I know others have commented on using white spray paint to get a black etching, and that was what I tried first when I got into this, but I found that using cheap acrylic craft paint - I use Apple Barrel Snow White - sprayed in three or four coats with an airbrush not only gives a MUCH darker etch, but it is SO much easier to clean off than the spray paint. A quick wash and wipe with water and a paper towel and your good to go versus the mess and hassle of using acetone to get the spray paint off. I was REALLY impressed with the results you got, though, and I am going to HAVE to try that! Finally... I just had to comment on your little girl's name. It is so cool because that is my girlfriend's name and it is so rare to hear anyone named Evelyn, especially children. :)
WOW! Those turned out REALLY nice. The details in the tiger were AWESOME the way the ink held up after the wipe down and not bleeding into one another.
You can use a white rustoleum spray paint on the tile before hand, then do the engraving the same way you did, then after remove all the paint from the tile. it give nice black engraving.
@@PGHATCO what if you use spray paint instead of sharpie?? Do you need to seal it? Great job with your kids! Nice to see a dad interacting with his children so well! God bless!
It's not good to look at the area being engraved, especially with glass/white surfaces. It can actually cause damage to the eyes. You can buy glasses that protect your eyes/get a film to put over the glass... just food for thought, especially with the kids
Ty for the video. What is the science behind why the sharpie colors stick to the lasered areas? Is it because the lasered area is rough and the rest of the tile is smooth?
Correct. Imagine coloring on your granite kitchen counter with a sharpie and wiping it off. Then going outside on your concrete driveway with a sharpie and trying to wipe it off.
neat for sure.... but you said you need to upload the image to a web site to get your engraver to work? did I hear this correctly? do these machines rely on web based software only to run? or can you use any program and not be held to the Glowforge web page and their software? what happens if you can not use any other software and they shut down the services... are you then lost and your machines are dead? i am seeking information on different machines and seen this video. very neat ideas. thanks
Thanks for the comment. Correct everything is cloud based. The software is on their servers so if you don't have internet you cannot access the software. We have really only had one time it was down and that was when they were doing some server upgrades. I believe it was maybe 30 minutes. I can't imagine they would shut their services down. Regardless of your machines you can still access their online software that houses all of your artwork you have uploaded. Hopefully this helped with your question.
@@PGHATCO You say that now - about them shutting the services down - but other companies have been known to do just that in the past. This is the reason why I will NEVER own anything that is cloud or subscription based. ESPECIALLY hardware that I purchased and rely on for my livelihood!
@@rebeltaz123 Nor will I. I know some people who have already had some bad experiences with Cloud & Subscription based services. If I can't purchase it outright, or if it isn't free (Open Source), I won't touch it. This project can be done with any decent Laser, not just an overpriced Glowforge.
You could do this. Say if we painted a coaster red then engraved the design, the design would be white with the rest staying red. However I don't know how well sharpie would hold up on the smooth surface. It absorbs permanently into the course engraved areas. Give it a test and let us know 😎
@@PGHATCO Ohh I see! I was hoping that the design would be left red, then I can wash off the rest so it's red design on white tile (like how you first paint white plastic with a black sharpie and engrave it to get a black design)
@@Mariosyian4ever I've not heard of that method but I'll try soon. What you mentioned though with the red engraving as red sounds just like what we did but adding color afterwards then wiping residue 🤷🏽♂️
@@Mariosyian4ever I was wondering as well because using sharpie markers on glazed ceramics and then refiring is supposed to make it permanent... maybe a lower power on the laser? I did see where they laser etched wood, then dusted colored powdercoat powder into the etching and lasered again to melt and set it. But you need to be able to reposition your piece back where it was so it engraves in the same place, so use an accurate jig.
Hi! Nice Work! I’m wondering if you coat this tile with something like paint etc. so the engraveer is transparent like without any colour? I know that if you use some rustoleum paint you will receive black engraveer, but how to receive this transparent result to paint it later? Thanks in advance for the answer.
Great video, great family project, cute kids! One question regarding coloring the engraved areas. Have you tried to rub acrylic paint into the image? Sharpie is great, but over time it does not hold up well with solvents (especially alcohol or alcohol in cleaners), and is not as light-fast as acrylic paint. Like ink, the solvent for acrylic is alcohol, but it usually is more archival than most inks. Any thoughts?
With the acrylic paint being rubbery and not sticking to some surfaces, would it stick in the cracks long-term? I always figured it would eventually rub out as well.
I love doing this and have learned sooo much from your videos. Can you tell me how to make the colors brighter? They are very muted when I wipe with alcohol. Thank you!
