The Spooky time is upon us, which has inspired me to make my first Halloween Decoration of the year! But I don’t want a shiny new scary thing. I want an old, worn and definitely haunted decoration. 👻

✨ Supplies for Projects
⇢ Propane Tank (Mine is from Ace Hardware) Amazon Link
⇢ Propane Tank Torch Head
⇢ Regular Cheap Acrylic Paints
⇢ Spray Gloss Varnish
⇢ Sawtooth Bulk Picture Hangers

Time Travel Your Laser Projects with This Method

If you want to add a new technique to your laser crafting knowledge base, then let me show you how we can Age Your Wooden Projects in Minutes.

➕ Subscribe to my YouTube Channel HERE

Step 1 : Engraving the Border

This method does not need any harsh chemicals to “age” the wood. After we go over the aging process, I am going to engrave it again 2 separate depths. I will also show you a way to paint an engraving right in your laser.

I am using an 8.5” prefabricated pine wood circle plaque I got from Michaels. I wanted to make sure to get one with a nice grain pattern. T

o start, I am engraving rather deeply a nice frame pattern. I don’t have a fancy laser with imaging capabilities, so I have to find the center manually. 

Once it is done engraving, I take it into the darkness for the aging process.

For this we will be using a torch. There are many types out there, this one is simply a small propane tank with a torch head.

It may be a bit intimidating at first, but when used properly, it is safe.

Quick fire safety tips!

• Check for leaks
• Keep it away from flammable things like gas tanks or dry grass
• Have a fire extinguisher or water nearby
• Don’t use it during a burn ban
• If you accidentally start a fire, call 911 (or emergency services) immediately.

As you can see, I am keeping the flame close enough to the wood to char it, but not set it on fire. This is the 1st step to this process. Once everything is nice and crispy, it is ready for step 2!

Step 2 : Wire Brush it Back in Time

This is where the aging magic happens. We will need a wire brush.

A grill brush will also work, if you have one on hand. Going back and forth along the grain, we are brushing out the soft charred wood and leaving behind the harder grain ridges all while exposing this nice surface of the sun kissed color.

This is where it starts to get exciting! Now I find the middle again and we are ready for the 2nd round of engraving.

Step 3 : 2nd Engraving

I put a little bit of masking tape over the middle. Using the same deep engraving settings as before, I engrave a rib cage. In addition to the engraving, I go over the edges with a vector score, which is a low level cut line, to make the edges nice and crisp.

As you can see there is a heart shape that is not engraved on the ribs. We will go over that soon. First, I am going to hold this in place as I paint in the ribs while it is still in the laser.

This is just a bit watered down acrylic paint. It goes on pretty bold, but as a water based paint, it will soak up the impurities of the wood, especially with just 1 coat. This will help it look nice and aged.

Step 4 : Engraving the Heart (Twice)

Now I am going to engrave the heart. I wanted it to be deeper than the ribs, so I will be engraving it twice, before I paint it. Hopefully I didn’t move this too much inside the laser, and dang it, it’s not quite lined up anymore. I move it back into position and it looks lined up now. With how much texture this has, I am sure it won’t be too noticeable.

I try not to get too down on myself when this happens. Obviously, I should have used honeycomb pegs, which I have! But ya know, it’s not about perfection, it’s about progression.

Now that the heart is nice and deep, I am going to paint that in with some red paint, while trying to avoid getting outside of the lines too much.

Step 5 : Finishing Touches

Let’s unveil it! The masking tape comes off pretty easily. There is a little seepage from the white paint, but it’s not too bad. I go over it a little with the wire brush again to make the paint less perfect.

You see how the white color has already darkened a little? It’s all coming together!

To seal everything up, I hit it with some clear varnish spray paint! Surprise, the sun is up! Proof I’m not a vampire, I guess. The varnish really enriches the dark color.

I always have some of these sawtooth hangers for the back of my project.

They are nice to have on hand, oh I almost forgot! We have to make a sticker for this! I quickly engraved one out of real wood veneer with a sticker backing already on there.

What do you think? Does it look older than a brand new piece of wood?

Maybe a little bit haunted, time will tell. If you were wondering about that wood sticker, I actually have a whole blog post and video about it you can see right now! I’ll see you over there!