[mfalonzo9]

Hello Everyone! I've come to a bit of a problem and was wondering if I could find some help here.

I have some mirror acrylic pieces that I have laser cut and etched. As you may already know, mirror acrylic has to be cut and etched from the back, otherwise the mirror would reflect the laser and there would be problems.

I would now like to colorfill the etched section of the acrylic so that I can see the color in the front (along with the mirror). However, the color doesn't seem to be as vibrant as I'd expect. It seems as if it where dusty, but no matter how much I clean it (before painting) the color still looks opaque. I tried cleaning with water and soap, alcohol and even acetone, but after painting I can still see some streak marks from the etching that make the paint job dull. I've tried acrylic colors (brushed) and epoxy paint (spray), getting the same results.

I was wondering if there is a surface preparation that I must use on the etched part of the acrylic to get more vibrant colors through the sheet, or if there's another type of paint which would render richer colors. I don't have access to a laser cutter/engraver, so I can't play much with setting there; I just send the files to get etched and cut.

If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!

[OldEngraver]

Did you take the laser out of focus and run a polishing path? That will make the engraving etch clear.

[TroyO]

Or maybe a pass with a torch?

[mfalonzo9]

I tried the torch idea, but it seems to burn the mirror much faster than it polishes the etched part. Maybe I placed it too close or left it there for too long, but it was very visible how the mirror gave up first.
I need to get in touch with my laser guy to see if he can make a new test with the polishing path mentioned.

Thank for the great ideas. I'll keep the post updated until a solution is found. Any more ideas would be much appreciated!