware of: the front is curved. Before this video I tried xTool Studio's curved surface mode on one, and I wasn't happy with it. It left a lot of lines, I think from the laser raising and lowering its height as it went. So I'm doing a normal flat engraving, and as you'll see at the end, it still works well.
2. Cleaning and focusing
- Spray the flask with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol and wipe it with a lint free paper towel. That gives you a clean surface and the best possible engraving.
- Lay it flat on the bed.
- Turn the focus knob on the side of the F2 clockwise to lift the head, until the two dots join together on the top surface.
3. Preparing the image
- In xTool Studio, click New project in the top right. Studio takes a picture of the bed. Mine was a little off center, which is fine, as it's only for rough placement and we'll frame it by hand later.
- Set the material first. I picked xTool's black anodized aluminum material as the base. There's a good reason for this, which you'll see in a moment.
- Remove the background. I use the free background remover in Adobe Express: click Remove background, pick your image, and download the result.
- Import that image into Studio.
I wanted a vintage, adventurous look for a hip flask, so I generated this explorer image with ChatGPT. I know AI images are a controversial subject, but it gave me a really contrasting picture to show you.
Masking it
To trim the image down, right click it and choose Create mask. This is a newer way of doing it in Studio, and I like it because you just drag a shape over the image instead of drawing one. The aspect ratio is locked at first. Click the little lock box to unlock it, drag the shape to where you want it, then click Done and resize the image to fit the flask.
Auto Adjust and why the image inverts
Select the image, click Adjust, and click Auto Adjust (leave the individual sliders alone for now). It looks at the image and the material you picked and optimizes the contrast, brightness and sharpness. It's not foolproof, but it does a pretty good job.
You'll notice it inverts the image. That's what you want on a dark surface like this. The laser makes the light marks, so without inverting it the result would look like a back-to-front negative. That's why I chose the black anodized material first.
4. Adding curved text
- Click Text, type your words (I went with "The Journey") and set it to Engrave.
- Drag the little curve icon on the text box to bend it. I gave it a gentle curve. I always think that looks nice.
- Change the font from the font name in the toolbar. I used Adamina, from the recommended section, which suits the vintage look.
- Copy and paste it (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V), change it to "Never Ends", and drag the curve the other way so it follows the bottom of the design.
- Select everything, open Align and choose Horizontal align center. Then drag the whole design to the center of the work area. A line appears down the middle when you're there.
5. Settings
Now apply your saved material. Because we adjusted the image using a different base material, Studio asks if you want to auto adjust and update. Click No, as you're happy with the image as it is.
Image (photo engraving)
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Laser | Infrared |
| Power | 95% |
| Dot duration | 89 |
| DPI | 510 |
| Bitmap mode | Jarvis |
| Passes | 1 |
This is my individual portrait setting for this flask.
Text
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Laser | Infrared |
| Power | 90% |
| Speed | 800 mm/s |
| Lines per cm | 200 |
| Passes | 1 |
| Crosshatch | On |
Crosshatch makes the laser go one way and then across, which gives an extra clean engrave. I turned it on here because the text spans the whole width of the curved surface.
These are for a black anodized aluminum hip flask on the xTool F2. Both are in my free Laser Settings Library, alongside the rest of my xTool F2 settings. Run a quick test on a spare first if you can, as blanks vary.
6. Framing and engraving
- Click the arrow next to the frame button and turn the light power up to 10, so you can see it on the dark surface.
- Keep it on Rect, so it frames a box around the whole design, image and text together.
- Click Frame, then move the flask by hand until the box sits central on both axes.
- Click Process. The preview shows the image the normal way round, which gives you a good idea of how it will look. Mine took just 3 minutes 45 seconds, which is quick for a design this big.
- Click Start.
Safety: I left the lid up so you could see it on camera, wearing laser safety glasses. Close it if you can. Anodized aluminum gives off lots of fine particles and flakes, so have your extraction running. It can make your lens dirty too.
The result
The text came out really shiny, and the image is contrasting and shows all the detail. I was really blown away by this one.
If you make one, I'd love to see it. Let me know how it goes in the comments on the video.
