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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth unveils an Able Engraving plaque at the opening ceremony of a new campus at East Surrey College on the 18th November 2011.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited East Surrey College in Redhill to officially open its new campus.

A crowd of enthusiastic well-wishers gathered at the college gates in London Road to catch a glimpse of the royal couple, who arrived in a maroon Bently on Friday afternoon.

The Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Sarah Goad, acting college principal Jayne Dickinson and chair of governors Barbara Spittle greeted the pair.

While the Duke spent time joking with Crispin Blunt, Reigate MP, in the foyer, the Queen spoke with some of the students.

After a two-hour lunch sitting, the group re-emerged for a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities.

The much admired plaque is an A3 size engraved silver anodised aluminium plate with black infilled detail, mounted on an oversized 5mm thick clear acrylic backplate with polished edges and supplied complete with dull chrome stand off fixings.

After unveiling the college’s new plaque, the Queen smiled as she was presented with a small bunch of flowers, arranged by the horticultural department.

Students and staff flocked to the front windows to wave goodbye as the royal entourage made their way to the waiting car at about 3.30pm.
Photographs courtesy of East Surrey College

We are proud to be involved in the engraving and etching of the names of all those who have perished (past and present) in their attempts to climb Mount Everest.

The Memorial was commissioned by The Everest Memorial Trust to both celebrate the extraordinary human drive that motivates people to go beyond the boundaries of their everyday lives and the tragic consequences of the risks inherent in this ambition.

The sculpture is a Memorial to all the climbers who have died in the ascent of Mt Everest. The work was manufactured in the UK, shipped to Nepal in component parts and carried by porters the seven day trip to the site, 14,600 feet up in the Himalayas, one days walk from Everest Base Camp.

Click here for more information about this project.

Commemorative plaques are used around the world to celebrate special occasions such as the opening of a new school, hospital wing, community centre or education facility (see our web page for information about the engraved plaque manufactured by Able Engraving to commemorate a Royal Visit to East Surrey College in Redhill, Surrey). Memorial plaques are used to remember a lost loved one, a tragedy (see our web page for information about Able Engravings work for the Mount Everest Memorial Trust) or a historical event of significant importance such as a famous battle or battlefield. Likewise buildings associated with a historical event or an important occupant are often marked with a memorial plaque and some town and city councils run special schemes for financing the provision of engraved plaques to identify buildings and locations of local historical or cultural importance, one example of which is the ‘Blue Plaque’ scheme in the city of London administered by the English Heritage organisation.

Custom Made Plaques For Whatever Your Needs

Both commemorative and memorial plaques can be manufactured from a range of materials suitable for a variety of budgets and aesthetic tastes. The most popular materials are anodised aluminium, polished brass, stainless steel, bronze and engraved laminate (commonly known as Traffolyte). To add a nice finishing touch to any engraved or etched plaque Able Engraving often supply beautiful wooden backboards typically made from sustainable oak or mahogany enhancing and complimenting the appearance of their work. Plaques for memorial trees can be supplied with a wooden backboard and stake allowing for easy fixing.

Commemorative plaques and memorial plaques can be engraved or etched depending on the nature of the design chosen and Able Engraving offer a wide range of beautiful typefaces guaranteed to provide for the personal tastes and requirements of all our clients. Designs can incorporate logos and crests from artwork supplied by clients themselves or Able Engraving can create and provide artwork as part of their service and are able to offer sound advice and recommendations based on their many years of experience in the engraving industry.

A very popular form of memorial and commemorative plaques are bench plaques. Bench plaques are small (usually engraved) plaques attached to the backrest of park or garden benches or benches located at places of personal significance to a family member such as a place of natural beauty, or along the route of a favourite walk. These plaques can serve as a comforting reminder of a special occasion (e.g. birthday or anniversary) or in memory of a special person no longer with us.

Able Engraving and Design manufacture different types of engraved labels that can be used in a variety of applications and industrial settings including: electrical installation, gas installation, industrial shop floors and plant rooms, or anywhere that labels are required to identify machine parts and / or equipment in a tough environment where labels constructed of weaker materials would soon suffer damage due to exposure to chemicals, wear and tear or regular impacts. Able Engraving also supply rating and Instruction plates for machinery and can fulfil special one-off short orders or manufacture any type of label in bulk quantities. We also manufacture valve discs (also known as valve tags or valve labels) that are commonly used in plumbing and gas installations such as air conditioning installations and boiler rooms.

Make Use of our Skilled Team of Label Engravers

Our engraved labels can be manufactured from a variety of materials including; Anodised Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Polished Brass, High-pressure rigid laminate commonly known as Traffolyte and flexible laminates. The technique of engraving the text, image or design into the surface of these materials ensures that no part of the image lies on the surface where it can be damaged by abrasion. Aluminium, Stainless Steel, and Brass labels are engraved to a suitable depth and in-filled with durable enamel paint that is available in a large range of colours. The same technique and materials can be used in the manufacture of large and small control panels and distribution labeling, many examples of which can be found on our website. No design is too complicated for our state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled team of engravers.

The majority of our engraved labels, valve discs, control panels and distribution labeling are manufactured using a high-pressure rigid laminate (Traffolyte). This material usually consists of two or three layers of contrasting colours. The top surface layer is cut away by the engraving machine exposing the contrasting colour of the layer below. This technique and material does not require any colour infill and therefore provides additional protection from chemical damage.

Engraved labels can be supplied with pre-drilled fixing holes or super strong self-adhesive backing. Our valve discs can be supplied with pre-drilled holes for fixing and we can also supply ball chain for suspending the discs. Our experienced staff will offer helpful and friendly advice on different fixing methods, components, and materials. As with all our engraved products we guarantee to our customers that they will receive the highest quality engraved Traffolyte labels and a fast efficient turn-around of any orders they place with us.

A large majority of engraving these days is done by machine and run by computer for accuracy. Engravers might use this method the most often, but they know that the more traditional hand engraving still has its place in a modern setting.

The main reason that engravers still use hand engraving is for personalisation. Items such as weapons, trophies, plaques and memorials are usually engraved with a personal message and by using hand engraving you can provide a really good quality finish. Hand engraving is also still used for making jewellery as well.

Having said all of that, hand engraving is far less superior when it comes to finer detail such as pictures, emblems and coats of arms. It is also not time and cost effective to use hand engraving for mass production; it takes too long for a person to do it each time and you cannot guarantee that the design or writing will be exactly the same every time. The potential for human error such as spelling mistakes are another good reason for the introduction of mechanical engraving to avoid embarrassment!

Both hand engraving and engraving using machines and computers both have their merits. Hand engraving gives a personal touch you only get with traditional methods. Engraving by machine means fast and more accurate work, done to the same specifications every time for mass production. Using computers to program these machines means more detail can be achieved. At Able Engraving we use both these methods, and chose the method based on the job at hand.

London is easily the biggest city in England, and one of the most varied and diverse. It is full of high rise office buildings and business premises, schools and university’s churches and cathedrals, and plenty of residential areas to accommodate the growing population of this popular city. Some of the most famous people ever have resided in London, and it is host to some significant historic events and great memorials.

All of these things contribute to the thriving engraving industry in London and the surrounding area. Engraving is used for a variety of reasons, including industrial equipment, labels, sign-age, plagues of all kinds, as well as gifts of all materials personally engraved.

At Able Engraving and Design we provide all of these services, and have a strong reputation for being the most reliable and experienced in the area. With years of experience in traditional and modern engraving methods, and top of the range equipment, we take pride in our craft and the quality of our work.

We have provide plagues for buildings and memorials all over London, unveiled by some prestigious names including the Queen herself. From modern buildings to classic memorials, we ensure the plague we provide is in keeping with the occasion and will stand the test of time. We can use a range of materials from stainless steel to bronze.

We supply engraving for industrial purposes such as machinery labels, engraved in metal and laminate to survive the extreme conditions such as heat and pressure in some factories, warehouses and manufacturing plants. We also supply hard wearing sign age including safety signs and directions.

London requires all of these items and services to make it what it is, and we are pleased to supply only the best for the city.

People use engraved memorial plaques for a variety of reasons. It can be to commemorate an event, happy or sad. Sometimes it can be so we don’t forget sacrifices such as someone who gave their life to save others, or to commemorate something more upbeat that should be remembered such as a jubilee celebration. They can be to dedicate something, such as a building, hospital wing, library or even a bench to someone that is no longer with us, to to state who opened the building and when. They are also used to permanently signpost a place of historical significance.

Engraving plaques makes them long lasting and gives them a classy finish. At Able Engraving, and any other quality engraving company, you can use engrave any material you want to make a unique memorial plaque designed especially for want you want. The majority are made from metals, such as brass, aluminium, stainless steel or even bronze, but if you want something with colour you can also use acrylic laminate.

There are a number of engraving methods that can be used, from the more traditional manual methods to the up to date, state of the art laser engraving, managed by computers. The method used is dictated by the finish you want and the amount of detail required. For more complex and elaborate engraving designs, maybe that incorporate pictures or coat of arms, using a computer and laser is a more time effective and accurate method to ensure the fine detail. If you want a more rustic finish you can use hand engraving. It can also be coloured for a more distinctive finish.