Can I do this?(sculpting pencils)

I’m wondering if the Glowforge will work for something like these Tiny Sculptures

Nope. Absolutely cannot do that. If it IS able to cut the graphite, it would melt around the cut. And those are 3D cuts.

You could “sculpt” the wood past the lead though, rotating the pencil to be able to cut each side for a near 3D result.

Had no idea about the graphite. Figured if it would cut it I could rotate to get the effect. Can’t imagine the patience and skill that goes into doing these by hand.

Graphite, a form of pure carbon has extreme heat tolerance.
It won’t melt until pressure exceeds 90 atmospheres, and temperatures get in the 4,000K neighborhood, or around 6,500F.
40 watts won’t get you there.
But I do wonder what temperatures a 40 watt laser can achieve.

The skill to sculpt those is amazing!

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Makes perfect sense. The temperature that develops depends on the material.
Thanks for digging up the link!:thumbsup:

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That is why you can build a home furnace that can melt steel, with graphite rods…

build a mini arc furnace at home

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My son is a metallurgist at a steel mill that uses an arc furnace. unimaginable roar!
Mostly from the ventilation equipment.

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