This post is in response to the Merging Layered Mandalas discussion from a few months ago. That post is now locked, but I wanted to share that I finally finished one of the projects and hoped to get a few likes to stay in the cool kids club. Please note that none of this was done on the Glowforge, but thought some of you might be interested in the final results. Thanks again to @evansd2 for helping optimize the process of merging layered mandalas!
The top layers are one color, so those are easy. The rest of the layers are 2 colors each. I first lightly score the border and the outline of the crab on the mdf, take it out and place masking tape where the crab score line is. Rescore the masking tape crab outline, removing tape where the crab part is, then paint. Wait for that to dry, re-mask, rescore, remove tape outside crab, and then paint that a different color. Once dry, remove tape then laser cut the final design. Repeat for each layer. Very tedious, but multiple colors help make the crab stand out, or at least in theory…
Why not mask the entire thing, and then use the score line to cut your masking on the center of the outline of the crab? You’d be able to peel the inner masking and do the crab paint in one shot, peel the rest of the masking, and paint the outer area in a second shot. Since you scored the centerline it’s not necessary to be super accurate as you paint the second section, you have a built-in buffer because that area will be covered up.
It’s easier and cheaper to use blue painters tape on just the crab score line than mask the whole thing twice. Honestly most people would be able to paint the 2 colors without tape, since it’s hidden under other layers and doesn’t need to be super accurate. But my MS has gotten bad enough where I don’t have the dexterity to do that, so I mask it.
That turned out beautifully! Absolutely gorgeous! It looks so nice hanging on the wall, with that beautiful lamp as well! I’m jealous, but not enough to take the time to do all that work!
