It appears to be totally dependent on the steel. As originally advertised the glowforge was supposed to do absolutely nothing to steel unless you used a material like Cermark. Since its release people have found some steels to take a mark with nothing but the laser, for some steels a thin layer of mustard seems to leave a mark. Dry Moly works on many and of course Cermark should work on pretty much anything the instructions say it will work on.
You can search on Cermark settings and be pretty confident it will work. For all others you may need a sacrificial knife to dial in your settings and process. Some threads on these techniques:
After reading a post suggesting mustard could be used to mark metal I gave it a try. I had an old knife kicking around from my sailor days. It served me well (and still does) so I decided to adorn it with the name of the ship we sailed on. I smeared some dijon mustard on it with a Q-tip and used an engraving speed of 1000, power 50.
I am totally impressed with the result however a few attempts on different metals did not fair so well. This particular metal obviously reacts well with whatever ch…
OK. I had to try it, but it still needs refining and testing. I know you guys will pick up where I left off!
I read about people using Ceramark and the like (and how expensive it is) to etch steel. I also saw the people joking about mustard and the youtube video of him doing it. I had to try it… and it worked!
I dabbed mustard (plain ole yellow) and also soaked a cheap paper towel in cleaning strength white vinegar since I assumed that is what is creating the reaction in mustard to start wit…
Made this Bottle opener with the GF just now and it turned out AWESOME!!
MY FIRST TRY! =)
Speed: 150
Power: Full
Lines Per Inch: 340
Pass: 1
Dry Moly Lube: ( https://amzn.to/2LMQIab ) Coats Waiting about 5 minutes per coat (you can see it go from wet look to a dry look) and then let it set for about 15-20 to fully dry!!
[50%20PM|690x397][45%20PM] [50%20PM]
Well, as others have noted, it does mark. Visibility varies with angle, from what I’ve seen. Of course, I may have overcooked, undercooked, or undercoated it. Take one at sampling…well, take 2. Take one was on a medical alert bracelet that I’m starting to think might not have been stainless at all, since it left no marks at all.
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After a request from a friend to do a job for a new Eagle scout, I finally got around to testing out some CerMark.
Here’s where I got my starting info from:
[CerMark Solution - brushing CerMark on metal]
A couple of notes:
These tests were done with a Pro unit on full power, which is different than full power on a basic.
You may notice streaks. That, I believe, has more to do with my application of the product than anything else. There were streaks in my sponge brush strokes.
Thi…
If you’re looking to etch metal (other than stainless steel) you need settings and examples. Marking stainless steel is easy and almost anything (including condiments) will work. Try and mark Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Chrome, Nickel, Glass, Ceramic, Titanium, etc. and you’ll likely find a CO2 laser (even the pro model) just doesn’t “cut it”.
Laserbond 100 (like ceramark and thermark before it) lets you make deep black markings like on overpriced coffee mugs. The inventor even publishes a comp…
I used Cermark to personalize my husband’s and my friend’s stethoscopes today! Alignment was interesting as it is a very tight space but it worked!
[image] [image]
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