EVERYONE SHOULD BE LASER ENGRAVING THIS WAY
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Want to learn how to improve laser engraving of images? It’s easy to go from-run-of-the-mill laser engraving of photo images to images that really pop off the material. There’s a cheap and effective secret to making this happen using common material you can buy at grocery or hardware stores and with a simple coating on the material before engraving, you can create the best-engraved images you have ever seen.
In this video, I will show you how I get the best photo images and how you can too. So come and join me on my quest to make everything.
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►►►► VIDEO CONTENTS
0:00 Introduction
1:20 Preparing For Engraving
3:03 Laser Settings
5:56 Laser Cutting
8:15 Final Tips
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I have seen this technique done on other videos but your has the most dramatic results and clear execution I have seen. Thanks for a great vid!
Thanks
Can’t wait to try this with a diode laser! If anyone is wondering how to engrave on glass with a diode laser, the secret is black tempera paint. Same technique.
this should work with a diode laser as well
My husband & I just got a 100W Titan from FSL and we’re still learning to use it. This is a very helpful tip!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Nice laser! Big workspace + lots of power = fun projects
How you finding it Minxy? Planning on buying one early january but it's either gonna be the titan or the PS36 PRO~
Did you do the 3d camera addon?
Mr Tobbo Yes, it’s working well, I did the camera add on and upgraded chiller option. The only way I could afford the 100W tube was the free upgrade they were offering that month with a purchase of the Titan.
This is the best technique I've seen in a long time for laser engraving. My wife uses borax. So, I've got plenty of it on hand. We're packing up to move right now, but as soon as I get the laser set up in the new office, this will be the first thing I do on it.
Sounds like you’ve got plans for the holidays. Hope this is helpful
I've used Borax solution to make wood fire-retardant before, but never considered it could help a laser like this. Great tip!
Glad I could help!
That may be the best tip I've ever seen. . Thank you, Steve.
Glad you found it useful
Quite like this idea, you could also do a two tone effect with a normal engraving first, leave it in place and apply the borax then do a different engraving over the top so some parts are light and some dark. I do wonder though about how it may affect the chemistry of the wood, for example long term degradation of certain finishes, like say shellac or an epoxy or PU finish
I like this idea. 😀
Good idea 👍🏾
I did this last night …. Came out really good… added that contrast … sealed with poly once completed
@@daminator2004 Excellent!
@@daminator2004 2 weeks in, how's the polyurethane finish?
WOW! This is a game changer. Been lasering stuff for over 10 years and I am looking forward to trying this. Headed to the store to get some Borax! Thanks for sharing.
Borax isn’t available everywhere so if you can’t find it you can also try baking soda dissolved in water
@@SteveMakesEverything I saw another video that compared baking soda and Borax. The baking soda was definitely an improvement over nothing but the Borax was by far the best. I will try to find some online. Thanks again!
@@kellyklaask7su990 Yes Borax definitely works better
Thank you for this tip! I appreciate your content.
My pleasure!
Man, you are genius. Thank you for sharing your knowledge 😊
Ha, you should really spend a day with me in my shop. You would see lots of mistakes and wasted material😉
My goal is to just help people move forward on their Maker journey.
Excellent trick Steve! You got yourself another subscriber.
Welcome aboard!
You got a subscriber for this one, thanks for sharing a industry secret with the little guys! 👍👍👍
Nice! Welcome aboard 😁
so i run a company specialised in laser cutting. We know some tricks but this seems like magic to me. Definitely gonna try it out and will update about the result!
If you want dark engraving this will do it for you
Wow, that awesome. Thanks for the time saver!
Happy to help!
Thank you for sharing. Awesome tip!
Happy to help
Wow, this is amazing. I've been wishing for a way to make my engravings darker. The results shown in the video are super impressive. Steve, would you recommend using this method on all types of wood with any type of engraving (photo, logo, text, etc)? Also, could you estimate how long it took for the wood to dry and be ready for engraving?
This will work with any type of engraving and should have an impact on most woods. It has a bigger impact on light woods though. As far as drying you can leave it overnight or use a heat gun/hair dryer to accelerate things. For the video I lightly heated my board with a heat gun and drying took less than a minute.
@@SteveMakesEverything so this will work on metal as well
@@zachofalltrades6116 I don't think this will work on metal since it needs a porous surface.
@@zachofalltrades6116 the Borax is liquifying under the creating a moment of molten liquid. Borax is also used as a wetting agent in melting brass in a furnace. It significantly reduces the time involved in melting brass, and is easily skimmed off the top before pouring. Works with gold too, same reason.
@@24-Card So, are you claiming the Borax will effect to the picture graving positively similar as it does for the wooden materials too? How do you add this borax on the metal? Similar as wood, layering on the top of the plattern to be lazerized?
Steve, another great video. I can't seem to get enough of them! Odd question, can you tell me where you get your green "grid" work sheet that you work on? Thanks
The green mat is a standard cutting mat that you can find at most craft stores and some hardware stores.
Awesome. What a difference that makes. Great tip thank you. One question..... how do u clean off the black sooty residue without it soiling your workpiece.
So if you start by minimizing the power used to create the engraving and then after engraving spray the piece with clear coat, you can protect the piece. You can’t touch the engraving until you do this otherwise it will smear. For every plus, there is a minus but this one can be mitigated.
Thank you Steve for ANOTHER great tip on getting the most out of your laser. It is on my shopping list to pick up ASAP.. Thanks again.... Hank
Glad it was helpful!
Very informative, thank you
Happy it helps
Thanks Steve, great tip !!
Hope it’s helpful
Wow! Thanks, Steve!!!
You're welcome!
Love this video! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for this, I appreciate the tip!
Glad it was helpful!
Very cool going to try this tonight.
Remember to really reduce the power, and once engraved, give it a couple good layers of clear coat
Thank you for sharing!!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for posting this. I'm literally dialing in my engraving this week and trying to step up my game on that. I've been getting pretty good results, but this is a big step up and exactly what I'm after. Quick question- looks like you have an FSL laser. What wattage is you cutter and do you have an idea of what the mm/s equates to when cutting at 100% speed? Trying to relate it to my 50w OMTech. Thanks again for this tip!
Yes I have a Muse 3D which claims to be 45W but it's really only ever driving it to 40W peak power. I can't honestly say what the real speed equates to (one of the things that annoys me a bit about the RE3 software. I would say you could use math to solve the problem. Your laser is 25% more powerful so you should be able to guess what your 100% velocity is to get some like a mm/s per % number. Subtract 25% from the Muse speed percentage and multiply the result by your calculated speed. It would get you close.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thanks Steve. I'll dive into it. Gonna try some Borax and Baking Soda tests this weekend!
@@msyverson3 Let me know how it works out for you. I've haven't had as much luck with baking soda - not as much sodium in it I think.
@@msyverson3 So how did your testing go, please share
@@PaulJarrett Hi Paul, sorry for the long delay- I did some testing with both and I really wasn't happy with either result. The borax does indeed burn nice and dark and the baking soda a bit more yellow. You need to handle them carefully can clear coat them as the Borax doesn't seem to bond all that great to the wood (unless I'm doing something wrong). I've been focusing more on getting good solid burns on the wood itself and pretty happy with the results. Good luck
Thanks for making the video.
I hope it helps
wow thanks man, that is very helpful
Glad it was useful
Thank you for the hint! Do you know if this also works on metal and other materials, or is this specific for wood/plywood?
Sadly this process is specific to wood material
What's up Stevo?!!
Thanks for the tip 👍
Good to hear from you again and you are very welcome 😀.
Thanks for the tip!
No problem!
You're brilliant!!!👍👍👍
Thanks, but let's not make claims that can't be supported by evidence 😉. I'm just happy that people are finding this channel useful.
Hi Steve, great tip it works great. One question if you don't mind. What is the best way to clean the piece before clear coating? If I rub the engraved image after burning it seems to smudge pretty bad. Do you just blow it off and slap clear coat straight on? Thanks in advance!
In general don’t touch it with anything. Just clearcoat it
Some folks use a very light soapy water (barely wiped over, no scrubbing], and rinse after that thoroughly, very clean of smoke deposition. Try it on some scrap wood, see what you like best.
@@johnmood5653 I try to make best efforts to minimize deposits in the first place. It's always best to tinker with settings to avoid surface cleaning down the road whenever possible.
Hi. I’ve been learning different techniques using the CO2. I personally like working with stain. Adjusting the threshold gives amazing results as well. Anyways half-tone dithering goes great with the borax. 250 dpi is good for this test picture. And needing less power, I’ll have to try 500 dpi and borax for quicker, cheaper jobs. I have baking soda, but is it as good as borax?
Baking soda works but isn’t quite as good as borax, but with either you will be able to use more speed or less power
tks for sharing, working great!!
You’re welcome! 😁
Great work. Love it. Time to go buy some Borax.
If you can’t find Borax you can try Baking Soda as well. Doesn’t have quite the same effect but Borax isn’t available everywhere
Thank you so much!! Amazing
You're so welcome!
What a great video!
Thanks so much for sharing this information!
Do you know would this have a different affect when using a diode laser instead of a CO2?
I think it should have the same effect. Give it a try
It works the same with diode lasers. Keep in mind, though, that this produces a very black burn, which some find artificial-looking. A similar mixture with baking soda will produce a darker burn that still shows the wood. However, if you use too much baking soda it will yellow the wood.
@@QuixoticEnt Baking soda will indeed work and both it and Borax will darken the burn. One thing to keep in mind is that you will need to reduce the power quite a bit to avoid too much of that "fake" look.
Thanks for confirming that this works with diode lasers too.
@@QuixoticEnt Awesome! thanks for filling in the blanks here! Appreciate the insight.
Some basic high school chemistry 101 to ponder: Sodium tetraborate (Borax) is a mild alkaline with a PH between 8 and 9. When mixed with dihydrogen oxide (water), it becomes hydrogen peroxide. Borax is basically bleaching the wood at the molecular level. You would think the added whiteness/brightness that Borax gives the wood would be counterintuitive to using a laser since it would reflect the laser light, but hey, it works somehow to create a darker burn.
Borax is not only used as a cleaner and laundry brightener, among other industrial uses. It is also a great insecticide for ants and termites. Just mix it with corn syrup, and it dehydrates the insects from the inside out when they eat the mixture. Those Terro ant traps are basically corn syrup and Borax. Good stuff!
My question is. What do you do after engraving with Borax to clean and seal the wood? If you wipe the wood after engraving, the dark soot gets everywhere and ruins the project. I have heard some other laser engravers say they use a vacuum and a spray poly or lacquer to seal the wood without any wiping of the project. I was just wondering what you recommend after engraving with Borax so that the project does not get ruined by the dark soot getting everywhere? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 😊
You can spray it with a couple coats of clear coat, though reducing the power more will help balance the darker color with the fragility caused by layering the Borax. Run some material tests to find the best settings
@SteveMakesEverything Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try lowering the laser power even more, and spraying some clear coat after engraving. Unfortunately, this won't work with cutting boards though, as they have to be rubbed and wiped with food grade mineral oil. I will figure something out though. 😊
@@TheGuitarman1968 thanks for sharing the science behind why this works. For your food grade option you could maybe try baking soda.
great video, thanks. This is how scorch pens work.
Glad you enjoyed it
My congratulations for this outstanding video! In order to obtain that result, Borax must be applied always before engraving or it is possible to applied borax after engraving ? Which power and speed should we use (for example I have a 10W diode laser)?
You definitely need to apply the borax first, since it is what causes a reaction with the laser. Power is trickier since there is no clear setting that works. All I can tell you is to really cut the power back (about a third of what you would expect) and experiment from there on a few pieces of scrap material.
Thank you for this tip. Normally I laser out of focus to darken the color. Do you do this “In Focus”?
Yes I do! borax makes the surface very sensitive. in fact you will probably need to reduce the power by 30-50% or it surface will be charred
Thank you so much! You are a legend
Lol I think you over-estimate me 😁
Wow! Nice tip.
Glad you liked it!
Borax works great on killing ant too! I will have to try this next time I engrave.
It's my go-to ant killer too. 😀
You are awesome 👏 thanks for sharing 💕
Happy to help
I tried the same thing using dishwasher detergent and it worked just as good. Thanks for sharing this great tip!
I’ve been looking for alternatives so I’ll try this. Soap would be a bit hard to clean off the material though.
@@SteveMakesEverything Oh, I mean automatic dishwasher detergent. It looks a lot like borax so I thought it figured it would work about the same.
@@NathanBuildsRobots Well that makes a whole lot more sense. 😀
What camera are you using inside your machine to record your laser jobs? I feel like you’ve said before in one of your videos but I can’t remember which one it was (I’ve watched too many! Haha) thank you for the great videos!
Most times I I use my Logitech C920
Great knowledge
So nice of you
Awesome! Any added strong smell with the Borax? Thanks
Nope! No smell at all
Hey Steve, great video. Is the Borax treated engraving have the char wiped off of it? Or is that with the char on?
The one in this video is right off the laser. I wouldn’t wipe this off at all, but rather just spray a bit of clear coat on it to protect the surface
I am used to using baking soda, when I learned about borax in a different video, I really wanted to try it. Images were turning out pure black, dots were melting in to each other so there was no more grayscale effect. So I doubled the speed and halfed the power, no change. I increased the speed even more, lowered power and the borax kept charring the wood no matter what except some of the wood wouldn't get touched so it would be like an incomplete yet black image. Very weird stuff, I really prefer the baking soda, it gives something in the middle and I get the grayscale effect. I've only tested these on basswood, that may be why. Ortur master 2 20W so it's not a powerful laser. I don't think this video really demonstrates a photo style engraving though, more like a vector so there's not much grayscale. So it seems excellent for that type of engraving. I may just need to practice more with it.
I’m not sure how a diode laser works o this but I’m going to find out soon
Thanks for the baking soda tip, since borax isn't available in my country.
wow, impressive. Thank you.
Happy to help
Borax (products made from chemicals in the Borate Group) are no longer sold in the EU and UK as they have been classified as "toxic" (classified as a Reprotoxic Category 2).
It is obtainable, from specialist chemical companies, but not to private individuals. Companies who use these compounds need to prove that they have appropriate safety systems to handle, use, and dispose of it.
One could try this with Bicarbonate of Soda (baking power might do) - give it a go Steve and see if it performs the same.
yes I’ve tried baking soda in the past and it helps improve engraving but doesn’t have quite the same impact. it’s too bad the regulations are so tight in the EU, especially since it’s a material that occurs in nature
Sorry, you are wrong. I live in the Netherlands and can buy Borax without restrictions.
Will this work with diode lasers? I am going to try it but wondering if it has been tried already. Thanks for
The great video and tip
I think a few people have had success doing this with diode lasers
Hi, thanks for the tip. Is it working for poliuretane leather as well? Thanks and Happy New Year!
It should, though I haven't tried it. I don't work with leather too often. Maybe there is justification to do a follow-up video on different materials.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you so much for your quick reply!
Just tried it wow amazing
Glad you liked it
wow amazing !!
Glad you like it!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Appreciated
Awesome!
Glad you think so!
You probably already answered this question but what type of wood did you use in this video?
Thanks for making this video. Greatly appreciated..
It’s just laser grade Baltic birch
That's an amazing technique, I just bought a laser engraver and want to do dome engravings on cutting boards, is this solution food safe?
Technically Borax won't kill you but I doubt it's very healthy regardless. What I do on cutting boards is engrave and then fill them with resin. It takes longer but it's durable.
Excellent!!! Thank you!! Does it only work on wood?
Porous wood only
I have been thinking about getting a laser for my custom soap cutters I make and I ran across your video. Great idea and I won't forget this tip. I like the realness of your video so I would like to ask you if their are any lasers between the $300 and $800 mark that impress you. I dont have a clue as to what to look for. I've even seen one that adjusts for height by itself and has a camera on top but how would I know if things like this are good or not in making fine detail.
So I am clueless as to whether or not the options are good to have or not?
Yes there are lots of lasers in the under $1200 range, though they are all diode lasers. There tend to be lower power and generally better for engraving than cutting but they are a good buy if you are just starting out.
Since so many people on the channel ask about this market segment I've been negotiating with a few companies to send/lend me one so I can do some reviews yo better cover that price range (Manufacturers, If you are out there, send me email because I'd love to cover your products!)
@@SteveMakesEverything
I have my laser installed on my cnc machine finally. I came beck here again cause I'm still gonna try this for my 3rd project.
Just asked my wife to get some borax.
@@iwannaapple7190 You can easily try this on a couple of test projects to see how you like it and to get your settings correct. You really have to cut back on the power otherwise you end up with something that is engraved too deeply and is quite fragile.
Happy Holidays, Great tip. Will this process work on slate, granite or sandstone also. TIA
Good question. I'll have to try this when I have time
Nice work...is there any special Borax that you have to use...or just any Borax power detergent power?
Just the typical Borax used to whiten laundry
so was that added straight to the wood or was there any protective coating.I like your Videos.
No coating, just paint it on lightly and let it dry.
@@SteveMakesEverything ok thank you im going to try that because ive been having people ask me about portraits on wood.
Thank youfor sharing this knowledge. Does this technique work on other materials besides wood? What about non-porous materials (plastic, metal, etc.)?
And for what it's worth, you got a new subscriber. I do not yet own a laser (I only do 3D printing right now), but I am pretty sure I will get one some day.
I haven't tried honestly. I was going to try on metal to see if it did anything but no time. For metal it would be a challenge because water will bead do you would need to have a different carrier (oil??)
Nice! It's a slippery slope. I started with a 3D printer, built my own, moved to CNC, then to Lasers and now building my own laser too :-)
@@SteveMakesEverything I have heard of people using paint on metal, then doing the engraving, and then removing the paint. But I found myself wondering if the effect of lasering Borax on wood was some sort of chemical action that was making the wood dark. Perhaps this technique would work on leather, but maybe the laser alone is good enough for leather.
@@wfpelletier4348 You definitely shouldn't need Borax (if it worked) for leather. It usually engraves pretty dark as it is.
Great tip, just discovered your channel!
Does this treatment have any affect on the wood long term? Discoloration or can it cause any allergies?
Assuming you use a low concentration to start, there will be minimal yellowing of the wood after the initial engraving.
@@SteveMakesEverything Cool! Thanks for the response!
@justin banks It can cause skin irritation so I would use gloves and be careful to get it on your skin.
@@osterlundm11 While I don't try to spread any chemical on my skin, this is a very low concentration so irritation is unlikely, but gloves would never go astray for this. I use a spray bottle for this and then a foam brush to even it out and touching it unlikely.
cool. Thanks!
You bet!
Amazing hack 😍
I hope it helps
Thank you for this! How long does it need to dry before engraving? Does this make the product not food safe? Can it be lightly sanded after engraving?
You can use a heat gun to dry it if you’re in a rush. I wouldn’t use this in area where there is food. Any toxicity aside, the surface will be fragile unless you pour some clear resin over it. Sanding isn’t recommended after engraving, but you can sand before and then mask the surface before engraving.
@@SteveMakesEverything awesome thank you for the reply can’t wait to go try this out
What do you do with raised grain from wetting the wood , will a light sanding afterwards effect the image , or does it remain dark after sanding , thanks for the tip , can’t wait to try it
This is a good question and honestly I haven't considered it. I suspect if you lightly sand before engraving then you'll be fine. Sanding afterward would result in disappointment
@@SteveMakesEverything , from my experience as a long time woodworker grain will only raise once after a fresh cut , my suggestion would be to wet the wood , let it dry and then a light sanding smooth , then wet it with the Borax and laser it. That should address the issue.
@@bradouellette6558 Good advice, thanks
Can you use this technique on regular engraving to make it darker but not have as much burn/. Also, can you use this technique on any material? Thanks for the video
This only works on more porous woods. You can get darker engraves without much burn, but you really need to drop the power or increase the speed to achieve this.
may i ask if you used the same laser setting (power,speed and DPI) for both picture? many thx
Certainly you can ask. So with the Borax I actually had to dial down the power by about 50% otherwise the material would just be charred into oblivion. Speed is the same for both
Very interesting.
Keep in mind that the tax you will pay is the need for a couple good coats of Clearcoat to protect the engraving
Wow nice!
Thanks for the visit
Thank you
You're welcome
Does this work on metal too? I say that because you mentioned parts at the beginning thanks
No. You're out of luck using Borax on metal. You would need to use something like Cermark for that. It's expensive but it works well.
Steve great video. My results, with a diode 5W laser were very similar to yours...that is until I ran my fingers across the borax one. The dark design basically rubbed off on my fingers and all over the wood. After cleaning it up, there was no difference in the two designs. Needless to say it was very frustrating. Have you ever had this problem?
This is the tax you pay. The first solution is to greatly reduce the power when you're engraving (or increase the speed). The reaction with Borax is so fast that the endency is to cook the surface. The other way to solve this is to spray wih a couple good coats of clearcoat, or alrenately you can fill the engraving with some clear resin.
What type clear coat do you recommend to seal in the black color?
@@okra23 I just usually spray some Rust-Oleum Painters Touch, and I typically use flat if I still want the surface to look like wood when I'm finished. You can get it at most hardware stores
That's an amazing practice. 20% power would make the diode last forever!
Interesting. I hadn’t considered trying this with a diode laser
Wow - so cool! One question: do you know if the smoke from Borax would be toxic?
As an organic compound Borax (B4H20Na2O17) is pretty tame. It is mostly hydrogen and oxygen and if you did inhale or consume it, it will break down quickly in your system with minor irritation. I believe the only reason it is banned in some areas is because it is toxic to insects (typically ants).
Hi Steve, this is awesome. I made an engraving and it turned out very well, but when I passed a brush over it to remove the excess dust, everything was stained. Am I the only one this happens to? Or do I have to do some more step after engraving?
Try reducing your power a bit to reduce to amount of charring. This will also reduce the excess dust. Then if you need to clean it use light air blowing to move thing. Finally, assume that is will need a good coat of clearcoat. Borax cutting, especially with lots of power, really messes with the structure of the wood and leaves lots of voids. Clearcoat will fill these and protect the engraving
I am assuming it does not cause the wood to discolor or otherwise become less attractive over time. This would be really great for diode lasers that have low power and good speed.
I haven't seen any change over time that wouldn't be there naturally for unfinished wood regardless.
When I am using baking soda or borax it's really smearing a lot when I am trying to clean it afterwards. What do you do about that? Even with very low concentration of baking soda/borax it smears a lot after the engraving. I am thinking of using clear coat. Did you have any issues with soot/ash? Thanks for the great video
Yes you need to be very careful with these. You can reduce the laser power a lot and still get a dark engraving. You can't really scrub this, so your engraving settings need to be pretty close to perfect so you don't end up with soot to clean.
Once you remove the project from your laser you will need to give it a couple good coats of clearcoat spray to protect the engraving. I use flat finish spray so it still looks like natural wood.
Does this work on prefinished plaques or only raw wood? Also how durable is the image for an item such as a cutting board?
If the surface is pre-finished you are likely to run into problems because there won't be any way for the solution to get absorbed.
how amazing Steve , does it work with glass ?
Not on glass. A CO2 laser will engrave glass anyway. A diode laser would require some sort of treatment (like paint) to engrave glass.
Does the borax engrave deeper, shallower, and will it last as long as a normal engrave?
Well you do need to reduce the power a bit (or increase the speed) with Borax otherwise you'll get a lot more charring. If you leave the setting as you would for a normal engrave it will probably look less appealing.
Thank you sir
Happy to help
nice tip. need to try it. can you share the link to the "borax" product. need to find out the chemicals composition so that i can find an equivalent in europe. Thanks
In a previous comment I post a link to Wikipedia for Borax, but it's easy enough to Google for it. It's available in most stores that sell any kind of laundry detergents. You can also use baking soda with the same process but it isn't quite as effective.
It looks as if when you were brushing the Borax on the maple that it changed the color of the wood. It looks like on the video it made it yellowish color. Is this right or is it just a camera illusion?
There is very minor color change with Borax. If you use baking soda instead you will see a lot more yellowing.
Thanks for the tip. What software are you using that allows you to drag and drop pictures and set different settings on each?
All the drag and drop in this video is handle by Retina Engrave 3, which is the software that controls the Muse 3D laser.
Oh I see. I made my own laser engraver at home. I use laser grbl for generating gcode. I wonder if Retina Engrave 3 can be used instead…🙋
@@paladin2579 Well unfortunately you'd need a laser build by FSL to use Retina Engrave 3. It's their dedicated software.
@@SteveMakesEverything I see, Thank you
Thanks Steve for this Tips , but what should i do if i don't have Borax in my location ? is there any alternative solution ?
Try Baking Soda
The solution coloured the wood as well. Would rinsing it remove that?
The easiest way to fix this is to reduce the concentration. It really requires little to get darkened engraving.
I think once done with Engraving. If we have to clean the surface with light damp cloth or polish with oil/lacquer, burnt borax will be all over the place spoiling the picture with blackness ? Has it happened to you?
It's easier if the surface of the material is ready for finishing before you do the engrave and then after you can just spray it with clear coat (avoiding contact with the engraving of course).
Have you used this method on acacia cutting boards by any chance?
I have not. This will work best on lighter soft woods, but I'd say give it a try. I theory the borax is reacting to the laser and that should work regardless
Hey Steve, thank you for this amazing video.
Is there any alternative way to get the pictures this dark?
It's impossible for me to get borax, because here in Germany it's forbidden to sell it to private persons :(
Indeed, you can try backing soda in solution. It won't be quite as dark but it will definitely be darker than nothing. Fair warning though, baking soda will change the color of the wood. I find this unpleasant, which is why Borax is my choice if it's available.
it is ,it is cleaner for welding with torch , go to obi or similar shop and ask someone in welding section for it ,maybe it have different brand name but it is same thing
@@MrCcfly Thanks for the helpful tip
Cool! Would this improve the laser's ability to cut through the wood?
No, not really. This is almost specifically an engraving enhancement.
Borax made it impossible to cut through wood (same i easily cut without borax coating) with my small 7W diode laser 😞
@@okin8949 that is very interesting.
I'm guessing what happens here is the borax crystals precipitate inside of the wood and act like little roadblocks, soaking up all the energy from the laser beam, getting super heated, and smoldering their way in to the wood at a microscopic scale.
Im new to this, whats the difference between this method or just doing more power ?
I like these questions. You can certainly amp up the power, but you'll end up charring he surface or burning through your material before you get to the same level of darkness. With an application of Borax (or even Baking Soda) you can use far less power than you normally would, so you won't have to deal with the smoke residue and will still get darker engraving. Give it a try and you will see the difference.