Another happy Canadian (at last!)

Received my Pro a couple of days ago, went through all the unboxing, setup and first sample print like everyone… all seems fine and working!
These steps were quite exciting and fun but this is now far from novel stuff to show or discuss…
Still, that Glowforge gift of good measure is so awesome to cut and see turn into reality!!!

So I decided to whip a quick first easy project. Prep some maps and decided to engrave them for a quick gift to my parents. Got inspired by a bunch of “laser engraving maps” video and posts from many of you (after waiting for so long I have many many many things to catch up!)
So Thanks all!

Turned out super nice, maps were extracted from snazzymaps.com with the epilog style but also post manipulated in Paintshop pro to add/remove details. Then I simply imported the artwork as png/bitmap… no conversion to SVG as I only wanted to engrave that part.
I then created a rectangle SVG in Inkscape to cut around the engraved image… (how come we do not yet have simple geometry tools in the Glowforge app???)

Selected Draft Photo as settings and printed on medium draftboard, took 44 minutes and a lot of smoke vented outside (some smoke also escaped the fan push and enclosure… I guess the Glowforge is not 100% airtight… Normal??.. my room was smelly… need to investigate where it’s coming out could be where the vent and the hose meet…)

Very happy of the result for a first try with no custom settings and really no depth/pass/layers complex SVGing… :wink: I am sure spending more time on all the above can make it a lot better, adding even some complete hollow holes and background elevation things… but this was the first test!

Let me know what you would do different and if my smoke thing is a “normal” thing.

Not bad for drafboard… should try it on real wood!

  • Yes the protective paper is still there except the left side… To me this is not a relaxing/zen/satisfying process so will leave that part for my wife to play with tonight.
  • Yes @Jules it needs a stand :slight_smile:
25 Likes

Chuckle! Gorgeous! (And no, it’s not usual for you have smoke coming out while the machine is running. Good idea to check to make sure the hose is sealed at both the machine and the window. Aluminum tape can help.) :smile:

1 Like

Those are beautiful! I always go back and forth on whether I like the clean look of removing the masking after, or the “aged” look of removing it before I forge :slight_smile:

If the zen of masking removal becomes too much, use gorilla (or equivalent high-tack) tape to make the removal a breeze!

Correct - the :glowforge: is not airtight because it vacuums in clean air to replace the smoky air it’s pushing out - but no smoke should be escaping.

1 Like

I think we’re all thrilled you’re finally up and running in Canada. Your patience will be rewarded by the wonderful things you will create! Great first project, that’s for sure, your parents are going to love it.

4 Likes

Thanks guys on confirming it should not smell at all while operating. I did find that the hose had a little hole near the clamp… this beg for a better longer term solution. 3D printed parts and hard metal tubing is on a future road map…

Hose was adjusted and Aluminium (eh!) tape has been applied! Will test again soon and would expect no smoke/smell.

3 Likes

So glad you found the leak in your hose, and are enjoying your Glowforge! I’m sure they’ll love the maps.

Hey! A long-timer! You hung in there and this is the payoff.

It took me a while, but I finally got my long exhaust run sealed and there is no odor while operating. The machine has one exhaust fan that displaces more CFM than the 2 intake fans combined, so by design - there is negative pressure in the interior of the glowforge. It should be sucking in air through every crack.
Personally I am a fan of the screw-clamp type as opposed to the supplied spring clamp. Also, a bead of caulk on any seam will give an airtight seal.
Anything downstream of a fan is pressurized. for that reason if your run requires a booster fan it is best situated at the end, so like the machine - every joint is sucking instead of blowing.

Congratulations on your bet paying off man. Enjoy :sunglasses:

3 Likes

Thanks! yeah enough complaining, time to make!
Suddenly now that I have my GF I do not know what to make… hehe well I guess it’s because I have too many things to chose from and not enough material to make much. Need to find local suppliers now… should have looked at this before but it was just a dream with no real end date until now.

7 Likes

Closing in on 4 years dude, I have to salute your patience.

3 Likes

Fantastic job!

Well smell is a different issue than smoke escaping. You need tiny (really tiny) amounts for smell. And the system isn’t truly sealed to the outside. Yes if you put a booster inline you can generate enough negative pressure that even tiny quantities get sucked out, but hard to keep small amounts of smellable stuff from escaping. Certain volatile compounds can be smelt in the parts per billion so that’s a few CCs of air.

4 Likes

J’ai reçu ma Glowforge pro la semaine dernière à Rouyn-Noranda. Je n’ai pas encore eu l’occasion de la connecter pour l’essayer, car je manque de place actuellement. Lorsque mes rénos seront plus avancés je vais pouvoir la tester ! J’ai bien hâte surtout lorsque je vois le résultat de tes premières gravures ! Profite bien de ton imprimante 4 ans ce fut long, mais lorsque je vois les projets réalisés je ne regrette pas d’avoir patienté.

4 Likes

I’m so happy to see these projects coming out of Canada finally! You folks really deserve a medal for hanging in there.

I like how you whipped up a “quick and easy” detailed map for your second project. :laughing:

4 Likes

Hehehe! well I think my first real project was the most artistic one… Then all of them were functional or test only.

A rope reel I made to store paracord / camping rope… you never have enough of these around, I did 3 copies on a maple board and they are super solid.

Storage box divider for my wife cake tools, had fun practising engraving acrylic

and a Stainless dog tag engraved for a friend’s junior team (I think I will go to Aluminum instead)

And a couple other tests/quick projects that I did not snap in picture…
I can say that the Glowforge will be almost in use daily like our 3DPrinter!

Only had 1 small internet connection issue… had to redo setup and now it’s ok…

was worth the wait!

Marc, dépèches toi de faire de la place! ça presse!!

5 Likes

So glad you’re up and running!

Oui je sais j’avance 3 fenêtres sur 5 de posées … je commence le gypse dimanche. Ça va faire un peu de place .