[IMG_1360] Why do I always get scorched overburn marks on my basswood engraves? As you can see, it’s only on the “south” side. I’ve played with power reduction, speed reduction, some masking options. Is this an airflow or fan problem? Is that a magic silver bullet or toggle that I’m missing th…

This is why Proofgrade basswood, and all other wood Glowforge offers, comes with masking tape completely covering both sides. You’re intended to engrave and cut with the masking on, which protects all the untouched surfaces from this charring/staining, then peel off the masking after taking the part…

That is the re-deposition of the vaporized basswood (“smoke”), blown in that direction by the air assist fan. Masking can protect from that for many applications. It’s harder with detailed engraves, where the masking may get totally destroyed. People have various techniques for removing that, incl…

[image] JimHarbin: Is this an airflow or fan problem? Yes & no. It’s a deliberate design decision from way back. They wanted to have good marketing shots of the GF so they oriented the head’s air assist outlet toward the front. Unfortunately that is opposite the airflow of the main fan so it …

You’ll also find if you do a lot of acrylic engraving, the vaporized material will redeposit towards the front, and leave a rough surface.

Excellent advice from @dan84 about masking. For some more detail on the topic, #2 on my faq gets into some alternate sources and usage tips. [image] 2: All about masking/protecting your materials Beyond the Manual Return to the common questions index What it …

Awesome! Thanks for the advice. I do have some of the transfer paper but haven’t been using it consistently. I’ll try it.

1/8” Basswood Overburn Scorching

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evansd2 November 2, 2025, 12:03pm 6

Excellent advice from @dan84 about masking. For some more detail on the topic, #2 on my faq gets into some alternate sources and usage tips.