Thanks 😁

Give it a go! Doing these canvases makes you better at understanding the laser machine.

Luban is proprietary to snapmaker. The equivalent is lightburn.

For a 50w co2, its a little tricky. You want to be on very low power and speed about the same. I would think you should try between 10% - 15% power. It will be a little trial and error.l to dial it in.

Always a good idea to hit up dollar tree 😁

@@MadeByMervich lol yes it is

Today I’m gonna be trying to engrave my first time on some slate coasters. I never done it. I don’t know what sentence to use cause my manual that came with my laser didn’t say anything about slate so I don’t know what settings what settings do you recommend I have a JL5 Kentok tool

@BrendaDavis-1963 i have a video on slate coasters, if you havent given it a watch, you may find it beneficial. With the JL5 (5.5w laser) you will probably need to be at 100% power.

You got this!

When i do them, the paint layers are almost fully cured between coats. The reason is i do multiple layers, and each layer is applied very thinly and uniform (that's why I do one direction, then the other to get full coverage). You wouldn't be able to wipe it with a wet cloth if it wasn't dry. I sometimes apply a lot of pressure wiping them off.

That could be from trying to reuse failed canvases, to hot or to cold, or not letting the layers dry long enough. It could also possibly happen from using different brands, and chemical reactions happening.

@@MadeByMervich I figured it out it was using gloss base layer then matt and flat upper layers, in combination of different brands. Will buy the same paints from now on. I will never reuse the cheap canvas boards they are too inexpensive to be that cheap.

Honestly, any image can work for the most part. But to get super good results, the image has to be modified in a way that allows the laser to give top notch results. I create my images and make them laser ready. You can visit my etsy for laser images. You can find the link to my shop in the video description 😁

Its on there now! Thanks 😁

Thanks

I have the Snapmaker Artisian. I have the the 10w and 40w laser. Most of my work is done with the 10w. Yes, i believe the A350 is interchangeable.

@@MadeByMervich thanks for your reply! you like the 10w over the 40? I was going to upgrade, and trying to decide if I should get the new frame they made for laser or just get the head for my a-350. Thanks for giving me your perspective! I look forward to seeing your art grow!

@mistrfinga well, the lasers have their own purposes. For most of what i do, i aim for high detail. The 10w is very high detail. The 40w does great detail as well, but it can cut thicker stuff and it can color metal (through heat exchange).

Thank you for that compliment 😁. Im not to familar with the Glowforge, but i did some research to convert. Try power around 10-20, speed 350 to 400, and LPI at 150 in 1 pass. This should get you in the ballpark. Your outcome has a lot to do with how you apply your coats. It they arent perftectly even layers, it can have thick spots and the laser penetration can vary, resulting in a less than desirable outcome.

So great to hear. There is so much you can do with these machines. Best of luck, and enjoy!

Thanks for the tip!

Yes, if you finish/seal it with food safe epoxy. If you try to seal it with an oil, it will likely just smudge. If you are doing cutting boards and similar items, i would dial your laser in to get perfect surface burn. You can check out my video on getting high details. I cover perfect surface burn. It will give you the darkest outcome without digging into the wood or charing it.

The coasters i use have foam feet, so i just spray the engraved side.

Noted!

Noted!

If you seal the board with a food safe sealer, then the borax method can work. The only problem is you dont want to rub it, it can potentially smear. In an ideal scenario, you would really like to get your power set to where it burns the wood, without digging into the wood. I call this a perfect surface burn. It will be black, but not go into the wood. No smudging as well. That is trial and error, and can change depending on wood type.

No problem 👍

So.. size does change the settings a little. Not so much power, but more so for LPI/DPI. When an image is increased in size, you can slightly lower the LPI/DPI to get the same great results, and finish faster. I go over this a little in my video about how to get more details in your engraving.

Q-tip is your best bet for cleaning up. You can do the laser engrave, spray the stain, then clear coat it.

Glad i could help others with this!

You can do multiple colors by trying to gauge where the paint color needs to be.

@@MadeByMervich Thank you kindly. I will definitely give it a try.

It canbe done,, but you won't get the best results.

Most times no. You can, but be very careful how you apply. It needs to be applied in very thin coats. If to heavy, it will cause cracking on the canvases, and destroy your work. Clear coat will also give a sheen to your work, and in lighting, your work can be distorted due to the clear gloss shine.

Thanks 😊

It only works for Snapmaker machines. They are 3d printers, cnc, and laser all in one.

Just for darker engravings on wood.

Thanks!

Thank you 😁

No problem!

Just you typical spray paints.

I have a snapmaker artisian. Its a 3 in 1 (laser, cnc, and 3d printer).

Sometimes. But 90% of the time, the new paint will crack around the area that was lasered. If you do very light coats of the base coats, to make a even surface, it sometimes works.

B@@MadeByMervich ah ok, thanks for taking the time to reply and for the excellent tutorials

Yes it surely can.

@@MadeByMervich thanks

Your welcome 😁

I do layered paints just as I do with the canvases. I have tiles that are probably 5 months old and still look exactly how they came oit the machine. They can get scuffed/chip if they are hit by something. You could add an extra layer of protection by doing a final layer of clear or epoxy. But if making a display, they shouldn't get damaged. As far as flaking, it will rely on your prep work. Ensuring there are no oils (you can wipe with rubbing alcohol and let dry) prior to painting. The spray paint bonds very well. I have tried to reuse failed tiles, and i gave up due to how well the paint was stuck to it (tried scraping it off). I could have used paint thinner and certainly got it back to the smooth tile surface, but I didn't want to waste the paint thinner since the tiles are fairly cheap.

Your welcome, and thank you 😊, very much appreciated 😁

I have a Snapmaker Artisian 3 in 1 (3d printer, laser, and cnc) that uses proprietary software called Luban. But every laser does the same thing. The only real difference is that different software labels things differently. Example: Some machines use LPI (lines per inch), DPI (dots per inch), or like mine dots per mm. It just takes some converting depending on what your settings require.

@MadeByMervich thanks! Wow, that is some machine! I see lightburn in my future. My goal is to make small gifts for families that have a loved one in Hospice. You are helping me formulate a plan.

You are very welcome. I try to give great detail to ensure ease of replication.

Thank you 😁

Thank you 😁

You can do decent selling these. Depending on the quality and size of your canvas, you can make $40 to $100 USD per canvas. Again size, quality, and the local market for these depict your outcome of sales. Being able to produce high quality canvases expand your products in the art realm, and allows color to enter your laser works.

He sells the digital picture on Etsy

Yes, i try to do 2 layers of base (white). It helps even out the canvas. Then layers of color. And only 1 top coat of black.

Thank you 😁

Thank you too

Thank you for this great comment! It means a lot to me to hear this 😁

Thanks

So great to hear this. Ive been trying to do some more videos, but work has been crazy. But to the question, the only way to get a true white would be to paint the coaster white, then paint black. Im not a fan of this, but that is how you get trye white. Without doing that, you will always get a dull white/grey or darker and can also get a gold color with high power.