Monument Care | Mike's Laser Etching & Sartin Memorials

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Laser Etched Monument Maintenance

Posted: June 10, 2016 in Granite, Headstone Maintenence, Help, How To, Laser Etching, Memorial Monument, Memorial Monument Inforamtion, MIke's Laser Etching, Monument Care, Online Purchasing, Sartin Memorials, Traditional Monument, Uncategorized
Tags: angel monument, black granite, burial plot, cemeteries, cemetery, cemetery marker, cemetery monument, cemetery plot, companion stone, completed memorial, completed monument, custom design, custom gravestones, custom headstone, custom memorial, custom memorials, custom monument, custom monument design, custom monuments, custom sandblasted design, custom tombstone, customer satisfaction, delaware, delaware monument dealer, delaware monument dealers, final resting place, flush marker, flush markers, free previews, free shipping, granite, granite memorials, granite monument, granite monuments, graphic artist, graphic design, grave marker, gravestone, gravestones, headstone, headstones, in loving memory, laser etched, laser etched design, laser etched granite, laser etched memorial, laser etched monument, laser etched tombstone, laser etching, local installation, local monument dealers, loved one, memorial, memorials, mike's laser etching, monument, monument design, monuments, online discounts, online monument dealer, online monument dealers, online ordering, online sales, porcelain portraits, quality guaranteed, rest in peace, sandblasted, sandblasted design, sandblasted granite, sandblasted gravestone, sandblasted headstone, sandblasted monument, sandblasted tombstone, sandblasting, sartin memorials, tombstone, tombstone design, tombstones, upright monument, white granite

Polish 2 front and back

As with anything which is sitting out in the weather, it is important to remember to maintain your Laser Etched Memorial Monument. This is an extremely easy thing to do and we recommend that you complete maintenance at least once or twice a year. It is a very fast and easy process and will only require the following:

-A bottle of Windex

-Several soft cloths (we recommend white washcloths)

-A tube of WHITE Oil-Based Block Printing Ink (*See Below For Ordering Details)

-A razor blade if necessary

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Here at Mike’s Laser Etching, we use Speedball Oil-Based Block Printing Ink as our highlight. It is very important that you be sure that you purchase pure white ink. If you choose to purchase the Speedball brand, the color number you should order is 3553. You can order a tube of Speedball by clicking on the below link:

https://sartinmemorialsblog.com/2014/06/18/order-your-laser-etching-highlight-online/

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elbow-grease (2)

The first step to the 6-12 month maintenance process is to clean the monument with Windex. Liberally spray the Windex over the entire polished area of your monument. Wipe clean using circular motions and don’t be afraid to apply pressure if necessary to clear the polished area of all dirt and debris. If you find that there is tree sap or something else which is not coming off of the monument, carefully use the razor blade to scrape of the substance. Although you do need to be careful not to cut yourself, the razor blade, if used correctly, will not damage the granite.

Once you are sure the monument is free of dirt and grass, it is time to refresh your highlight. First, place several small dots of the ink on the area of the laser etching. You will notice that a little goes a long way when it comes to the highlight. For a 24″ x 12″ Flush Marker with a full laser etched scene, it will take no more than a nickel size dot of ink to cover the full laser etching.

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Once you have the ink on the stone, use your cloth to begin rubbing the highlight into the etched areas in small circular motions. You will immediately see a difference in the brightness of your laser etching. Once all of the laser etchings have been covered, use the cloth to wipe the excess ink off. After you have removed all of the excess, throw away the cloth. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WASH THE INK OUT OF THE WASHCLOTHS.

So long as you follow these instructions and consistently maintain your monument, you will be able to enjoy the laser etched monument for years and years to come. Generations through the years will be able to appreciate the beautiful and unique monument you designed for your loved one(s) and that is our goal here at Mike’s Laser Etching/Sartin Memorials.

If you are interested in learning more about our custom laser etched monuments and tiles, call us today at 877-836-0332 or email our sales team at sara@mikeslaseretching.com.

Filing a Claim Under Sartin Memorials/Mike’s Laser Etching Lifetime Warranty

Posted: June 25, 2014 in Granite, Headstone Maintenence, Help, Laser Etching, Memorial Monument, Memorial Monument Inforamtion, MIke's Laser Etching, Monument Care, Sartin Memorials
Tags: broken, broken memorial, broken monument, broken tombstone, claim form, contract, damage claim form, full monument, laser etching, lifetime warranty, memorial, memorial damage, mike's laser etching, monument, monument damage, old memorial, photographs, purchase contract, sandblasted, sartin memorials, tombstone damage, warranty, warranty claim form

Upon the purchase of a monument from Sartin Memorials/Mike’s Laser Etching, you will have received a copy of our LIfetime Warranty. If at any time, you believe that you have an issue which should, or may be, covered under the lifetime warranty, we ask that you take the following steps to file a claim with us:

1. Take clear photographs of all of the damaged area, both up close and of the full monument.

2. Find your original purchase contract to reference.

3. Contact us to request a Memorial Damage Claim Form to complete. Below is a link which will take you to an example of the Memorial Damage Claim Form.

4. Complete the Memorial Damage Claim Form completely and forward to us, along with the photographs of the damage. These can be mailed to us at PO Box 184 St George’s, De 19733 or emailed to us at info@mikeslaseretching.com. (Please be sure to keep a copy of everything submitted if you are mailing your claim. Although we typically return all original photographs being used in the design process immediately, we will be retaining any photographs submitted with a damage claim for our own records.)

5. Contact us to verify that we have received the form and photographs no earlier then 24 hours after you have emailed and 7 days after you have mailed the form and photographs.

6. Allow us 30 days to review the claim form and photographs.

Order Your Laser Etching Highlight Online!

Posted: June 18, 2014 in Granite, Headstone Maintenence, Help, How To, Laser Etching, Memorial Monument, Memorial Monument Inforamtion, MIke's Laser Etching, Monument Care, Online Purchasing, Sartin Memorials
Tags: artist, block, block printing, block printing ink, Canada, craftsman, fade, full laser etched scene, highlight, inexpensive online retailer, ink, laser etched scene, laser etching, last a lifetime, monument, oil based, oil based block printing ink, refresh, speed, speedball, U.S., where to purchase, WHITE INK

Ever since writing the blog about how to add the highlight to a laser etched monument that is beginning to fade, ( https://sartinmemorialsblog.com/2014/06/16/question-of-the-week-why-is-the-laser-etched-image-on-my-monument-fading/ ) I have received several emails and messages asking where to purchase the Speedball Oil Based Block Printing Ink that we use on our monuments.

I have located a very inexpensive online retailer who will ship to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.

The following link will take you directly to the page from which you can order 1.25 oz of the white ink for only $3.98. This amount should be more than enough to last a lifetime for any monument, even those with a full size laser etched scene. PLEASE BE SURE TO ORDER THE WHITE INK! ADDING ANY OTHER COLOR WILL RUIN THE LASER ETCHING UNTIL IT FADES AWAY AFTER SEVERAL YEARS.

http://www.artistcraftsman.com/speedball-oil-based-block-printing-ink.html

Question Of The Week: Why Is The Laser Etched Image On My Monument Fading?

Posted: June 16, 2014 in Granite, Headstone Maintenence, Help, How To, Laser Etching, Memorial Monument, Memorial Monument Inforamtion, MIke's Laser Etching, Monument Care, Online Purchasing, Sartin Memorials
Tags: block printing ink, cemetery, climate, downpours, Florida, flush marker, highlight, humid, ink, installed, laser etching, local cemetery, memorial monument, mike's laser etching, monument, oil based, oil based ink, rainy, sartin memorials, shipped, speedball, stone, washcloth, Washington, wet, WHITE INK, why, Windex

Over the years, we have received many a panicked telephone calls from clients, advising us that the laser etching was disappearing off of the monument they purchased from us. Much to their relief, this is never the case. In reality, what is happening is that the highlight which is added to every laser etching prior to the monuments being shipped out or installed into a local cemetery, needs to be refreshed. This is an extremely easy thing to do and we recommend that you refresh your highlight once every 5-10 years depending upon the effect your local climate has on the highlight’s longevity. In areas such as the state of Washington, where it is extremely rainy and wet, or the state of Florida, where it is humid, with frequent downpours, you will most likely need to refresh the highlight every 5 years. In areas such as Arizona and Texas, where the climate is dry, you will probably notice that you need not worry about the highlight except once every 10 years. In any case, no matter where you live, we recommend that you purchase a bottle of highlight as soon as you have purchased a laser etched monument.

When you see that your highlight needs refreshed, you will want to clean off the monument with Windex first. Once you are sure the monument is free of dirt and grass, place several small dots of the ink on the area of the laser etching. You will notice that a little goes a long way when it comes to the highlight. For a 24″ x 12″ Flush Marker with a full laser etched scene, it will take no more than a nickel size dot of ink to cover the full laser etching.

Once you have the ink on the stone, use an old washcloth to begin rubbing the highlight into the etched areas in small circular motions. You will immediately see a difference in the brightness of your laser etching. Once all of the laser etchings have been covered, use the washcloth to wipe the excess ink off, After you have removed all of the excess, throw away the washcloths. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WASH THE INK OUT OF THE WASHCLOTHS.

So long as you follow this instructions and keep your highlight fresh, you will be able to enjoy the laser etched monument for years and years to come. Generations through the years will be able to appreciate the beautiful and unique monument you designed for your loved one(s) and that is our goal here at Mike’s Laser Etching/Sartin Memorials.

If you are interested in learning more about our custom laser etched monuments and tiles, call us today at 877-836-0332 or email our sales team at sara@mikeslaseretching.com.

***Update***

Since publishing this blog, I have received many emails and messages asking where to purchase the Speedball Oil Based Block Printing Ink. Click the below link to visit the blog with this inforamtion.

https://sartinmemorialsblog.com/2014/06/18/order-your-laser-etching-highlight-online/

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