What makes this laser interesting is that its a pulsed unit, whereas most of your run of the mill engravers are a continuous wave machine and ultimately it doesn't really matter too much if its a diode or a tube doing the zaps or if its adjusted with mirrors, crystals or fibre optics. We've been doing it for many decades to the point it will only really amazeballs anyone outside of the technical industries. But the pulse is what makes it work better of metal, so what you do is you ramp up the pulse to however many times a second and then add the pump to really increase the power for tiny fractions of a second, so what that does is three things- It runs cooler It doesn't heat up material as much It ablates its way through a material instead of heating it up and sending vapours everywhere like you see with continuous wave machines, smoke and all manner of disturbing amounts of fire sometimes. So by 'ablate' I mean that it literally pecks and chips away at a material, it heats it up and ejects it from the area being zapped and reveals new material under it, then zaps that and that's how you're getting the depth of cut into the material. This is happening in I think mostly nanaoseconds between each pulse of the laser. Its also a little out of my field of expertise, I worked with the damn things for about 12 years on fibre networks and they're all basically terrible for human beings to interact with because they'll turn you blind in a second and burn holes through skin really quickly- so if there's shields or glasses you need to be behind them and don't forget about secondary emissions. Just like welding, these things pump out a lot of wavelengths of IR and sometime UV light and you'll get cancers on exposed skin.
Just to clarify on your explanation, fiber lasers do still use diode lasers in their internal functioning, but the diode is coupled to a fiber line. This allows high power lasers to have their light "piped" over the fiber line to output heads, so it doesn't have to move the heavy laser. The difference in what lasers can cut which materials is down to the frequency of the light colour. Very cool new toy you got there :)
@@TyrellKnifeworks I have been using lasers for a while. Fiber lasers use fiber optic conduit to route multiple high power diode beams into one very powerful beam. The head of a fiber laser is called a galvenometer scanner head, your explanation of how it works was correct. Because the pecker 3 isn't a fiber laser but still uses the galvenmeter head it is called a Galvo Laser. Now that you have this mostly useless information, you should get a couple of the other small format galvo lasers like the Mr Carve and the Genmitsu Z5-1 and put them head-to-head to see which one is best. You would be the first on UA-cam to do it and all us non-rated smiths can see the results on hardened steel. Also you would be my hero.
I got a laser too, a few months ago, best buy you can get to get a bit more detailed logo's on knifes, a fairly cheap one at like 500bucks, but it can do it all, paper, wood, leather, plastics, all kinds of metal and its very accurate in details. Biggest drawback for me was the laser doesn't show you the area very well where it will be etched before you go for real, so I need to mark the area off and see if it will fit, since the software that works with it is, while its capable software, its not meant for lasers but for milling machines I believe, laser grbl. But fiddling around and doing some test stuff like this, gives enormous potential for designs, logo's that aren't restricted to what limits the electro etch ones, and is also without the hassle of electro etching. Only thing is that its slower than that, especially bigger or high detail ones, take quite a bit of time with multiple passes, what is best for the most detail and depth.
You most likely have a diode laser. The biggest drawback is the heat they generate. These small pulse lasers like the LaserPecker are going to take over the lower end I think. Thanks for watching.
@@TyrellKnifeworks yes correct, it does get warm, but at logo size things it doesnt really matter much. Even a thinner blade just gotten slightly too hot to touch after etching for like 25 min. These lasers look way better suited to metal etching though, I agree.
Dennis, love your videos. Great job. This looks like a great fiber laser. I think you are slightly misinformed about the powerful diode lasers on the market now. My 20 watt can easily mark steel to the point where only low grit belts will remove the mark.
Yeah, I know the 20W and higher can but it still takes forever because you have to do so many passes. Plus the smoke and heat. This one is on sale for $1199 right now, it’s a great deal. Thanks for watching.
Hi Dennis! Always love your videos. I have a AtomStack 20W diode laser and I can engrave steel with it but it takes a loooong time. I put my logo on one of my knives and it look me running at full power for over 30 minutes. Another factor with a diode laser is different steels engrave differently, some engrave better than others, some take less time, some take a horrendous amount of time. The fiber lasers are MUCH faster on metal. I have one of these on my list just because of how much time it will save. As always, love your stuff.
Yeah, the bigger diode lasers can do it, but you’re right it takes forever and you get a lot of smoke, fumes and heat. This fiber is quick and no smoke! Thanks for watching
Good morning I regularly watch your UA-cam channel with great interest because I learn a lot. This subject particularly interested me because I too have problems engraving using electro etching. This laser will definitely be my next purchase Thank you very much for your channel Franck (from France)
And what is the result of engraving on Damascus steel (i.e. composed of two different steels)? How does the laser behave? Does the engraving remain regular in depth? Or are there digging irregularities depending on the steel that the laser encounters?
Would you ever consider making a disabled person a cane sword? I recently was diagnosed with diabetes and live in a bad area,people are always getting robbed in this part of Philly. I am subscribed and maybe I can have someone in my family buy it for me as I am in the middle of applying for disability and have nothing. Either way just seeing you work relaxes me and actually puts a smile on my face. Thanks
@@TyrellKnifeworks yes the resolution is about 80 times less on my diode laser. Just be cautious with saying “just $1199” these days, as for most audience here it’s a huge chunk of money for relatively limited functionality. That’s said, yes, fur professional results and functionality, a pecker beats a diode laser any day for engrave knives.
How much did it heat the steel? I usually do my marks on the laser at work when the knife is almost finished. Or before the etch for damascus. The problem is, the laser heats the steel a lot and might be an issue for the epoxy holding the scales together
Looks great, are there settings to make the etch just for depths and not mark it dark? I do a lot of my blades with a black finish and I'd be wanting to have my logo be on the brighter side to stand out on a dark blade
You’d have to play with it I think. You might be able to clean up the engraving with some buffing to remove the black, I haven’t tried. You can definitely get the depth though. At 4 passes it’s quite noticeable and you can pump it up to ten if you want. I’m really happy with it. Thanks for watching, Bryan!
I have over 50 knives finished handles and all and never put on a makers mark. I was going to electro etch with a stencil but was afraid they may not be crisp and clear and have some bleeding on the edges. This would ruin my finished knives so I held off. With this video and the Laser Pecker it seems like I could safely mark my knives. What about doing finished knives, some with mirror polish and some with satin finish?? Would I have to put a paint like coating on the mirror finished ones before engraving?? I noticed you marked some steel that looked somewhat polished...
I fully finish my knives now and do my markers mark last. Also, I don’t use the Laser Pecker anymore. I have the XTool F1, which is a better machine. (See my more recent video on that). Thanks for watching
Oh thank you for replying so quickly. Is your new X Tool laser more costly than the Laser Pecker? I make knives as a hobbyist and don't sell any. Being retired on SS cost is often a limiting factor for me. Thanks again.
Ouch, I saw the Laser Pecker was on sale for 1199 when you made the video. I would have to wait for another sale. X Tool at 1600 is a bit out of reach for me. I suppose if I was selling knives that would be different. Dennis, thank you for your quick replies. Sometime I have questions about problems I run into making my knives and I've tried to reach out to a professional knife maker like you in the past with no sucess. It sure would be nice to be able to talk with someone on the phone that could likely answer my questions or give advice. My name is Glen, I'm 76 and retired and enjoy making knives as a hobby.
@glenpaul3606 even the LP3 is $1350 right now and it’s much less powerful and featured than the F1. The LP4 is about the same as the F1 but the F1 has much better attachments, software and usability.
It totally depends on the size of your makers mark but on this one pictured in the thumbnail, which is 1/2” long, it took about 10mins. Thanks for watching.
This is a fiber laser, not a diode, so they aren’t measured the same. This is a 1W pulse laser that does 4k resolution. It’s much stronger than a 10W diode on things like metal. Thanks for watching.
I hate to burst everyones bubble... but this is not a fiber laser. It even says so on their website. Its a 1 yes 1 watt infrared laser. A true fiber laser is much larger and requires a cooler. Enjoywood makes one the exact same. Its considerably less on ebay. Just a heads up
I don’t believe they makes fumes. I’m not 100% sure though. Either way you could just put in on your stove top and use the vent if anyone’s that worried about it lol
The great thing about these pulse lasers, no smoke or nasty stuff coming off them. You still need s ventilated area but nothing like the continuous diode lasers. This one will live in my office. Thanks for watching, Bryson!
@@TyrellKnifeworksI don’t think it’s the laser that makes the fumes, it’s the material itself. And these lasers work by vaporising the material inherently creating fumes.
@@Volt64bolt The way these work is that it's a pulse laser instead of a continuous hot laser pointed at the material. They are much lower temp, hence less or no smoke.
You obviously don't get the usefulness of this. You don't need stencils, you can put anything on a blade and the resolution is WAY better, like 10x better than electro etching could ever be.
When i grow up i want to have as many toys as you 😢
Haha, Thanks for taking a look!
What makes this laser interesting is that its a pulsed unit, whereas most of your run of the mill engravers are a continuous wave machine and ultimately it doesn't really matter too much if its a diode or a tube doing the zaps or if its adjusted with mirrors, crystals or fibre optics. We've been doing it for many decades to the point it will only really amazeballs anyone outside of the technical industries.
But the pulse is what makes it work better of metal, so what you do is you ramp up the pulse to however many times a second and then add the pump to really increase the power for tiny fractions of a second, so what that does is three things-
It runs cooler
It doesn't heat up material as much
It ablates its way through a material instead of heating it up and sending vapours everywhere like you see with continuous wave machines, smoke and all manner of disturbing amounts of fire sometimes.
So by 'ablate' I mean that it literally pecks and chips away at a material, it heats it up and ejects it from the area being zapped and reveals new material under it, then zaps that and that's how you're getting the depth of cut into the material. This is happening in I think mostly nanaoseconds between each pulse of the laser. Its also a little out of my field of expertise, I worked with the damn things for about 12 years on fibre networks and they're all basically terrible for human beings to interact with because they'll turn you blind in a second and burn holes through skin really quickly- so if there's shields or glasses you need to be behind them and don't forget about secondary emissions.
Just like welding, these things pump out a lot of wavelengths of IR and sometime UV light and you'll get cancers on exposed skin.
That’s all great info! Thanks, Kris! I just know it works really well. 🤣. Thanks for watching
I second this. I would build a UV resistant box or something around this. It may only be small be can still do alot of damage.
@@stevowhitty3984 LaserPecker sells a box already on their website. I may pick it up.
Yuppers. My new LaserPecker 3 is on the way. Thanks for that $50 off code!! I can't wait to give it a try.
You won’t be disappointed! I love it!
Just to clarify on your explanation, fiber lasers do still use diode lasers in their internal functioning, but the diode is coupled to a fiber line. This allows high power lasers to have their light "piped" over the fiber line to output heads, so it doesn't have to move the heavy laser. The difference in what lasers can cut which materials is down to the frequency of the light colour. Very cool new toy you got there :)
Thanks for the clarification! I’m no expert, I just know it works really well! 🤣. Thanks for watching
@@TyrellKnifeworks no laser expert myself but I know enough random bits of information to be proficient enough in most things 😂
@@TyrellKnifeworks I have been using lasers for a while. Fiber lasers use fiber optic conduit to route multiple high power diode beams into one very powerful beam. The head of a fiber laser is called a galvenometer scanner head, your explanation of how it works was correct. Because the pecker 3 isn't a fiber laser but still uses the galvenmeter head it is called a Galvo Laser. Now that you have this mostly useless information, you should get a couple of the other small format galvo lasers like the Mr Carve and the Genmitsu Z5-1 and put them head-to-head to see which one is best. You would be the first on UA-cam to do it and all us non-rated smiths can see the results on hardened steel. Also you would be my hero.
I got a laser too, a few months ago, best buy you can get to get a bit more detailed logo's on knifes, a fairly cheap one at like 500bucks, but it can do it all, paper, wood, leather, plastics, all kinds of metal and its very accurate in details. Biggest drawback for me was the laser doesn't show you the area very well where it will be etched before you go for real, so I need to mark the area off and see if it will fit, since the software that works with it is, while its capable software, its not meant for lasers but for milling machines I believe, laser grbl. But fiddling around and doing some test stuff like this, gives enormous potential for designs, logo's that aren't restricted to what limits the electro etch ones, and is also without the hassle of electro etching. Only thing is that its slower than that, especially bigger or high detail ones, take quite a bit of time with multiple passes, what is best for the most detail and depth.
You most likely have a diode laser. The biggest drawback is the heat they generate. These small pulse lasers like the LaserPecker are going to take over the lower end I think. Thanks for watching.
@@TyrellKnifeworks yes correct, it does get warm, but at logo size things it doesnt really matter much. Even a thinner blade just gotten slightly too hot to touch after etching for like 25 min. These lasers look way better suited to metal etching though, I agree.
i saved 50$ using you code. Thank you. Just got it figuring it out.
You’ll definitely enjoy the laser! Thanks for watching.
Super cool to see the samples. Looking for options on the wood so great to see you tried it out 😊
See my later video on the XTool F1. It’s a better machine. I use it exclusively now. Thanks for watching.
The commercial of this same Laser Pecker that played during your video, shows it cutting wood.
That was probably the LP4. It has a dual diode/fiber laser so it can cut wood and mark steel. 👍. Thanks for watching n
Thank you Dennis, this is an awesome video! Great job!❤
Glad you liked it! It’s tracking well and I know at least 4 people who purchased because of it. 😉
Very nice flex there once again Dennis! That is looking like it's going to be a very useful and efficient tool. Thanks again for sharing Dennis!
I only share the ones I really like! This one is a great tool that I'm very excited about. Thanks for taking a look, Stephen!
Dennis, love your videos. Great job. This looks like a great fiber laser. I think you are slightly misinformed about the powerful diode lasers on the market now. My 20 watt can easily mark steel to the point where only low grit belts will remove the mark.
Yeah, I know the 20W and higher can but it still takes forever because you have to do so many passes. Plus the smoke and heat. This one is on sale for $1199 right now, it’s a great deal. Thanks for watching.
It’s not he wattage it’s the wavelength of light that matters. This machine uses diodes not a fiber laser
I shall add this to my "someday" list.
Yea me to bud
It's a great purchase! Thanks for checking it out!
Dude!!! So Cool!! thanks for sharing!
Bring something over and we’ll try it!
This looks like the way forward.... Really nice and easy to use by the look of things. Cool vid, thanks D
It definitely is the future I think. Thanks for taking a look!
Hi Dennis! Always love your videos. I have a AtomStack 20W diode laser and I can engrave steel with it but it takes a loooong time. I put my logo on one of my knives and it look me running at full power for over 30 minutes. Another factor with a diode laser is different steels engrave differently, some engrave better than others, some take less time, some take a horrendous amount of time. The fiber lasers are MUCH faster on metal. I have one of these on my list just because of how much time it will save. As always, love your stuff.
Yeah, the bigger diode lasers can do it, but you’re right it takes forever and you get a lot of smoke, fumes and heat. This fiber is quick and no smoke! Thanks for watching
@@TyrellKnifeworks well with this upcoming sale and your code, I may just drop the hammer and grab one!
Sorry to be that guy, but that’s not a fiber laser. It has a 2W 1064nm diode laser for the metal etching.
Good morning
I regularly watch your UA-cam channel with great interest because I learn a lot.
This subject particularly interested me because I too have problems engraving using electro etching.
This laser will definitely be my next purchase
Thank you very much for your channel
Franck (from France)
This laser is definitely the way to go! I’m so impressed with it. Thanks for watching and following the channel!
And what is the result of engraving on Damascus steel (i.e. composed of two different steels)?
How does the laser behave? Does the engraving remain regular in depth? Or are there digging irregularities depending on the steel that the laser encounters?
@@franckrocherioux9500 It engraves damascus just fine and there's no difference in depths.
Thank you for your answer. 👍@@TyrellKnifeworks
This is awesome. Best investment. 👊🏻
I’m so thrilled to stop having to electro-etch!! 🎉. Thanks for watching, Brian!
that looks like a great etcher,if i cant learn to engrave by hammer and chisel this might be a great option
I think the resolution on this one is a bit higher than hammer and chisel. 😜. Thanks for taking a look
@@TyrellKnifeworks I want to learn hammer and chisel old school engraving though,especially on guns and knives
good luck! I hope U find the right machine!
This one is definitely the right machine! Thanks for watching.
Would you ever consider making a disabled person a cane sword? I recently was diagnosed with diabetes and live in a bad area,people are always getting robbed in this part of Philly. I am subscribed and maybe I can have someone in my family buy it for me as I am in the middle of applying for disability and have nothing. Either way just seeing you work relaxes me and actually puts a smile on my face. Thanks
Those are actually illegal, so I’ll have to decline. Thanks for watching though!
So you can't even make one just for the show? I looked only in a few states are they illegal
To be fair, my diode, 20 W laser etched a very deep mark on carbon steel. Not amazing dpi but definitely very deep.
Yes, they can. It’s just the heat, smoke, and many multiple passes and lower res. This fiber laser is on sale now for $1199! Thanks for watching.
@@TyrellKnifeworks yes the resolution is about 80 times less on my diode laser. Just be cautious with saying “just $1199” these days, as for most audience here it’s a huge chunk of money for relatively limited functionality. That’s said, yes, fur professional results and functionality, a pecker beats a diode laser any day for engrave knives.
@@dmitryk754 it’s regularly $1499, hence the “just $1199!” 😉
Could it be deep enough for enamel like for example a Roman pugio sheath decoration.
It can engrave leather if that’s what you’re asking. Thanks for watching
How much did it heat the steel? I usually do my marks on the laser at work when the knife is almost finished. Or before the etch for damascus. The problem is, the laser heats the steel a lot and might be an issue for the epoxy holding the scales together
It doesn't heat the steel at all, not like a diode laser. Thanks for watching.
Hmmm. That would be a nice addition! Congrats on the upgrade
Looks great, are there settings to make the etch just for depths and not mark it dark? I do a lot of my blades with a black finish and I'd be wanting to have my logo be on the brighter side to stand out on a dark blade
You’d have to play with it I think. You might be able to clean up the engraving with some buffing to remove the black, I haven’t tried. You can definitely get the depth though. At 4 passes it’s quite noticeable and you can pump it up to ten if you want. I’m really happy with it. Thanks for watching, Bryan!
Very cool tool.
I think so too!
I have over 50 knives finished handles and all and never put on a makers mark. I was going to electro etch with a stencil but was afraid they may not be crisp and clear and have some bleeding on the edges. This would ruin my finished knives so I held off. With this video and the Laser Pecker it seems like I could safely mark my knives. What about doing finished knives, some with mirror polish and some with satin finish?? Would I have to put a paint like coating on the mirror finished ones before engraving?? I noticed you marked some steel that looked somewhat polished...
I fully finish my knives now and do my markers mark last. Also, I don’t use the Laser Pecker anymore. I have the XTool F1, which is a better machine. (See my more recent video on that). Thanks for watching
Oh thank you for replying so quickly. Is your new X Tool laser more costly than the Laser Pecker? I make knives as a hobbyist and don't sell any. Being retired on SS cost is often a limiting factor for me. Thanks again.
@@glenpaul3606 it’s about the same price. I think they are around $1600.
Ouch, I saw the Laser Pecker was on sale for 1199 when you made the video. I would have to wait for another sale. X Tool at 1600 is a bit out of reach for me. I suppose if I was selling knives that would be different. Dennis, thank you for your quick replies. Sometime I have questions about problems I run into making my knives and I've tried to reach out to a professional knife maker like you in the past with no sucess. It sure would be nice to be able to talk with someone on the phone that could likely answer my questions or give advice. My name is Glen, I'm 76 and retired and enjoy making knives as a hobby.
@glenpaul3606 even the LP3 is $1350 right now and it’s much less powerful and featured than the F1. The LP4 is about the same as the F1 but the F1 has much better attachments, software and usability.
Game changer!
Totally! I’m excited to offer custom engraving for customers as well! Thanks for watching.
Will the laser pecker 2 also engrave knife blades?
I don’t know anything about the LP2. You’d have to look it up on their site. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Awesome video!
Thanks for checking it out, Greg!
Roughly how long does it take you to do the 4 pass makers mark on the steel ?
It totally depends on the size of your makers mark but on this one pictured in the thumbnail, which is 1/2” long, it took about 10mins. Thanks for watching.
Sold!
I’m so thrilled with this machine! You won’t be disappointed, Spencer! Thanks for taking a look
@@TyrellKnifeworks thanks for making me spend more money!😂
@@HeavyForge Any time! 😜
Is this a 10w laser?
This is a fiber laser, not a diode, so they aren’t measured the same. This is a 1W pulse laser that does 4k resolution. It’s much stronger than a 10W diode on things like metal. Thanks for watching.
@@TyrellKnifeworks Right, but fiber lasers are also measured in 10, 20, 30...60w. The one's that are $3-4k are usually at least 30w.
Denis gets a new toy... Denis uses new toy for EVERYTHING! 😂 Gotta laser that MM on the old lady's butt. 😂
Haha, don’t tell her, it’s a surprise. 🤣. Thanks for watching, Matt!
@@TyrellKnifeworks welcome brother! 🙏
I hate to burst everyones bubble... but this is not a fiber laser. It even says so on their website. Its a 1 yes 1 watt infrared laser. A true fiber laser is much larger and requires a cooler. Enjoywood makes one the exact same. Its considerably less on ebay. Just a heads up
Thanks for the update.
Laserpecker is what the ladies call me
@@borrago it works in femtosecond pulses
Because it pecks a million times a second with very minute depth? Haha… I had to. 🤣. Thanks for watching!
I want! 😂
I was skeptical at first but I’m thrilled with this machine!
Denis, beware! Very soon you're going to run out of room for all your new tools! I assume you're not going to set this up in the house due to fumes.
I don’t believe they makes fumes. I’m not 100% sure though. Either way you could just put in on your stove top and use the vent if anyone’s that worried about it lol
The great thing about these pulse lasers, no smoke or nasty stuff coming off them. You still need s ventilated area but nothing like the continuous diode lasers. This one will live in my office. Thanks for watching, Bryson!
@@TyrellKnifeworksI don’t think it’s the laser that makes the fumes, it’s the material itself. And these lasers work by vaporising the material inherently creating fumes.
@@Volt64bolt The way these work is that it's a pulse laser instead of a continuous hot laser pointed at the material. They are much lower temp, hence less or no smoke.
@@TyrellKnifeworks but then how does it clear out the material, it needs to go somewhere
Please spin that shark around lol
That shark is exactly as it should be! 😉. Thanks for watching
Oh yep instead of a battery let’s use a 1k piece of equipment
You obviously don't get the usefulness of this. You don't need stencils, you can put anything on a blade and the resolution is WAY better, like 10x better than electro etching could ever be.
@@TyrellKnifeworks I’m just jealous I can’t afford one lol...