Laser Engravers watch to see how the color infill process works including masking, painting and weeding techniques. This is a great resource for new laser engravers and experienced laser heads.
Thats the way I did it 15 years ago, now I put a good 3 coats of finish on the wood first. then engrave, paint entire wood and wipe off the paint from the un-engraved area and go over everything with a light sanding after to get the paint that didn't wipe off, I also give the entire sign another coat of finish so the painted design also has protection. Good video, it's great that people share their techniques
Ive always lasered the object then painted then sanded and the etch is paint filled and the rest is back to wood. The method you use here i used in a modified way for two or more colers of the exterior and maybe the etch. Good video.
I have made over 500 signs using the same method, with the exception of the mask. I use blue painters tape in 3", 2" and 1" sizes. The is a slight overlap with the tape but this is a really nice method.
An option for preventing bleeding: while the mask is still on spray in the engraved areas with the same finish to seal the engraved areas, THEN do the colour fill. Some woods are prone to more bleeding than others so seal/paint prevents a lot of the cleanup.
A productive alternative is to use chemicals to concentrate and enhance the laser beam, and at the same time incorporate dyes in the substrate. It works on plastic, metal and other materials.
you can go to a sign supply store and ask for pre-mask. It is used quite frequently when applying self adhesive graphics. It's bascially 12" (or whatever width) masking tape.
Very Nice! I tried the squeege method for pressing the transfer tape down (for vinyl projects) but got fantastic results with a small wooden wallpaper roller. Allows you to REALLY press the tape down evenly and prevent the peel-up you get at some of the edges. Awesome video!
Something that really helps stop the bleed thru or fuzzy edges it to spray or put the clear in the etched marks, then let dry then color fill. This will not only seal the edges of the mask, but also the open wood capillaries. This keeps your infill colors contained to only the unmasked area with no bleeding. Works great. I use a plastic edge like a credit card to smooth out the edges when the mask comes off.
the outdoor oil you apply is a kind of varnish, right ? and you apply it before engraving, correct ? I'm trying to do the same on pine wood with no finish with acrylic paint or oil paint and the bleed goes quite deep I have to scrape quite deep in the wood and it ruins the piece I'm guessing the oil or varnish makes the difference, have to try it later Thank you nice video
for those that dont know, its not fun burning the adhesives on laser, and smells really bad. you can just laser engrave it or cnc route it pain the whole image then sand your face down, then seal it all in, unless u enjoy picking and pulling tiny pieces of mask specially if u have tiny details images. like pictures etc..
Get you some chalk paint! They sell the chalk mix on amazon "calcium carbonate". some use plaster of paris on the cheap, and there are a load of videos showing why it's the way to go, explaining how it acts as a molecular pigment binder so the coat can be very light, yet still hold it's opaqueness and will dry at 3-4 times the speed of standard paint and be twice as durable. Also, it you want to cut the time almost completely out, invest in a drum sander plainer, or build one. It takes all the work right out of weeding and cleans up any bleed at the same time. Have fun! Here's a link if you're the DIY type ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-roN11TyS5xg.html
If you give your engraved wood and the mask a light coat of rattlecan laquer, this will seal the letters from bleed through into the wood edges, and give some more body to the mask. Then colour it, let it dry and give it one more coat of rattlecan lacquer let it dry overnight, then weed your work.. Everything is sealed and no additional cleanup..I use heavy tack masking..
vachevyguy it is probably made by 3m. There are kinds specifically designed for lasering, however I've also used 6 inch blue mask for painting through the entire process and it worked pretty well too.
Eric Lovejoy stencils are fairly easy if you have a laser to cut them. Turn text into an object in your graphic software like Corel Draw or Illustrator. Use Mylar for the stencil and cut on the laser
Why don't you just use a couple light coats of spray paint? You are getting bleed through because you are painting it in. Good job if that is your thing.
spray paint will bleed into the porus surface. From what ive found wax and oil based paints work best. Its also very wasteful if your doing it for production. A little bit of paint goes a long ways.
+Thang La Hong I have an epilog laser system. Epilog is the GOLD STANDARD in laser engraving. They range in price from around $13,000 to $50,000+ You can go to their website to get in touch with one of their distributors. www.epiloglasers.com
Lawrence Kelley I get mine from JDS Industries. But you can also get it from Amazon. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017URUT92/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1505065369&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=paper+transfer+tape&dpPl=1&dpID=31gtwDMQHpL&ref=plSrch
Hi, I just got my first engraver and saw this year old video. What is the mask called and where can I get it. I have tried masking tape and it doesn't work.
+Munawar Soomro Any vinyl graphics store will have this. It's called "Transfer Tape" and is used in the vinyl industry to lift the cut vinyl and hold everything into position until it's pressed onto the object and then lifted off, leaving just the vinyl behind. It's "low tack" and doesn't leave a residue. You can find it at www.signwarehouse.com and possibly other placed like Amazon.
+Munawar Soomro Hobby stores and your big-box retailers have all sorts of paints depending on what you're substrate is. I like Testors model paints for acrylic items and any other sort of paint for wood depending on whether it will be inside or outside.
+Munawar Soomro I use Heavy Body Acrylic paint found at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. It dries fast and is very durable. But its not designed for exterior projects.
+LaserUP: thanks for the info. All of my engraving projects are small indoor stuff like pens, keychains, coasters and all. I'll try heavy body acrylic paints, wait to dry then peel off the vinyl contact paper.
awesome, sir, really amazing work if u dont mind , can u share ur laser printer setting for this work, as i saw many videos. but only few of them told about laser setting. and specially laser distance from laser to object plz share thanks
Normally you set the distance from the laser head to the work 2" using 40 watt laser tube. I set mine to power of 70 and the speed to 40. Play with this idea and see what your laser works best for you. This setting is what I use for plexiglass. Wood like pine I use 80 for power and speed is 25 in order to get a good depth, it all depends on what the finish look you are looking for.
How come the piece of wood that you take the masking paper off, is different to the one you started with, I think this is a con, Stay with the original engraving. You actually started to paint the letter 'K' but on the final engraving there was NO 'K'.
www.laserbits.com/sus-016-paper-mask-medium-tack-12-in-100-yds.html Gary - I have used this mask from Laserbits. I also use the medium tack mask from JDS Industries.
Not many folks cutting vinyl are also going to stock Urethane based "vinyl. And a paper mask is significantly less expensive than vinyl or urethane. But yeah. It will work. There's always more than one "right" way. Thanks for giving everyone options.
i can make that sign in less then half the time look just as good no mask, just laser it paint whole engraved area, and sand it, sometimes simple job require simple work, this is allot of working picking and probing at removing mask
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