PiBurn Gigs: BreAnn Dutra and the Confidence to Engrave a Priceless Stanley
Browsing through PiBurn Labs one day, I saw this beauty of a cup:
I know, it’s gorgeous. For the Stanley aficionados, this is one of those rare Stanley cups that was available in 2022 and is no longer available.
This beauty is called the OG Cream & Copper Magnolia
The older discontinued models are referred to as “OG”, and the value of this cup, driven by scarcity and demand, is now nearly $400. Not a typo.
For an expensive cup like that, only the best laser engraving equipment will do, as many engravers would be too nervous to touch this one-of-a-kind cup for the fear of messing it up and losing a lot of value for them and their customer. How did BreAnn work up the confidence to take on jobs like that?
For now, let’s back up a bit.
BreAnn and Albert Dutra kicked off their laser adventure in 2020 with a pretty nice machine, an Omtech 60 watt laser. Albert’s the guy who makes sure everything is running smoothly tech-wise, and BreAnn’s got the eye for design. They took this laser journey from a side gig into BreAnn’s main job in 2023, after she had to leave her 15-year career in a salon.
They got their two teens chipping in here and there, hoping they’ll dig lasering as much as they do. What really got them excited was making those awesome designs on Tumblers, but they wanted to up their game.
That’s when they found the rotary called PiBurn Omni, a game-changer that let them do even cooler stuff with amazing precision – and confidence!
Recently, they’ve gone even bigger and got themselves a CO2 galvo laser, mainly for working on tumblers, and it’s been a huge boost. (Yes, the PiBurn is compatible). It’s clear these guys are all about getting better and making sure they can deliver top-notch work that their customers love.
Make sure to check out their shop: https://theburnshack.com/ and give them a follow on Facebook.
The Dutras were not afraid to take risks, to invest in themselves and their equipment and now they are crushing it in the laser engraving world, turning a passion into a thriving family business. Just take a look at some of their awesome work:
Now, back to that epic Stanley cup.
This particular cup was a send-in. That’s when a customer sends in their cup in for an engraving. The customer paid $300 for the cup alone!
BreAnn charged $75 for the engraving. This cup took one hour to engrave and she did have to take off the handle and then attach it back again after engraving.
What is her advice to other engravers?
So one thing I will say is, if you aren’t sure, absolutely do not take a customers cup. This particular cup cost my customer $300 alone (that was before she sent it to me) and I charged her $75 to engrave it. The only way to ensure you don’t go too deep is to test on other cups and make sure you have your settings down. Most of these cups all use the same settings (for me anyway) there are a few exceptions, where they might need a bit more power. But that knowledge or instinct comes with experience. As far as pricing goes, everyone is so different. You kind of have to determine how much you want to make, and go from there. Hopefully that makes sense
Words of wisdom!
We’re so happy to feature BreAnn and Albert in our PiBurn Gigs series! A huge thanks from the whole community for sharing your work, experience, and advice. That’s what makes this makers’ community so amazing!
Make sure to check out their shop https://theburnshack.com/ and give them a follow on Facebook.
Don’t forget Insta and TikTok!
Want more tips and strategies? Check out the rest of the PiBurn Gigs series here, and don’t forget to grab a PiBurn Omni for your laser.
Happy PiBurning from Heather, Len and Stan at LensDigital.