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Things you can do with a laser!
Here are just a few of my recent projects using a Boss Laser.
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I’ve only had my laser for about 4 months and I initially planned on it just being another tool for my retirement shop. This has turned out to be a whole hobby just by itself! I’ve been amazed at some of the things that people are doing with their machines and just wanted to share some of what I have been able to accomplish in a relatively short time. These projects are done using CorelDraw and importing the file into LaserWorks. I have been impressed with the capabilities of the laser and how nicely it cuts and engraves. I’m looking forward to coming up with more projects!
Bob
Re: Things you can do with a laser!
Very fine work there Bob - love the two shipwreck pieces.
I have a question about your engraving. Are these veneers you are engraving? How did you ensure the engraved areas are light in colour?
Re: Things you can do with a laser!
in the second image, The laser machine can't engrave the blue color. It just can engrave with different depth. This will make the color looks different. Some are deep black and some are grey.
------Jinan UnionTech Machinery Co., Ltd.------
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Re: Things you can do with a laser!
I have a source for 1/8 and 1/4 Russian Birch plywood sheets, no veneers. I get the 5x5 sheets cut in half so they slide right through the pass through doors on the laser. The sheets are prepped by sanding them smooth, stain, and coat with 3-4 coats of Polyurethane. The shipwreck pieces use a back sheet of aqua stained and the front is Honey Oak stain. I laser the sheets after finishing as I found that it is much easier to clean the sheets with White Vinegar to remove residue after layering. I use screen printer ink and a squeegee after lasering to fill in and highlight the cut and engraved portions of the wood. After the ink drys a damp rag removes all the excess ink except for what gets trapped in the cut and engraved lines. Mainly I use white ink but other colors can be used also. The layers are glued together to create the final output. The calendars have an extra step before glueing, each edge is sanded to 40 degrees (for the 12 sided cube, 35 degees for the 32 sided cube) and I use masking tape to hold the pieces in position before gluing. Those are the hardest items to do so far since the goal is to get all the corners and edges to line up. A little wood putty takes care of any misalignment.
The maps are my own design, had to learn how to use GMT (Generic Mapping Tool) to create the maps, contours, city and shipwreck locations. I’m starting work on one for Lake Huron this week, it will take 3-5 days to get all the computer files together so I can populate the map accurately.
Bob
Re: Things you can do with a laser!
Really nice work, makes me want to spend more time on there laser! Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Things you can do with a laser!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DiverBob
I have a source for 1/8 and 1/4 Russian Birch plywood sheets, no veneers. I get the 5x5 sheets cut in half so they slide right through the pass through doors on the laser. The sheets are prepped by sanding them smooth, stain, and coat with 3-4 coats of Polyurethane. The shipwreck pieces use a back sheet of aqua stained and the front is Honey Oak stain. I laser the sheets after finishing as I found that it is much easier to clean the sheets with White Vinegar to remove residue after layering. I use screen printer ink and a squeegee after lasering to fill in and highlight the cut and engraved portions of the wood. After the ink drys a damp rag removes all the excess ink except for what gets trapped in the cut and engraved lines. Mainly I use white ink but other colors can be used also. The layers are glued together to create the final output. The calendars have an extra step before glueing, each edge is sanded to 40 degrees (for the 12 sided cube, 35 degees for the 32 sided cube) and I use masking tape to hold the pieces in position before gluing. Those are the hardest items to do so far since the goal is to get all the corners and edges to line up. A little wood putty takes care of any misalignment.
The maps are my own design, had to learn how to use GMT (Generic Mapping Tool) to create the maps, contours, city and shipwreck locations. I’m starting work on one for Lake Huron this week, it will take 3-5 days to get all the computer files together so I can populate the map accurately.
Bob
I see, nice idea regarding the screen print ink and Squeegee. I was looking for ways to highlight the engraved area of painted/stained wood.
I suppose for this to work you need to put a top coat to ensure the rest of the area can be easily wiped clean? I was going to just stain my wood, as I wanted a more rustic finish - but I think with applying your method, i'd struggle to wipe the excess off.
Re: Things you can do with a laser!
Stain only would not work as the ink would be almost impossible to remove. I use 3-4 coats of Semi-Gloss Polyurethane and everything outside of the engraving and cuts wipes off easily with a damp rag. I have some fine tipped brushes to paint into specific locations if I am doing more than one color. Start with the base color and then add highlights later on top of the base. You have to be careful with this method to avoid wiping the 2nd color into places you don’t want it.