Sometimes you do, simply because you can!  Well, that's exactly how we feel about laser engraving acanthus leaf scrolls on an inert pineapple grenade and finish plating it in 24 carat gold!  Yes, it's super cool so let's show you how to make one!

Getting Started

The first step is of course to get an inert Pineapple Grenade.  A quick google search will yield several solid leads.  These can typically be picked up for $10-$15.  

Once you have the grenade you will need to disassemble it.  Remove the safety ring/ safety pin being careful to not break the ends off of the pin so you can re-install it later.  With the pin out, the Safety Lever should rotate up and out of place.  Next you should be able to rotate and unscrew the Head or Fuse Housing from the Body.  The Safety Lever, Head/ Fuse Housing, and Body are the only three parts we will be working with.  

Prep

With our three main components disassembled, we will want to strip them down and get ready to start polishing them a bit.  We recommend abrasive blasting if possible.  We hit ours with 80 Grit Aluminum Oxide to strip all the original finish off.  

Next is a progression of sanding.  There are a lot of different methods and options here.  We used a Dremel with various attachments to clean up some of the rougher areas and did some of the bigger work with an air grinder and Roloc attachments before finishing it by hand.  In this step we aren't going for a mirror finish yet but want to get most of the scratches out and limit the amount of polishing needed after engraving.  The sanding progression should roughly be between 300 grit and 2000 grit.  

Engraving

Now the fun part!  We of course started with our Arts Of The Warrior Inert Grenade Engraving Template and created our vector design within it.  There are infinite beautiful patterns and design possibilities for this of course but we opted for some traditional style scrollwork.  Once drawn up its on to the Fiber Laser!  Laser engraving settings and methods of approach differ per machine.  For our project we ended up doing the engraving in 4 parts; the left and right sides, top, and the angles of the safety lever.  

Polishing

After the engraving is done it ready for the fine polishing.  We did most of this on the buffing wheel following a progression through the wheels and corresponding rouge from firm to medium, and lastly the soft wheel.  When this step is complete it should look pretty shiny and about ready for plating.  To really bring it home though we used Mothers Mag Polish. Rub a little Mothers Mag Polish on the surface in a small circular motion until the cloth turns black, then move to a clean spot on your cloth and continue rubbing in small circles.  Do this throughout the entire surface and watch it come to life!  

Electroplating

At this point you should have a mirror finish, beautifully engraved inert grenade just begging for gold!  Gold plating can be done by submersion or by brushing it on.  Both processes involve electrically charging the surface to attract the gold particles.  Submersion plating will cover all areas quickly and evenly but require a lot more solution. 

For this project we opted for brush plating.  Universal Gold Plating Services offers some really nice kits for brush plating that can work for other precious metals and finishes as well.  The kits are nice because they are designed to follow a 3 step process of electro cleaning, Nickel Plating, and then the Gold Plating.  (Nickel Plating as a base for Gold increases wear resistance!)  The kits come with everything you need as well as great instructions and information for the entire process. 

The brush plating process is pretty simple.  You have two wires.  One will alligator clip to the part being plated, and the other wire plugs into the plating pen.  The voltage is set to about 4.5 volts for Gold (some solutions may differ).  The swab on the end of the plating pen is soaked in the Gold Solution.  Once the swab is good and soaked, you simply brush the surface of the parts.

After the plating is done, you can reassemble the grenade.  We decided to spray our Safety ring and Pin with a coat of Black Cerakote to clean it up a bit and give it more of a finished look.  You may also consider gold plating those parts as well!

Depending on how deep you went with your engravings, a nice final touch that really makes engraving pop is to fill the low areas with India Ink!

Final Thoughts

This is a really cool project and a neat use for a Fiber Laser.  It is certainly time and tool intensive but a unique way to show off your skills and very much an attention grabber for your shop!