Safe to engrave an iPod nano?
July 16, 2014 10:10 AM Subscribe
I just bought a 6th generation iPod nano for my spouse for our 10th anniversary (coincidentally, the aluminum anniversary!). I would like to have it engraved--is it safe for a regular engraver, who can do laser engraving, to do that with the nano? Any experiences with such to reassure me?
I basically bought the thing on the ground within two days of deciding to buy it (read: a day before the big event) so it wasn't like I could take advantage of free engraving by ordering it from Apple. The nearest Apple store in our state is a bit of a hike, and I don't want to have a huge turnaround time since my spouse is having surgery in a couple weeks and I really want her to have the iPod then. I have a friend in my town who owns an engraving shop; I know from his website that he does both rotary and laser engraving, and I've read that laser is the safest bet for iPod engraving. The thing just seems SO thin that I fear doing injury to it. Am I stupid for wanting to get it done?
I basically bought the thing on the ground within two days of deciding to buy it (read: a day before the big event) so it wasn't like I could take advantage of free engraving by ordering it from Apple. The nearest Apple store in our state is a bit of a hike, and I don't want to have a huge turnaround time since my spouse is having surgery in a couple weeks and I really want her to have the iPod then. I have a friend in my town who owns an engraving shop; I know from his website that he does both rotary and laser engraving, and I've read that laser is the safest bet for iPod engraving. The thing just seems SO thin that I fear doing injury to it. Am I stupid for wanting to get it done?
I have a touch that has been laser engraved, and have had no issues whatsoever.
posted by goo at 10:39 AM on July 16, 2014
posted by goo at 10:39 AM on July 16, 2014
Response by poster: From what I understand, Apple does the engraving before putting the back on the iPod. If it were possible to take the back off, I wouldn't think anything of it, but I wouldn't want to attempt that.
posted by dlugoczaj at 10:40 AM on July 16, 2014
posted by dlugoczaj at 10:40 AM on July 16, 2014
I work with similar lasers as are typically used in engraving, and unless the engraver is a complete idiot who's going to drop the laser enclosure on your iPod or manage to fall into a volcano while engraving, it is completely safe for your device.
posted by Behemoth at 12:15 PM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Behemoth at 12:15 PM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
I have a 2nd gen iPod (which I know is a different material than the current nano) that I had engraved by a bunch of idiots in college at an engineering fair. It was (and is!) totally fine. The laser is just a very slight etch on the surface.
posted by Flamingo at 12:31 PM on July 16, 2014
posted by Flamingo at 12:31 PM on July 16, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
The thing just seems SO thin that I fear doing injury to it.
You're overthinking it. Laser engraving is pretty gentle.
posted by Brockles at 10:25 AM on July 16, 2014