It seems to be a truism that any kit requires accessories: my car, my piano, my phone all get little gifts and helpers to let me worship and cherish them properly.
So what will I need to buy for glow forge? Let’s start a list for the basic and pro models, and get some Amazon links in!
To start the ball:
Glow forge cover, with handy pocket for the vent hose
Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, to appease the doubtful spouse
Spikes, wedges, tongs, brush, file/rasp and ball peen hammer for weeding and other cruft removal
Stock of starter material for experimenting in the first few days (although let’s avoid talking about feedstock here).
Transfer tape, masking tape, glue and misc blocks for supporting material
A CO2 extinguisher is a must-have. One of the criticisms leveled at GF outside this forum is that the subject of safety has been glossed over. Lasers burn things and occasionally start things on fire. Air assist helps, but there’s always a chance for a fire to catch. I’ve seen the results of a machine left unattended for a few moments and it’s not pretty.
Dremel tool would be handy. A roller cutter mat with grids for measure and assembly. What I use for cutting fabric for quilts. I have access to lots of wood, especially walnut and white oak from old barns. Going to make a Mathias Wandel bandsaw for resaw work, planer and will make a thickness sander. Keep the suggestions coming.
I mainly want to assemble a wish list that crafters would consult and order from (eg) Amazon when their glowforge is on the way.
So let’s keep this thread just for accessories, such as equipment, support supplies (tape etc) and useful accoutrements rather than feedstock (production raw material).
A new thread might be appropriate for feedstock sample ideas / starter packs.
A thought that just occurred to me… On a lot of laser cutters the laser tube is in the back of the unit. On the Glowforge, the tube travels with the arm in one axis. The laser head is just below and little in front of the tube. If you have a small fire I wonder what happens if you spray cold CO2 on a possibly hot tube? I don’t really have a clue as to how hot a laser tube gets or how fragile with swift temp changes.
Yeah, Though it might mean the manner I extinguish flames would be adjusted with the cost risk. Maybe only use the extinguisher if it looks like the GF is a lost cause. The first step might be pull the tray out with a leather welders glove and drop on the concrete floor.
I think the cooling has to keep the tube cool in order for it work, close to room temp, which is why the cooling is a pain for laser cutters because lasers are very inefficient and produce a lot of heat.
I know that I like to accessorize, and that decals and shirts are a way to start to show some 'forge love/pride for those of us who might want to do that. I also know that it can be a lucrative side-market for a company that wants to take the time to deal with it themselves. I also know that it can be a pain to try to oversee, and allowing third parties to come up with and sell designs on their own can be seen as free advertising with zero effort.
That brings up questions of use and licensing of the Glowforge logo (trademarked? copyright? creative commons?) Will you authorize third-party use of the logo and name? Will Glowforge be issuing decals and apparel with equipment purchases (like Apple)? Selling/gifting them only to approved professionals (like RedBull)? Selling them to Everyone, as much as possible (like Monster Energy) Licensed reseller/design-house apparel (like MLB and NFL)? Limited edition runs of artist-designed shirts and stickers (like ello)?
How about other stuff, like the OP @alexbbrown 's dust-cover idea… if he designed one using the logo, would he have to/be able to get permission to sell it online? Or will y’all be selling branded accessories yourselves? Like right-height desktop roller stands for pushing long media through the pro, or heavy duty stands, carts, and travel cases?
As a commercial shop, I have to be aware of rights and licenses, and I would never sell anyone else’s design or Registered/copyright/trademark/logo/etc item without express written permission, or know that I could face legal action. Copyright law is nasty but straightforward enough here in the US. If @bohiwnmh wants to make my shirt design (and accept money for it), I’m sure he would ask for my permission and vector file, rather than just stealing the jpeg… right?
Good questions for our friendly neighborhood lawyer! Unfortunately our friendly neighborhood lawyer is in Tanzania (more precisely, off the coast of Tanzania, underwater, with whale sharks) so I will have to get back to you on that.
