I've been working on Powdercoating with my xTool D1 for a couple of months now. I found the best way to defeat the fan blowing all of the powdercoat away is to put a piece of clear glass between the laser and the material (I use a glass from an old frame) raised up at least a millimeter from the material (or you'll be painting the glass!). This trick lets me work with the lighter colors (white, silver, yellow, gold) that I had no end of trouble with before putting in the glass. I've also been able to do 45 degree cross-hatch and offset fills with some success, but with the offset fills, too tight an interval creates issues. Another thing I've done, when I etch and pocket fill tile, is to run one more quick pass over everything with a clear gloss powdercoat overtop of the powdercoating I've already done. Then I bake the tile afterwards for 10 minutes at 400 (I have a toaster oven for this purpose) and the resulting product has an amazing glossy shine to it. After seeing your layered compass, I can see I've still got to up my game! Nicely done, Rich!
Hi Brian, so just to make sure I understand correctly - you first etch the tile, then apply your powder, then put over the glass raised 1mm and then run the laser again ?
Tried this evening with some red powder coat from Prismatic Powders. I used the glass trick, but wasn't able to achieve good results. Everything from burned powder coat in engraved sections to unengraved sections where the powder coat adhered, but the coverage was poor after brushing it off. Any hints here, Brian ? Also, speeds and feeds for diode laser (20w in my case, but I think just getting in the ballpark would be good). I was everywhere from 1200mm/s @ 10% which would usually end up in burning to 6000mm/s at 10% which wasn't really doing much. I didn't go up into the higher % power ranges because I was getting burning at 10%. Also, when filling, how about lines per inch ?
Rich, you are an absolute blessing. I just found your multiple cut and engrave libraries. Please keep it up. I would be completely lost without your help.
I’m glad you are still experimenting with this. I found that if the powder coat paint isn’t stored in a cool environment and gets too warm, it wont stick as well when applying it. It gets a little gummy and doesn’t stay in the engraved area as well. Because of that I now store my powder coat paints in the refrigerator. I have used this powder coat method on bamboo and wood and have been successful with blue, red and yellow. I wish I could attach a photo to show how much color I was able to get. I have a diode laser but my power when burning with the powder coat paint was much lower. I found when using a higher power I was burning the paint instead of melting the paint.
Interesting that you say the powder clumps at warmer temperatures. I powdercoat large objects in the traditional way using an oven. I live in Queensland Australia and it gets well above 100 deg F in the workshop a lot of the time, never had any issues with powder clumping though. Powdercoat does have a shelf life of around 3 months but in practice, it's much longer.
Hey mate, little tip for brighter colours. After the first burn grab a vacuum with a stiff brush, vacuum out the charcoal which leaves the indentation the same colour as the wood (taking away the black). You can use a damp cloth also or run under water and use a paint brush. Lay the powder and burn. Because the black is now missing the colours will pop significantly 👍🏻😉 Great video 🥰
Hi Rich, I'm a photographer who is in love with lasers, I'm a total newbie to all this, in fact thanks to your videos is why I've got my Genmitsu LC40 and I love it. Well regarding about binders to hold the powder paints on place to avoid staining the wood and avoiding any harmful fumes, you can try a very simple material that I use in analog photography when I need to create something to hold pigments for my alternative photographic techniques, that is egg white. You can have some egg whites on a little bowl and with a foam brush just brush the surface with a thin layer and let it dry, then apply another layer on top with a little bit more of a generous amount of egg but not brushing too hard to lift the previous layer and immediately sprinkle the powder over the egg while still wet, let it dry and then let the machine blow the excess. My explanation for the first thin layer is to seal the wood or the surface to create a primer for the second layer to hold to, and then the second layer creates a kind of emulsion type of layer just like the photographic silver emulsions are on top of film. For the second layer you'll have to play with the amount of egg white and pigments you desire, please whisk the eggs first to break the surface tension and help it to spread more easily, then you can wipe off the layer with a wet cloth or rubbing alcohol, it may work, give it a try and please let me know if it works, I really want to know. Note: You may use the whole egg, just whisk it very well and then strain it to get rid of any clumps and foam, you want a very homogeneous liquid, also you can mix the colors in and make a sticky mix and apply it to avoid the clumps it may form when sprinkling the powder, please note the very first layer "the sealant layer" is after the first engraving, or you can brush it first for a deep black also like the mica for intense dark results, I guess eggs will burn black without harmful fumes. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with all of us. Nuurs
very nicely done, we've been fusing with diodes and Co2 lasers with powder coat for a while now with Acrylic here in the UK and Spain where I am and it works really well, you just need to practice to get the settings dialled in, after that a piece of cake, just watch your lungs with that dust..... Its easy with the c02 just a pain with a diode fan , I use a small piece of plastic and vent the air in a different way when I do powder colouring. Magnets area great idea for those of us who are lucky to have steel bed......although Lightburn's camera function can get you back to perfect alignment just as well. great video and very useful of you to share. thank you. My friend in the UK has no problem getting powder coat by the bucket load in the UK like 10 gbp for 10 kilos of about 15 colours, here in Spain bugger all....I have to import it.
I’m very excited to see results of further tests with mica powders and a diode laser! 🙏🙏🙏 I use mica in my epoxy projects and absolutely love the look. Thanks for, as always, a really great video!
Hi RIch...I thought I would share unused powder reclamation method. (nice title ay?) I use a cookie cooling bakers rack to hold my items when cutting. When I use powder coating powder, I put my item for engraving on that rack. I place some thing under the item to collect unused powder ( I use a 8x10 inch piece of yellow manila filing folder). When I am done applying the powder, I just scrape it off and let it fall through the cookie rack onto my collection paper underneath and just collect it when I am done. I will just leave it there until I am completely done and when I can just remove the cookie rack. If there is any cutting involved, I just slide the collection paper out from under the rack and recycle the the powder right then. This way, I never have to remove the item from the laser until I am completely done... Cheers and happy lasering
You are amazing! I figured out how to work my laser engraver and my lightburn software by watching your videos! Thank you so very much!!! And your work is amazing 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I have an ortur laser master 3. With lightburn. I have a vinyl business where I make designs, logos, tshirts, hats, stickers, signs, etc. My software for those is very similar to lightburn. But of course different settings for cutting and embroidery, not for power. I've been doing that for going on 7 years now. I just wanted to add a little extra to what I already do. And the engraving and cutting takes it to whole new level. I have watched hours of your videos. And to set up lighturn with my ortur, you have helped me more than any vlog or website! You definitely don't get enough credit for what you do! You are an amazing person, very creative and innovative!! From the Bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I can't wait to see what all I can create. Oh I just engraved a ring holder for my goddaughter and her new husband. It was on a piece of wood that looked like a chopped log. We engraved their name "Paris" with an 🗼 as A...P🗼RIS...like that. Their names, and 2 rings 💍 intertwined. And 2 slots that holds their rings. It was pretty amazing and definitely a show stopper! I am putting some hangars on the back so they can hang it up. Hopefully anyone who reads this, this will give them inspiration!! My slogan for my business (Myers By Design) is "Inspire, design and create" Have a blessed day!!!🙏🏻
Late for the party, but I would use transfer tape for light colors, burn it normally with the tape on then spray a light coat of poly from a can, don't take the tape off and burn fill as you would, transfer tape come off at the very end. Worked for me on a 10W laser, had to try something after watching you :), thank you so much for your time making this video.
Just saw your video on coloring laser. Place tape where powder coat is not needed. Add paint. lift tape off giving you clean area. Now tape hold area with no over lapping. Waiting for my pic to come in from Amazon will try it soon
Thank you for all your videos. I haven't had my laser (xtool d1) for long but your videos have made learning how to do so much with it easy and rewarding.
Join me on the Saturday night 9pm livestream on the Laser Makers Realm channel. We'll be going over more on this topic! www.youtube.com/@lasermakersrealm
Super Video. I spray paint my wood materials, then burn the text or image. The spray paint seals the wood around the cut. Then by rubbing Acrylic paints into the cut groove, rubbing off the excess that does not strain or mark the sealed wood around. Maybe a similar process would work for the wet down white powder. After your color run, seal the wood around, then cut the white with the white. Anyways, thanks for doing all the testing.
This is Hector. You try to mix silver mica whit other colors so that way the reflective effect off the silver help to preserve the color you want like playing whit the deflexion off power.
I have managed to get white to work for me. It was very time consuming but worth it. I ran my OLM3 10w at its highest speed of 20000mm/min and 20% power and without the shield on to prevent the fan from putting too much air on. I repeated putting the white thermoplastic (powder coating) between each run and just ran it and ran it until i was satisfied
Interesting results with light colored powder paint on diode laser. I had similar cutting difficulty with my diode laser when I tried cutting white on white cotton quilting fabric. The white pattern on the fabric is painted.onto the surface somehow by the manufacturer, but something in the properties of the paint caused the laser to skip over the fabric surface of the cutting edges. I got clean cut edges when cutting black fabric, but not with white. I think the light reflective properties of the white paint interfere with a diode laser similar to trying to cut clear acrylic.
I saw another UA-camr do this a few months back and thought it was cool!! I haven't tried it yet but I have loads of PC i can play with. Neat stuff Rich!
I haven't looked at more of your videos so you may have a solution and if so I'll come across it shortly. I'm waiting on a new diode laser unit and when it gets here I can get some photos of how this works. Both mica and powder coat will work. I've not tried Brian Trotter's suggestion of using the thin glass but I will and maybe that in combination with this process. So my process is almost identical to the paint fill method. Unfortunately you have more waste this way, so you have to decide if the results are worth the waste. 1. If your project is wood, or something absorbent, pre-stain with the exception of leather goods, they do not need it. You mask your material then do your etch. I almost always mask as I find I get much better results especially with diode lasers. 2. If you are using mica powder mix your chosen color with white mica. There is no exact ratio but you want a pastel version of your final color. I find putting it in a glass jar and using one of the cheap electric fingernail polish shakers gets a very good mix. Most of them are labeled 'vortex shaker' 3a. If you are working on wood, cardboard, cork board, or similar I mix the powder with Minwax Polycrylic Clear. Experiment with gloss, satin and mate as they all have different results. The consistency you want is about like drywall putty as it prevents bleeding. (go to step 4) 3b: For metals, plastics, leather and similar items, I substitute acrylic clear gel medium. It is very important that you get a medium, not a varnish not a clear and not a gesso. I have not seen any difference in output based on brand of medium, but I use Golden as I use it in other projects and it's one of the top of the line and thus expensive. Just check reviews and get the most affordable with decent reviews. 4. With a straight edge (putty knife, used gift card, popsicle stick, just as long as it's straight) spread your putty over the masked etching making sure it gets all the way into the etching. The excess can be stored in a sealed jar in a cool spot free from light/sun/uv for about a day. You may need to add a small bit of medium to get back to the right consistency. 5. Do your color etching at a slow speed. Roughly 20% less or 80% of your normal speed as you are now evaporating a liquid as well as melting an bonding a powder. Use a toothpick or something to make sure the color is solid and not soft. If it's not hard do another pass at 50% of the power you used the first pass. 6. Remove the mask, and apply your desired top coat. This process is known as "in-fill" and though this will work on etched glass I prefer a different method for glass with the exception of drink ware. The process is called "back-fill". You etch the back side of the glass with your image mirrored and you do not do any masking. The reason for that is that no matter what you do, nothing is going to bond to glass and with a mask you will have a slight raised edge to your back-fill that could get snagged and pulled out. For glass you definitely want a sharp edge putty knife. Once you have your engraving filled and most of your excess scrapped off lightly mist the surface with clear windex, not the blue stuff and not the vinegar. With the putty knife at an angle so that a cross stroke pushes across and down. Start from the top and go one direction, either left to right or right to left. Do not alternate and wipe the putty knife after every swipe. Now you can run your laser to solidify the back-fill. Technically you could let it dry and have the same results, but using the laser results in a much more durable back-fill. These processes also allow you to use low volume(10-15L/min) air-assist where you would not be able to with just powder. Cooling off the in-fill/back-fill is much like quenching steel and helps with durability.
One possible sollution für diode lasers would be some kind of shield under the laser, that would guide the airflow away from the engraving to the sides. A piece of acrylic or plywood with cutouts for the lens and screws, fit under the laser with enough space for airflow could be worth a try.
Just used ChatAI to clarify some of the basics of powder coating and the use with diode lasers. Seems that the laser for melting the powder coat and infilling eg letters on a surfac such as timber or plastics needs to have an adjustable airflow system and direction of the flow. "One way to minimize the impact of the air flow is to adjust the air pressure and direction. For example, you can reduce the air pressure to a level that is still sufficient to remove smoke and debris, but not so high that it blows the powder coating out of the area. You can also direct the air flow away from the heated area using a nozzle or other air flow control device. Another approach is to use a laser system with a different type of air assist or cooling system that is better suited for powder coating applications. For example, some laser systems use a compressed air flow that is directed through a small nozzle onto the material being heated, which can provide cooling and smoke removal without blowing away the powder coating. In any case, it's important to choose the right laser system and air assist setup for your specific powder coating application and to carefully test and adjust the parameters to achieve the desired results."
Thank you so much for your videos! I just added a laser machine to my craft making. I’ve wanted to try this for a long time. I have learned a lot from your videos! Glad to learn from a fellow NOLA neighbor. Just Ed move from New Orleans to Gretna. Looking forward to learning more from you!!!
I'm using a Sculpfun S9 with a laser wizard air assist. To combat said issue with the diode fan blowing around the powder coat. I cut 1/8" thick strips of acrylic to use as spacers, then place a clear piece of 1/8" glass over the work piece. There's enough air flow to allow the smoke from the powder coat to escape and it cures nicely at 10% power, 4000mm/min, 90 scan with overscan, single pass. I'm in the sculpfun group on Facebook. I have post in there about it with pics and a short video if you'd like to see
Great video! The layered compass looks very cool. I've seen people do layered burns before, but I wasn't intrigued until I saw the detail in your compass. New subscriber.
Hi, I am waiting on my laser to arrive at the end of May is the estimate (Atezer P20 plus and a 4-1 rotary) which I plan to use to cut stickers in vynal for electro-salt water etching. The sticker cutter I use is a Brother sx 1000 but it doesn't allow image file swapping and the software is slow and difficult to create fine cuts. I use transfer stickers of many types whether I need a high sticking or low sticking depending on the sticker I need to transfer after picking out. All this is very, very time consuming and because I have MS and coeliac disease my symptoms are increasing and abilities are progressively getting worse. My plan is to attach the vynal to the metal surface and then laser engrave to expose the metal and then salt water edge for a deep etch which I have been doing. Great on cutlery from the recycle center and then cut to all sorts of shapes and for all sorts of purposes. Great of any stainless steel and brass, aluminium, etc etc. Have done hundreds as gifts for friends and people who inspire others. Bottomline was to get a laser engraver and use it to create the sticker or paint mask for the salt water etch AND to have alternative art choices such as wood etching as time changes me and my disabilities. So my thought has been with the powder coating blowing around placing a transfer tape over the top just before the laser melt of powder coat (or any similar paint) only the finished final laser paint melt/engrave is exposed and none of the powder waiting to be lasered will be blown around?
Hey Rich. I think I have the solution to your powder paint blowing away using the diode laser. I've got my own channel set up, but haven't had the time lately to create any videos yet as I work full time. So I wanted to share with with you and your followers if they have a fan-cooled diode laser engraver so that NONE of your powder paint blows away. 1st step is to measure the bottom portion of your laser. In my case it's square, but then you also have to create a hole for the diode. Measure the diameter of the laser part that protrudes from the bottom of the laser. 2nd step is to create a cutout of the in Laserburn or whatever software you use to create your projects. In my case it was just a square with a hole in the middle. Next, you just need a very thin cardboard. I used part of a cereal box, but any thin cardboard will do. Cut your shape out using your laser. Once you have your shape cut, use some masking or painter's tape and tape it to the underside of your laser. Be sure not to have any tape across the area where your laser shoots down! Now, you'll have cooling fins along the side of your laser and you don't want them to be blocked, so just take an exacta knife and cut silts in the tape so that the you have gaps for the air to still circulate through the cooling block. And that's it! I don't take it off because my cooling fan still cools the laser just fine, it just doesn't push the air down the to piece that I'm engraving. Instead, it just pushes the air down and out the sides. I have a separate air pump/tube/nozzle system for 'air assist', BUT you don't want ANY air assist when trying to use powder paint! Hope this helps!
Hi I must say you have help me a lot with your videos. what version of LB are you running.because mine does not have the features you have on yours. Regards Brian
I've read through most of the abundant comments but didn't see any questions or comments on if this could be done in a multi-color process. Thinking that by utilizing the layers - one for blue, one for green etc. and turning them on and off accordingly - multi-colors could be done. I think it would be difficult and time consuming needing to make sure no blue color bled over to a green color and so forth, but would add another dimension to single color. Apologies if this was already asked but as I stated I read through many of them and didn't see anything along this line.
Hi, Just tried the powder coating trick. Had the same issue with silver. It just burned through and decreasing the power did not make it stick. Found a solution that works up to a point. On my 22w diode. I ran it at 10000 speed and 7% power. Then cpated again and rerun at 10000 at 15%. this seems to help
I know this video is older. I just came across it trying to find the settings people are using to engrave stainless in color. But I was wondering if the water method worked could you mask it engrave then use that method to not stain. Also I’ve tried mica before on a diode and it was quite the mess so I’m glad I’m not the only one that’s explored this. But I found that oil rub paint on ceramic will engrave in color as well and the excess wipes away clean. The unfortunate part… like firing mica you have to test the colors because the fired color isn’t the powder color. Kinda the nature of the beast with micas. But it does work. I got a nice pale blue engraving out of bronze oil run paint on a non glazed ceramic tile from Lowe’s when I was playing with my original 10w diode laser.
Hi Rich, I would also ask if you could bring the laser up out of focus to hit more dry paint at once but you might need to have it trace and adjust for the out of focus. Great content as always, looking for your next video. Thanks.
@The Louisiana Hobby Guy *April, 2022 Laser Giveaway!* ??? Yet, the *Giveaway Rules & Terms* states as follows: PROMOTION DESCRIPTION: This Laser Giveaway ('Raffle') for the Comgrow Z1 Laser Engraver begins on 02-01-2022 and ends on 02-28-2022 (the 'Promotion Period'). :
All 11401 Total Entries must be invalidated due them each agreeing to Rules & Terms which states, in error, a past date of FEB 2022 for the end of the promotion period. I declare myself the winner of the APRIL Comgrow, 20W Diode Laser, for presenting you with your blunder. :
What about putting a sheet of glass over the engraving to stop the fan blowing the powder away? but leave a couple of millimetres between the glass and the workpiece
Hey Rich There is another method for your reference Embossing powder (Tsukineko Emboss) can be used Just need a glue pen to paint the engraved seams Let the relief powder not be blown away by the wind Reheat the air gun to heat the relief powder This will make the whole layout more clean and beautiful
That's pretty cool. I like the slight bluish tinge on the unfinished wood. My first guess would have been to finish it with something like shellac, then burn through it and use it like a resist mask when painting it.
If you applied a clear finish to the wood before the first burn, that will help prevent the powder getting into the grain of the wood where there is no engraving.
Hi Rich, I’m new to diode but have been using fiber for around 3 years, was watching this video & you spoke about the diode fan blowing the powdered paint away, may I suggest filling the grooves as normal & then applying a light coat of hairspray? Might help…
Hi Rich, thank you so much for your reply, having a fiber background i battle with the “no base” on my diode so I have created a base and grid prototype which works for me, maybe it helps someone else as well, I don’t know how to add photo or video though…
No, I did publish one last year and got too many negative comments, so I took it down. I will be doing another one with a different theme soon though, with both slate and granite.
hey rich just an idea about the diode laser fan blowing the paint away from your project maybe use some masking tape on the front and 2 sides of your laser head formed into an kind of L shape and put halfway down the laser might help a bit. i havant tried it myself yet but have ordered some paint to ty thx grt vid
This is something I'd like to try...er?...When I've got some expertise in lasering in general...Still have to assemble my machine.... Oh... And your T shirt is really cool.
Hey Rich, yet another option here would be to use a dedicated laser module. Since you dont need huge power, perhaps consider one of the 15W ortur lasers - with the adjustable lens. Now install a long focus G8 lens on the laser. This will allow you to raise the laser up and maybe that would make enough difference on air flow. But I see also your idea to reverse the fan, that could likely work well also, since you are using a very low power setting the laser wont get as hot either.
Would use of a heat press to initially heat and secure the powder cost before running it through the diode laser. Any powder coat, over with paper and heat press or, instead cover with paper transfer tape and then laser without heat press. Just a thought.
Really enjoy your vids. I just wondered, how did you manage to put the first product with the blue color exactly in the same place in the co2 for the second burn? Was it the magnets, and do you trust they wont move? 🙂
Hey buddy just a suggestion shellac is really good at sealing Great vid BTW can't wait to give it a shot. I've just got the Comgrow Z1 and so much to learn. I'm gonna get there😊
I am not very good at 3D design, and I know that you are looking for a mod free process, but I was thinking of a slip on 3D printed cap with air channels to redirect the airflow back up, away from the work surface.
Have you tried any gold or silver with this method. I also would recommend applying the sand and seal first to the wood panel. Love the color on your compass also the detail
Air blowing away powder ideas: Change the cooling on the laser to remote water cooled? Modify the laser housing so the cooling air is shunted horizontally before it gets to the lens area. (I'm thinking some 3d printed parts to guide the air away... Maybe even a part that goes around the lens that moves the air out to the side.) A lens with a higher focal point?
All good ideas, and I can just flip over the cooling fan; that works. But I am still looking for a method that takes no modifications at all for the end user.
How about applying the powered paint with a small "Salt shaker" or similar applicator ? You could even color different areas with different colors. You may need to mask adjacent areas with loose pieces of paper. Once the areas are all covered, you might be able to "set" them all in one pass. Just a thought. I haven't tried it yet. I just got an LM3 for my shop. Can't wait to fire it up. But, the Wife says I've got to get the Hall bath remodel done first. And after 50 odd years, she is the boss of me. Or at least that's what she told me...kunk
Awesome video as usual, Rich. I too have been playing around with powder coating powder. I have an xTool D1 and designed and printed a cover with side vents that installs over the business end of the laser that redirects the cooling fan air out to the sides. It also has the 20 mm opening for the air assist ( which of course will be turned off while using the powder) and a clear window for the cross hairs to still be utilized.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I've also got the xTool. I've been able to burn the white no problem (with glass). Keep the laser fast and weak for the lighter colors, though, or you'll get gray or black instead of white.
Hey Rich I had a thought on your diode laser testing. I know that on my laser (S9) there is a distance between the laser head and the work that it normally covered by the plastic safety ring, I know that there are a number of different versions of a 3D print file for eliminating that shield and adding air assist to the setup. My thought was that maybe instead of an air assist adapter you could fashion an air deflector. Basically the air is blown down past the head and exits at the bottom once it's done it's job of cooling. Maybe instead of allowing the air to continue straight down it could be deflected outwards or even upwards at an angle with a 3D printed adapter that still had a hole of the beam to pass through but redirected the majority of the cooling air away from the project when doing powder. Might be something worth trying.
Yeah, I have thought of that, as well as adding a clear piece of glass inside and drilling holes on sides of the module, but I'm trying to find a way to do this so the average user can do it.
A thought just occurred to me that you might try. Put your powder down and then cover with onion skin paper before your second burn. That should address the air assist issue but I don’t know the effects it would have on the burn.
Great video Rich, thanks for all the time & material you put into this that allows us to get results faster. The projects look great. I'm going to give this a go, I have mica colors that I used to tint epoxy. Bought those magnets last month, the only trick is be careful with them so you don't lose a finger! :)
Fantastic! For the diode light colors, how about doing a deep burn, like a second pass at 90 degrees, on the areas that you want the light colors? Then you would have more powder in those area. Maybe you would have more powder to melt. Just an idea.
good work but i saw some videos for ppl putting a tap before engraving and then they put any color .. after that they just remove the tape.. what do you think? you are the pro
That's masking and then painting. It works well, but there are bleeds unless you use the green tape or laser masking tape. This is slightly different and gives a completely different look. You can see me do this live here: ua-cam.com/video/GPtq19ZQ6eg/v-deo.html
Thanks for the video! I haven't used my engraver for awhile and was reviewing techniques and found this one. So many great makers sharing. A quick idea on the diode laser fan problem that might help. Can the fan be flipped to pull air up? It won't be as effective but should still cool the diode and help with the powder.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy We generally use a product called Rub n buff onto glass that works a treat, but never tried powder coat. We will give it a go. Thank you for doing your videos they give us inspiration to try other techniques.
For the diode, what about a piece of borosilicate glass on top to act as a shield against the fan. Shouldn’t defuse the beam, and if it’s a little above the piece I wonder how well it would work for those finer powders…
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy flipping the fan on top is not a good idea. The suction is not as strong as the blowing with all the consequences that implies. And it would suck the smoke into the laser head as well.
I have seen this process with other and thought yes I want to try that, I did buy some powder coat paint. "chameleon colour" but I am guessing thats a little way off before I try it, got to get laser up an running agin 1st. Anyway I love the compass, its fantastic, I hop to make something like that one day, I still havent mastered the cutting process. but I will keep trying
Really like your video. I am new at this and getting speed and power is confusing for me. I have a 7 watt j tech laser most mounted on an xcarve. What speed and power for mica and the powder coat to state with?
on the air from the diode laser blowing the paint away...can an air deflector be incorporated onto the the bottom of the laser to deflect the air away from the project wile still allowing cooling to take place..?
Yes, and that's the next step, printing a new shield that diverts the air back upward. But it won't work on many lasers where the aluminum heatsink goes all the way to the bottom.
I've been working on Powdercoating with my xTool D1 for a couple of months now. I found the best way to defeat the fan blowing all of the powdercoat away is to put a piece of clear glass between the laser and the material (I use a glass from an old frame) raised up at least a millimeter from the material (or you'll be painting the glass!). This trick lets me work with the lighter colors (white, silver, yellow, gold) that I had no end of trouble with before putting in the glass. I've also been able to do 45 degree cross-hatch and offset fills with some success, but with the offset fills, too tight an interval creates issues.
Another thing I've done, when I etch and pocket fill tile, is to run one more quick pass over everything with a clear gloss powdercoat overtop of the powdercoating I've already done. Then I bake the tile afterwards for 10 minutes at 400 (I have a toaster oven for this purpose) and the resulting product has an amazing glossy shine to it.
After seeing your layered compass, I can see I've still got to up my game! Nicely done, Rich!
Thanks for those tips Brian! Still a work in progress! 👍
Hi Brian, so just to make sure I understand correctly - you first etch the tile, then apply your powder, then put over the glass raised 1mm and then run the laser again ?
@@gertkruger371 that's what I got from it bro 👍🏼
Tried this evening with some red powder coat from Prismatic Powders. I used the glass trick, but wasn't able to achieve good results. Everything from burned powder coat in engraved sections to unengraved sections where the powder coat adhered, but the coverage was poor after brushing it off. Any hints here, Brian ? Also, speeds and feeds for diode laser (20w in my case, but I think just getting in the ballpark would be good). I was everywhere from 1200mm/s @ 10% which would usually end up in burning to 6000mm/s at 10% which wasn't really doing much. I didn't go up into the higher % power ranges because I was getting burning at 10%. Also, when filling, how about lines per inch ?
@@markwithak2024 Are those speeds correct?? Was per second or per minute??
Rich, you are an absolute blessing. I just found your multiple cut and engrave libraries. Please keep it up. I would be completely lost without your help.
Wow, thank you! I love my hobby, so there's plenty more to come!
I’m glad you are still experimenting with this. I found that if the powder coat paint isn’t stored in a cool environment and gets too warm, it wont stick as well when applying it. It gets a little gummy and doesn’t stay in the engraved area as well. Because of that I now store my powder coat paints in the refrigerator. I have used this powder coat method on bamboo and wood and have been successful with blue, red and yellow. I wish I could attach a photo to show how much color I was able to get. I have a diode laser but my power when burning with the powder coat paint was much lower. I found when using a higher power I was burning the paint instead of melting the paint.
Oh... thank you Sharon! Maybe if I put the light colors out in the humidity it'll solve my problem! Brilliant! 👍
Interesting that you say the powder clumps at warmer temperatures. I powdercoat large objects in the traditional way using an oven. I live in Queensland Australia and it gets well above 100 deg F in the workshop a lot of the time, never had any issues with powder clumping though. Powdercoat does have a shelf life of around 3 months but in practice, it's much longer.
I just got my laser a week ago and have learned more from you than anyone else. I appreciate your videos. Keep up the great work.
Awesome! Thank you Michael!
Hey mate, little tip for brighter colours.
After the first burn grab a vacuum with a stiff brush, vacuum out the charcoal which leaves the indentation the same colour as the wood (taking away the black). You can use a damp cloth also or run under water and use a paint brush.
Lay the powder and burn.
Because the black is now missing the colours will pop significantly 👍🏻😉
Great video 🥰
Thanks! If you look closely, you'll see the towel I used to clean it after the burn. I always clean my burns with misted water.
Appreciate all you have done to get the color process going for us all
My pleasure William! Thanks for watching!
Hi Rich, I'm a photographer who is in love with lasers, I'm a total newbie to all this, in fact thanks to your videos is why I've got my Genmitsu LC40 and I love it.
Well regarding about binders to hold the powder paints on place to avoid staining the wood and avoiding any harmful fumes, you can try a very simple material that I use in analog photography when I need to create something to hold pigments for my alternative photographic techniques, that is egg white.
You can have some egg whites on a little bowl and with a foam brush just brush the surface with a thin layer and let it dry, then apply another layer on top with a little bit more of a generous amount of egg but not brushing too hard to lift the previous layer and immediately sprinkle the powder over the egg while still wet, let it dry and then let the machine blow the excess.
My explanation for the first thin layer is to seal the wood or the surface to create a primer for the second layer to hold to, and then the second layer creates a kind of emulsion type of layer just like the photographic silver emulsions are on top of film.
For the second layer you'll have to play with the amount of egg white and pigments you desire, please whisk the eggs first to break the surface tension and help it to spread more easily, then you can wipe off the layer with a wet cloth or rubbing alcohol, it may work, give it a try and please let me know if it works, I really want to know.
Note: You may use the whole egg, just whisk it very well and then strain it to get rid of any clumps and foam, you want a very homogeneous liquid, also you can mix the colors in and make a sticky mix and apply it to avoid the clumps it may form when sprinkling the powder, please note the very first layer "the sealant layer" is after the first engraving, or you can brush it first for a deep black also like the mica for intense dark results, I guess eggs will burn black without harmful fumes.
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with all of us.
Nuurs
Interesting... I found just covering it with clear picture frame glass did the trick!
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy That is a very clever approach! Awesome!!!
very nicely done, we've been fusing with diodes and Co2 lasers with powder coat for a while now with Acrylic here in the UK and Spain where I am and it works really well, you just need to practice to get the settings dialled in, after that a piece of cake, just watch your lungs with that dust..... Its easy with the c02 just a pain with a diode fan , I use a small piece of plastic and vent the air in a different way when I do powder colouring.
Magnets area great idea for those of us who are lucky to have steel bed......although Lightburn's camera function can get you back to perfect alignment just as well. great video and very useful of you to share. thank you.
My friend in the UK has no problem getting powder coat by the bucket load in the UK like 10 gbp for 10 kilos of about 15 colours, here in Spain bugger all....I have to import it.
Ventilation is always very important!
I’m very excited to see results of further tests with mica powders and a diode laser! 🙏🙏🙏 I use mica in my epoxy projects and absolutely love the look. Thanks for, as always, a really great video!
I don't really use mica powder Darrell. Powder coat comes out much better.
YOU JUST HAD MY BRAIN ON 🤯 with being able to engrave ANYTHING IN COLOR. This is gonna make my craftsmanship business take off. This video is great
Awesome! That's why I do this!
Hi RIch...I thought I would share unused powder reclamation method. (nice title ay?) I use a cookie cooling bakers rack to hold my items when cutting. When I use powder coating powder, I put my item for engraving on that rack. I place some thing under the item to collect unused powder ( I use a 8x10 inch piece of yellow manila filing folder). When I am done applying the powder, I just scrape it off and let it fall through the cookie rack onto my collection paper underneath and just collect it when I am done. I will just leave it there until I am completely done and when I can just remove the cookie rack. If there is any cutting involved, I just slide the collection paper out from under the rack and recycle the the powder right then. This way, I never have to remove the item from the laser until I am completely done... Cheers and happy lasering
Awesome idea Pierre! Thanks for sharing! 👍
You are amazing! I figured out how to work my laser engraver and my lightburn software by watching your videos! Thank you so very much!!! And your work is amazing 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I have an ortur laser master 3. With lightburn. I have a vinyl business where I make designs, logos, tshirts, hats, stickers, signs, etc. My software for those is very similar to lightburn. But of course different settings for cutting and embroidery, not for power. I've been doing that for going on 7 years now. I just wanted to add a little extra to what I already do. And the engraving and cutting takes it to whole new level. I have watched hours of your videos. And to set up lighturn with my ortur, you have helped me more than any vlog or website! You definitely don't get enough credit for what you do! You are an amazing person, very creative and innovative!! From the Bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I can't wait to see what all I can create. Oh I just engraved a ring holder for my goddaughter and her new husband. It was on a piece of wood that looked like a chopped log. We engraved their name "Paris" with an 🗼 as A...P🗼RIS...like that. Their names, and 2 rings 💍 intertwined. And 2 slots that holds their rings. It was pretty amazing and definitely a show stopper! I am putting some hangars on the back so they can hang it up. Hopefully anyone who reads this, this will give them inspiration!! My slogan for my business (Myers By Design) is "Inspire, design and create"
Have a blessed day!!!🙏🏻
Love the P🗼ris idea! Very ingenious! My motto is, inspire, create, learn, teach. It's at the top of every page on my forum.
Late for the party, but I would use transfer tape for light colors, burn it normally with the tape on then spray a light coat of poly from a can, don't take the tape off and burn fill as you would, transfer tape come off at the very end. Worked for me on a 10W laser, had to try something after watching you :), thank you so much for your time making this video.
Awesome! 👍 Thanks for watching!
Just saw your video on coloring laser.
Place tape where powder coat is not needed. Add paint. lift tape off giving you clean area. Now tape hold area with no over lapping. Waiting for my pic to come in from Amazon will try it soon
Using transfer tape doesn't change the process.
That’s sounds really cool, they figured out a paint inlay! Awesome!
I think so too!
Thank you for all your videos. I haven't had my laser (xtool d1) for long but your videos have made learning how to do so much with it easy and rewarding.
Great to hear it Jake!
Great job explaining the color engraving. I have a diode laser so I'll get something going in that direction.
Join me on the Saturday night 9pm livestream on the Laser Makers Realm channel. We'll be going over more on this topic! www.youtube.com/@lasermakersrealm
I'll be working on this one this weekend. No Powdercoat, but many different stains to apply. Thanks Rich !!!
Have fun with it James!
Super Video. I spray paint my wood materials, then burn the text or image. The spray paint seals the wood around the cut. Then by rubbing Acrylic paints into the cut groove, rubbing off the excess that does not strain or mark the sealed wood around. Maybe a similar process would work for the wet down white powder. After your color run, seal the wood around, then cut the white with the white. Anyways, thanks for doing all the testing.
I've used your technique before, works great. I switched to using laser transfer tape since and that works even better.
It is a peace of art!
This one truly is Vitor.
This is Hector. You try to mix silver mica whit other colors so that way the reflective effect off the silver help to preserve the color you want like playing whit the deflexion off power.
I haven't even gotten to mixing colors yet Hector!
I have managed to get white to work for me. It was very time consuming but worth it. I ran my OLM3 10w at its highest speed of 20000mm/min and 20% power and without the shield on to prevent the fan from putting too much air on. I repeated putting the white thermoplastic (powder coating) between each run and just ran it and ran it until i was satisfied
I wound up covering it with a thin sheet of glass.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I will give that a try! Thank you for the tip, I doubt I'd have considered it otherwise.
Interesting results with light colored powder paint on diode laser. I had similar cutting difficulty with my diode laser when I tried cutting white on white cotton quilting fabric. The white pattern on the fabric is painted.onto the surface somehow by the manufacturer, but something in the properties of the paint caused the laser to skip over the fabric surface of the cutting edges. I got clean cut edges when cutting black fabric, but not with white. I think the light reflective properties of the white paint interfere with a diode laser similar to trying to cut clear acrylic.
Yep, diode lasers have a problem with white because of the 455nm frequency.
Followed his lead and got a great first burn. Amazed at how little power was needed. Started way to high.
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
I saw another UA-camr do this a few months back and thought it was cool!! I haven't tried it yet but I have loads of PC i can play with.
Neat stuff Rich!
People have been trying this for about 2 years now. It's not new, I'm just trying to perfect it Kenny.
I haven't looked at more of your videos so you may have a solution and if so I'll come across it shortly. I'm waiting on a new diode laser unit and when it gets here I can get some photos of how this works. Both mica and powder coat will work. I've not tried Brian Trotter's suggestion of using the thin glass but I will and maybe that in combination with this process. So my process is almost identical to the paint fill method. Unfortunately you have more waste this way, so you have to decide if the results are worth the waste.
1. If your project is wood, or something absorbent, pre-stain with the exception of leather goods, they do not need it. You mask your material then do your etch. I almost always mask as I find I get much better results especially with diode lasers.
2. If you are using mica powder mix your chosen color with white mica. There is no exact ratio but you want a pastel version of your final color. I find putting it in a glass jar and using one of the cheap electric fingernail polish shakers gets a very good mix. Most of them are labeled 'vortex shaker'
3a. If you are working on wood, cardboard, cork board, or similar I mix the powder with Minwax Polycrylic Clear. Experiment with gloss, satin and mate as they all have different results. The consistency you want is about like drywall putty as it prevents bleeding. (go to step 4)
3b: For metals, plastics, leather and similar items, I substitute acrylic clear gel medium. It is very important that you get a medium, not a varnish not a clear and not a gesso. I have not seen any difference in output based on brand of medium, but I use Golden as I use it in other projects and it's one of the top of the line and thus expensive. Just check reviews and get the most affordable with decent reviews.
4. With a straight edge (putty knife, used gift card, popsicle stick, just as long as it's straight) spread your putty over the masked etching making sure it gets all the way into the etching. The excess can be stored in a sealed jar in a cool spot free from light/sun/uv for about a day. You may need to add a small bit of medium to get back to the right consistency.
5. Do your color etching at a slow speed. Roughly 20% less or 80% of your normal speed as you are now evaporating a liquid as well as melting an bonding a powder. Use a toothpick or something to make sure the color is solid and not soft. If it's not hard do another pass at 50% of the power you used the first pass.
6. Remove the mask, and apply your desired top coat.
This process is known as "in-fill" and though this will work on etched glass I prefer a different method for glass with the exception of drink ware. The process is called "back-fill". You etch the back side of the glass with your image mirrored and you do not do any masking. The reason for that is that no matter what you do, nothing is going to bond to glass and with a mask you will have a slight raised edge to your back-fill that could get snagged and pulled out. For glass you definitely want a sharp edge putty knife. Once you have your engraving filled and most of your excess scrapped off lightly mist the surface with clear windex, not the blue stuff and not the vinegar. With the putty knife at an angle so that a cross stroke pushes across and down. Start from the top and go one direction, either left to right or right to left. Do not alternate and wipe the putty knife after every swipe. Now you can run your laser to solidify the back-fill. Technically you could let it dry and have the same results, but using the laser results in a much more durable back-fill.
These processes also allow you to use low volume(10-15L/min) air-assist where you would not be able to with just powder. Cooling off the in-fill/back-fill is much like quenching steel and helps with durability.
Try posting on my free forums. lahobbyguy.com/bb This is too much to answer in a UA-cam comment.
One possible sollution für diode lasers would be some kind of shield under the laser, that would guide the airflow away from the engraving to the sides. A piece of acrylic or plywood with cutouts for the lens and screws, fit under the laser with enough space for airflow could be worth a try.
I wound up using thin pane glass.
Just used ChatAI to clarify some of the basics of powder coating and the use with diode lasers.
Seems that the laser for melting the powder coat and infilling eg letters on a surfac such as timber or plastics needs to have an adjustable airflow system and direction of the flow.
"One way to minimize the impact of the air flow is to adjust the air pressure and direction. For example, you can reduce the air pressure to a level that is still sufficient to remove smoke and debris, but not so high that it blows the powder coating out of the area. You can also direct the air flow away from the heated area using a nozzle or other air flow control device.
Another approach is to use a laser system with a different type of air assist or cooling system that is better suited for powder coating applications. For example, some laser systems use a compressed air flow that is directed through a small nozzle onto the material being heated, which can provide cooling and smoke removal without blowing away the powder coating.
In any case, it's important to choose the right laser system and air assist setup for your specific powder coating application and to carefully test and adjust the parameters to achieve the desired results."
Thanks for the tips! I only had issues with the light colors and resolved it by covering it with a thin sheet of glass.
Thank you so much for your videos! I just added a laser machine to my craft making. I’ve wanted to try this for a long time. I have learned a lot from your videos! Glad to learn from a fellow NOLA neighbor. Just Ed move from New Orleans to Gretna. Looking forward to learning more from you!!!
Welcome to the obsession Donna! I was just in Gretna this past weekend for the parade!
I'm using a Sculpfun S9 with a laser wizard air assist. To combat said issue with the diode fan blowing around the powder coat. I cut 1/8" thick strips of acrylic to use as spacers, then place a clear piece of 1/8" glass over the work piece. There's enough air flow to allow the smoke from the powder coat to escape and it cures nicely at 10% power, 4000mm/min, 90 scan with overscan, single pass. I'm in the sculpfun group on Facebook. I have post in there about it with pics and a short video if you'd like to see
My final solution was just covering it with picture frame glass.
Pretty much same here, however I did runs without covering it at all and had no issues with the powder dispersing from the diode fan.......
Great video! The layered compass looks very cool. I've seen people do layered burns before, but I wasn't intrigued until I saw the detail in your compass. New subscriber.
Awesome! Thank you!
First: Like! Second: Take a look 👀 ...After: The Legend is alive!
🤪🤪
O wow!!! very beautiful!!! But what kind of powder do you use??? Does embossing powder work?? ( that is an heat activated plastic...)
I used generic powder coat.
Another great video. That compass rose was truly impressive. Thanks again for all your time you are very generous.
Thanks again John!
Hi, I am waiting on my laser to arrive at the end of May is the estimate (Atezer P20 plus and a 4-1 rotary) which I plan to use to cut stickers in vynal for electro-salt water etching. The sticker cutter I use is a Brother sx 1000 but it doesn't allow image file swapping and the software is slow and difficult to create fine cuts.
I use transfer stickers of many types whether I need a high sticking or low sticking depending on the sticker I need to transfer after picking out. All this is very, very time consuming and because I have MS and coeliac disease my symptoms are increasing and abilities are progressively getting worse.
My plan is to attach the vynal to the metal surface and then laser engrave to expose the metal and then salt water edge for a deep etch which I have been doing. Great on cutlery from the recycle center and then cut to all sorts of shapes and for all sorts of purposes. Great of any stainless steel and brass, aluminium, etc etc. Have done hundreds as gifts for friends and people who inspire others.
Bottomline was to get a laser engraver and use it to create the sticker or paint mask for the salt water etch AND to have alternative art choices such as wood etching as time changes me and my disabilities.
So my thought has been with the powder coating blowing around placing a transfer tape over the top just before the laser melt of powder coat (or any similar paint) only the finished final laser paint melt/engrave is exposed and none of the powder waiting to be lasered will be blown around?
I had to cover some the powder coat (the white) with a thin sheet of glass to keep it from blowing.
Great, interesting video Rich ,brilliant results. The compass turned out fantastic.
You should see it now Rob! Sanded, triple coated and waiting to be glued up! I'll post a picture soon.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy look forward to seeing it, really impressive 👍🏻
Another great video again , looking forward to giving this process ago , thanks again Rich
Go for it Stuart!
That compass rose looks great!
You should see it now Dottie, with the triple coat finish!
The compass is so very nice. I like the details on it and how you explained the process.
Glad you liked it John! Thanks!
Hey Rich. I think I have the solution to your powder paint blowing away using the diode laser. I've got my own channel set up, but haven't had the time lately to create any videos yet as I work full time. So I wanted to share with with you and your followers if they have a fan-cooled diode laser engraver so that NONE of your powder paint blows away.
1st step is to measure the bottom portion of your laser. In my case it's square, but then you also have to create a hole for the diode. Measure the diameter of the laser part that protrudes from the bottom of the laser.
2nd step is to create a cutout of the in Laserburn or whatever software you use to create your projects. In my case it was just a square with a hole in the middle.
Next, you just need a very thin cardboard. I used part of a cereal box, but any thin cardboard will do.
Cut your shape out using your laser.
Once you have your shape cut, use some masking or painter's tape and tape it to the underside of your laser. Be sure not to have any tape across the area where your laser shoots down!
Now, you'll have cooling fins along the side of your laser and you don't want them to be blocked, so just take an exacta knife and cut silts in the tape so that the you have gaps for the air to still circulate through the cooling block. And that's it!
I don't take it off because my cooling fan still cools the laser just fine, it just doesn't push the air down the to piece that I'm engraving. Instead, it just pushes the air down and out the sides. I have a separate air pump/tube/nozzle system for 'air assist', BUT you don't want ANY air assist when trying to use powder paint!
Hope this helps!
Awesome tips! Thanks!
Thank you for teaching, sharing, encouraging. I’m still waiting for my laser to come in and am excited to start using your tips.
Awesome Jean! Bet you can't wait to get started!
The 16 looks blue bro. That's awsome work.
Thanks 👍
Informative video Rich, i really dig the process. No c02 laser yet, so I'm looking forward to the diode laser video and info.
Well you're good with all the dark colors Randy, it's just the light ones I have to figure out.
Hi I must say you have help me a lot with your videos. what version of LB are you running.because mine does not have the features you have on yours. Regards Brian
This video is 2 years old Brian.
Very cool, thank you Rich. So much to learn
Glad you enjoyed it Andrew!
I've read through most of the abundant comments but didn't see any questions or comments on if this could be done in a multi-color process. Thinking that by utilizing the layers - one for blue, one for green etc. and turning them on and off accordingly - multi-colors could be done. I think it would be difficult and time consuming needing to make sure no blue color bled over to a green color and so forth, but would add another dimension to single color. Apologies if this was already asked but as I stated I read through many of them and didn't see anything along this line.
I did multi-colors for the text card I showed; red, blue black & white. It was indeed a pain in the butt Brian!
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy lol!
Hi, Just tried the powder coating trick. Had the same issue with silver. It just burned through and decreasing the power did not make it stick. Found a solution that works up to a point. On my 22w diode. I ran it at 10000 speed and 7% power. Then cpated again and rerun at 10000 at 15%. this seems to help
I found a new way to do it: ua-cam.com/video/GPtq19ZQ6eg/v-deo.html
I know this video is older. I just came across it trying to find the settings people are using to engrave stainless in color. But I was wondering if the water method worked could you mask it engrave then use that method to not stain. Also I’ve tried mica before on a diode and it was quite the mess so I’m glad I’m not the only one that’s explored this. But I found that oil rub paint on ceramic will engrave in color as well and the excess wipes away clean. The unfortunate part… like firing mica you have to test the colors because the fired color isn’t the powder color. Kinda the nature of the beast with micas. But it does work. I got a nice pale blue engraving out of bronze oil run paint on a non glazed ceramic tile from Lowe’s when I was playing with my original 10w diode laser.
I don't know anything about the water method.
Next try is flipping the fan over on the top of laser. That should work! Patrons can download the Compass Lightburn file on Patreon's website.
Hi Rich, I would also ask if you could bring the laser up out of focus to hit more dry paint at once but you might need to have it trace and adjust for the out of focus. Great content as always, looking for your next video. Thanks.
@The Louisiana Hobby Guy
*April, 2022 Laser Giveaway!* ???
Yet, the *Giveaway Rules & Terms* states as follows:
PROMOTION DESCRIPTION: This Laser Giveaway ('Raffle') for the Comgrow Z1 Laser Engraver begins on 02-01-2022 and ends on 02-28-2022 (the 'Promotion Period').
:
All 11401 Total Entries must be invalidated due them each agreeing to Rules & Terms which states, in error, a past date of FEB 2022 for the end of the promotion period.
I declare myself the winner of the APRIL Comgrow, 20W Diode Laser, for presenting you with your blunder.
:
@@criticallook1352 Did you read the last paragraph?? 🤪 Not sure how you can declare new rules, but whatever!
@@criticallook1352 Really? I don't see it.
What about putting a sheet of glass over the engraving to stop the fan blowing the powder away? but leave a couple of millimetres between the glass and the workpiece
Tried the glass flat against, it works!
The similarities to Screen Printing are uncanny!!! I will pursue this - HARD! Thank You!! 🧐🧐🧐
Go for it!
Hey Rich There is another method for your reference
Embossing powder (Tsukineko Emboss) can be used
Just need a glue pen to paint the engraved seams
Let the relief powder not be blown away by the wind
Reheat the air gun to heat the relief powder
This will make the whole layout more clean and beautiful
I'll look into that, thanks! 👍
That's pretty cool. I like the slight bluish tinge on the unfinished wood. My first guess would have been to finish it with something like shellac, then burn through it and use it like a resist mask when painting it.
Worth a try!
If you applied a clear finish to the wood before the first burn, that will help prevent the powder getting into the grain of the wood where there is no engraving.
I didn't have that problem.
I love the Compass Rose nice work
Thanks 👍
I can see the blue hue. It's almost Violet.
It's blue... the camera picks up a different color.
Just watched this for the first time, but just a thought,with a diode laser to stop the paint blowing out could you must it with hair spray
Haven't tried that! I got a piece of pane glass from Lowes and it works perfectly.
Thank you Rich great video. I'll try to keep up with all your great ideas.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Perfect for a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee
Great to hear Cesar!
3d print a diverter for the nozzle area to divert the air blowing down away from the powder
Yup, lots of easy solutions, but I'm trying to do this so anyone can do this with no mods.
hi have you tried putting a thin sheet of glass over the powder before you laser?
Yes Bob, that's what I wound up doing.
great! thanks for replying. Im 76 and been playing with lasers 3months here in New Zealand. Cheers
Hi Rich, I’m new to diode but have been using fiber for around 3 years, was watching this video & you spoke about the diode fan blowing the powdered paint away, may I suggest filling the grooves as normal & then applying a light coat of hairspray? Might help…
Thanks Wayne, I found a new method with a heat gun, but Previously, I bought some really thin pane glass from Lowe's that did the trick.
Hi Rich, thank you so much for your reply, having a fiber background i battle with the “no base” on my diode so I have created a base and grid prototype which works for me, maybe it helps someone else as well, I don’t know how to add photo or video though…
You said you wanted to see how it holds up, how did that go? Thanks!
Still on my wall!
Hey Rich, do you have a video on engraving the headstone?
No, I did publish one last year and got too many negative comments, so I took it down. I will be doing another one with a different theme soon though, with both slate and granite.
hey rich just an idea about the diode laser fan blowing the paint away from your project maybe use some masking tape on the front and 2 sides of your laser head formed into an kind of L shape and put halfway down the laser might help a bit. i havant tried it myself yet but have ordered some paint to ty thx grt vid
I wound up using a thin pane glass Mark.
This is something I'd like to try...er?...When I've got some expertise in lasering in general...Still have to assemble my machine.... Oh... And your T shirt is really cool.
You can do it! And thanks!
Hey Rich, yet another option here would be to use a dedicated laser module. Since you dont need huge power, perhaps consider one of the 15W ortur lasers - with the adjustable lens. Now install a long focus G8 lens on the laser. This will allow you to raise the laser up and maybe that would make enough difference on air flow. But I see also your idea to reverse the fan, that could likely work well also, since you are using a very low power setting the laser wont get as hot either.
Yeah Peter, that would work, but I'm trying to make this work with no mods so everyone can do it.
Love all your work, You mentioned you engrave Marble. How do you treat the Marble to withstand getting wet and then freezing/Cracking?
I seal it.
Awesome idea with the magnets
Thanks so much!
Would use of a heat press to initially heat and secure the powder cost before running it through the diode laser. Any powder coat, over with paper and heat press or, instead cover with paper transfer tape and then laser without heat press. Just a thought.
I was trying to do it without any hacks. I settled on very thin window pane glass.
Really enjoy your vids. I just wondered, how did you manage to put the first product with the blue color exactly in the same place in the co2 for the second burn? Was it the magnets, and do you trust they wont move? 🙂
Yes, it was the magnets Robin. However, you can tape a framing square down to the honeycomb if you don't trust the magnets.
Hey buddy just a suggestion shellac is really good at sealing Great vid BTW can't wait to give it a shot. I've just got the Comgrow Z1 and so much to learn. I'm gonna get there😊
I use Zinsser Shellac all the time!
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy good stuff 👍
I am not very good at 3D design, and I know that you are looking for a mod free process, but I was thinking of a slip on 3D printed cap with air channels to redirect the airflow back up, away from the work surface.
Good idea!
About ten years ago did some powder coating on my VW engine .
Was beautiful till had a flooded carburetor. The color wound up on the ground .
🤪
Have you tried any gold or silver with this method. I also would recommend applying the sand and seal first to the wood panel. Love the color on your compass also the detail
No, I don't have those colors, thanks.
Air blowing away powder ideas:
Change the cooling on the laser to remote water cooled?
Modify the laser housing so the cooling air is shunted horizontally before it gets to the lens area. (I'm thinking some 3d printed parts to guide the air away... Maybe even a part that goes around the lens that moves the air out to the side.)
A lens with a higher focal point?
All good ideas, and I can just flip over the cooling fan; that works. But I am still looking for a method that takes no modifications at all for the end user.
How about applying the powered paint with a small "Salt shaker" or similar applicator ? You could even color different areas with different colors. You may need to mask adjacent areas with loose pieces of paper. Once the areas are all covered, you might be able to "set" them all in one pass. Just a thought. I haven't tried it yet.
I just got an LM3 for my shop. Can't wait to fire it up. But, the Wife says I've got to get the Hall bath remodel done first. And after 50 odd years, she is the boss of me. Or at least that's what she told me...kunk
This process is working well for me.
Excellent. Take care...kunk
I can get a deflector to divert the diode fan for my laser (Xtool 10w) . That should stoop the powder from blowing away.
I'm trying to find a way for the average user to do this. There are all kinds of mods that can be done. Glad it got you thinking Charles!
Another great video Rich. Beautiful compass project. I’m learning so much. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching John! Much appreciated!
Awesome video as usual, Rich. I too have been playing around with powder coating powder. I have an xTool D1 and designed and printed a cover with side vents that installs over the business end of the laser that redirects the cooling fan air out to the sides. It also has the 20 mm opening for the air assist ( which of course will be turned off while using the powder) and a clear window for the cross hairs to still be utilized.
Can you get the white to melt without blowing off Paul?
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy Haven't tried white yet. I've done Blue, Red and Orange. I don't see why my cover wouldn't work for the white
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I've also got the xTool. I've been able to burn the white no problem (with glass). Keep the laser fast and weak for the lighter colors, though, or you'll get gray or black instead of white.
@@Tkrain Glass didn't work for me.
Hey Rich I had a thought on your diode laser testing. I know that on my laser (S9) there is a distance between the laser head and the work that it normally covered by the plastic safety ring, I know that there are a number of different versions of a 3D print file for eliminating that shield and adding air assist to the setup. My thought was that maybe instead of an air assist adapter you could fashion an air deflector. Basically the air is blown down past the head and exits at the bottom once it's done it's job of cooling. Maybe instead of allowing the air to continue straight down it could be deflected outwards or even upwards at an angle with a 3D printed adapter that still had a hole of the beam to pass through but redirected the majority of the cooling air away from the project when doing powder. Might be something worth trying.
Yeah, I have thought of that, as well as adding a clear piece of glass inside and drilling holes on sides of the module, but I'm trying to find a way to do this so the average user can do it.
Personally I would use print and cut in light burn to make sure it lined up. Those magnets shift I have the same ones.
Mine don't shift Bryan and using print and cut for a second pass isn't even a consideration for me.
So I'm guessing you should never use Air Assist when engraving and powder coating with a diode? Thanks for the videos!
Well William, I did find a really good solution. I got some really thin pane glass from Lowes and covered the engraving. Works really well!
Thank you for taking the time to teach us this process, It can assist in making some amazing projects, very professional finish,
Thank you very much!
A thought just occurred to me that you might try. Put your powder down and then cover with onion skin paper before your second burn. That should address the air assist issue but I don’t know the effects it would have on the burn.
I've tried it even with transfer tape over it and as soon as the laser burned through the tape, the light colors blew out Larry.
I do this with a grout float and very light pressure, almost like I'm silk-screening a shirt.
Nice! I started using a trowel myself!
How would I do Marlboro on a CNC 20 w munbyn. Laser engraving. Like power and the speed
Run a Lightburn material test.
Great video Rich, thanks for all the time & material you put into this that allows us to get results faster. The projects look great. I'm going to give this a go, I have mica colors that I used to tint epoxy. Bought those magnets last month, the only trick is be careful with them so you don't lose a finger! :)
You can say that again! And don't get 2 stuck together either! 🤪
does mica work the same way ?
Where did you purchase this compass design. It is beautiful. I want to get it.
I made it a few years back. Several people have _"acquired it"_ and are reselling it online.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy I guess I haven't looked in the right place as I have not found it yet. Thanks Rich
Fantastic! For the diode light colors, how about doing a deep burn, like a second pass at 90 degrees, on the areas that you want the light colors? Then you would have more powder in those area. Maybe you would have more powder to melt. Just an idea.
The light colors are like baby powder. It'll still blow out Wayne.
good work but i saw some videos for ppl putting a tap before engraving and then they put any color .. after that they just remove the tape.. what do you think? you are the pro
That's masking and then painting. It works well, but there are bleeds unless you use the green tape or laser masking tape. This is slightly different and gives a completely different look. You can see me do this live here: ua-cam.com/video/GPtq19ZQ6eg/v-deo.html
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy
Green Tape = Frog Tape (brand)--has a special polymer adhesive that prevents/absorbs bleeds.
Thanks for the video! I haven't used my engraver for awhile and was reviewing techniques and found this one. So many great makers sharing. A quick idea on the diode laser fan problem that might help. Can the fan be flipped to pull air up? It won't be as effective but should still cool the diode and help with the powder.
No Bill, that would ruin the lens pretty quickly.
I think using a flour sifter or maybe a really fine mesh to sprinkle the powder on would get a nice even coat and even out the color
A sifter and baby powder is the way to go Mike.
Good stuff man! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!
Thank you very much for sharing, have you tried this on glass? It would be interesting to see how that might work.
I don't think it would work David.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy We generally use a product called Rub n buff onto glass that works a treat, but never tried powder coat. We will give it a go. Thank you for doing your videos they give us inspiration to try other techniques.
Awesome tutorial Rich. Thanks.
Thank you Tom!
For the diode, what about a piece of borosilicate glass on top to act as a shield against the fan. Shouldn’t defuse the beam, and if it’s a little above the piece I wonder how well it would work for those finer powders…
I'm concentrating on getting the right powder so the average user can do this without mods Jody. Easiest thing is to flip the fan over on top.
@@TheLouisianaHobbyGuy flipping the fan on top is not a good idea. The suction is not as strong as the blowing with all the consequences that implies. And it would suck the smoke into the laser head as well.
I have seen this process with other and thought yes I want to try that, I did buy some powder coat paint. "chameleon colour" but I am guessing thats a little way off before I try it, got to get laser up an running agin 1st. Anyway I love the compass, its fantastic, I hop to make something like that one day, I still havent mastered the cutting process. but I will keep trying
Never give up! You'll get it Ian!
Really like your video. I am new at this and getting speed and power is confusing for me. I have a 7 watt j tech laser most mounted on an xcarve. What speed and power for mica and the powder coat to state with?
I can't answer that Lonnie. You have to run tests.
on the air from the diode laser blowing the paint away...can an air deflector be incorporated onto the the bottom of the laser to deflect the air away from the project wile still allowing cooling to take place..?
Yes, and that's the next step, printing a new shield that diverts the air back upward. But it won't work on many lasers where the aluminum heatsink goes all the way to the bottom.