Absolute width of material?

Hey guys…the ads say that we can only engrave 12"x20" on the glow forge but can I physically fit something deeper? I wanna engrave an electric guitar body and it will fit (although I know it won’t reach to engrave it all). That’s ok because I only wanna engrave a portion of it. Not sure if I’m being clear. Just wondering what’s going on there in the back beyond the crumb tray. Thanks!

Yes you can utilize that space to fit a larger item in there.

3 Likes

How thick is the guitar body? Absolute limit is under 2 inches. Actually about 1.9" so that will probably be your limitation. Length front to back is 18".

2 Likes

The width of the guitar is actually 1.75". This is one of the reasons I wanted the glow forge. I’m a guitar buff lol

2 Likes

The height is not only about where the laser can focus, it is also about the print head not running into the thing you are printing.

Is the body that you are wanting to engrave on under 18" long? (Front to back, that is the depth of the Basic and Plus models. Unfortunately, a guitar wouldn’t work in the Passthrough slot either, so you wouldn’t gain anything from upgrading.)

keep in mind that the shape of a guitar isn’t square (well, 99% of the time), so it could also go in at an angle, depending on where the engraving was supposed to go.

2 Likes

Yeah, I thought about that, but I’d hate to see someone screw up a guitar body if it gets whacked by something. So 18" to be on the safe side, 26" diagonal…BUT…a guitar body is pretty wide, so it’s not going to fit on a perfect diagonal.

1 Like

I would make a foam or cardboard model of the guitar and try that out before wrestling the real thing into the space and setting the laser to do its magic.

7 Likes

Well since we’re already in beyond the manual, talking about putting a guitar under a laser, then I don’t see any reason we can’t point this member in the direction of bypassing the door of the laser needing to be shut with magnets.

If one searched on the forum, there have been a few people who have come up with workarounds on the front door needing to be shut, meaning you could use longer materials. Obviously you’d be at a higher risk of injuring yourself or others if you choose to do this method, but it all comes down to what you’re comfortable with.

3 Likes

Not me… I don’t assume they’ve read the warnings. :slightly_smiling_face:
(I don’t want to be the one who leads them to hurting themselves or someone else. Blind is forever.)

3 Likes

Yep - they should just make sure they get a pair or two of the laser glasses.

2 Likes

More specifically the sharp-edged air assist scoop that hangs down even lower and hides at the rear of the assembly.

If in doubt:

  • Insert object
  • Turn off power
  • Gently move the head around the predicted travel path and watch for bumps
1 Like