You guys are so fun to watch! I saw the borax tip, didn’t believe it, saw you guys give it a try and tried it myself. The engraving is AMAZING! Thank you so much!
I have a beginner diode laser and I’ve used boric acid solutions for a year+ now. I want to upgrade to a bigger laser one day but in the meantime I’m happy with the boric acid solution. I love watching you guys. Such a creative couple and funny. ❤❤❤
On my gantry diode lasers (a 5 Watt and a 10 Watt) I defocus up by 4mm to 6mm depending on the wood. I've been able to get a light, medium, and dark engrave on bamboo which is notoriously challenging. I found the settings by purshasing inexpensive small bamboo cutting boards and using LightBurn's material test feature to dial in the powers and speeds. I did a different material test, also using LightBurn, to determine the line spacing that gave the best results before running the speed and power tests.
Ive always used borax. When i do a retirement plaque or such I stain the wood and get it ready for a clear coat then i apply borax and laz it. then a quick coat of clear. Borax will smug, so be at the point of applying a clear coat.
Did you try compressed air on the borax to quickly blow out the soot before a spray. I find that helps my normal diode engraves but it will lighten them up but no more smudges
When using borax sand your wood,dust off before applying the solution, and for best results let the solution dry for at least 24hrs.Next engrave at twice the speed than normal and don't worry it will be black.Next,clearcoat 3 coats (lightly sand between coats,I mean lightly (320 grit)be sure to dust between coats...Use satin clearcoat, it pops out more with less glare...DO NOT water down the borax,I have tried it and the results are not very good...
![Testing A Substitute For Borax For Darker Laser Engraving [not borax substitute]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KK0H0tcS7Bk/mqdefault.jpg)
I love it when someone puts out a video like this. It’s also great reading through the comments for additional tips to try.
You guys are so fun to watch! I saw the borax tip, didn’t believe it, saw you guys give it a try and tried it myself. The engraving is AMAZING! Thank you so much!
I have a beginner diode laser and I’ve used boric acid solutions for a year+ now. I want to upgrade to a bigger laser one day but in the meantime I’m happy with the boric acid solution. I love watching you guys. Such a creative couple and funny. ❤❤❤
Loved listening to the jingle while names were shown. Great job! And the tips in the comments. Love it!
On my gantry diode lasers (a 5 Watt and a 10 Watt) I defocus up by 4mm to 6mm depending on the wood. I've been able to get a light, medium, and dark engrave on bamboo which is notoriously challenging. I found the settings by purshasing inexpensive small bamboo cutting boards and using LightBurn's material test feature to dial in the powers and speeds. I did a different material test, also using LightBurn, to determine the line spacing that gave the best results before running the speed and power tests.
Great video thanks for showing the full process.
Helps a lot
Thanks for the comparison. Very helpful.
spray the borax and let it dry, then lightly sand it before engraving. 10 parts water to 1 part borax
Good experiment. I had not seen the hacks, but will try the borax for sure!
Thanks guys.. Great video of sure..
Ive always used borax. When i do a retirement plaque or such I stain the wood and get it ready for a clear coat then i apply borax and laz it. then a quick coat of clear. Borax will smug, so be at the point of applying a clear coat.
What can be done about the obvious warpage/board bowing which shows quite clearly in your assessment segment?
Did you try compressed air on the borax to quickly blow out the soot before a spray. I find that helps my normal diode engraves but it will lighten them up but no more smudges
Great video
On a CO2 you can defocus a few mm to get darker engraves. On my Thunder Bolt I defocus about 4mm on Walnut to get a much darker engraving.
Would going over the engraving with a second pass at a lower power help darken the coloring?
Try a Matt clear coat instead of gloss. It works for us ... cheers 🇦🇺
After the engraving, run the file again but then score. You get a nice crisp edge.
When using borax sand your wood,dust off before applying the solution, and for best results let the solution dry for at least 24hrs.Next engrave at twice the speed than normal and don't worry it will be black.Next,clearcoat 3 coats (lightly sand between coats,I mean lightly (320 grit)be sure to dust between coats...Use satin clearcoat, it pops out more with less glare...DO NOT water down the borax,I have tried it and the results are not very good...
How about titanium dioxide mixed with water - apply as if its a ceramic tile
Have you done this method on wood? Curious if you had good results
Hi Shelly, no not yet so busy trying to get projects done. My kids keep seeing things they just have to have!