Etching Tile

I use AquaNet on one of my 3D printers and it is water soluble. Not sure that it would be good as a mask, as the paint might dissolve it.

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For 3D printing, apparently, not the GF…

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Thanks, yeah I figured it was for a 3d printer.
I should have been more clear, I wondered how it worked on the 3d printer.
Mine uses blue tape but no heated bed so I guess it wouldn’t work for me.

Yeah, the heated bed is a big part of the hairspray, you need to evaporate it to get tacky.

Purple Aquanet works nicely for printing with ABS plastic.

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I’ve been loving doing tile since I got my GF, Just hate having to clean them up and trying not to get color’s to bleed.
I’m just using what everyone else has, marker’s, water and paper towel.

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Use the Mr Clean magic Eraser instead of water and a paper towel. Less bleed.

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Use bulk generic melamine sponges from Amazon, same thing but far cheaper!

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Love the Pokemon! So you used regular spray paint? Did you use these as decoration later or as coasters? Wondering how well it would hold up as a coaster without a sealant. Did you seal it?

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oh so sorry everyone…I didn’t get a notice until someone else just remarked. The blue painters tape is something we used on the 3D printer bed to help prints stick (ABS is just horrible about not sticking on corners). Then sometimes the tape gets embedded in the print. Aquanet hairspray (purple can) works wonderfully. All you do is put the bed under hot water and it comes right off.

So sorry if someone mistook my comment for the Glowforge! My bad!

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Thank you for this - had I tried it without reading this entire thread I think I would have given up at step 2!

2 passes, 1000, full, 225 lpi - and a brown marker wiped off with a papertowel

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So this is first attempt. I only had rustoleum spray paint on hand. It likes to stick to the glossy parts and fade a bit on the engrave so I’ll be looking for something else next time. Hobby Lobby had cork contact paper which worked out nicely.

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Out of curiosity, has anyone tried just spray painting the entire tile, and then engraving away what they don’t want to have colored?

Seems like this may be bad for the tile, losing the enamel coating or whatnot… but sounds quicker/easier (well, maybe longer in the machine…)

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yeah, but spraypaint on the smooth glazed tile surface is subject to flaking and chipping. It doesn’t have much to hold onto. No worries about it down in the textured engraved areas.

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Sweet! How is it holding up now after 2 months?

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The ship of fools tile is on a stand, so no problem there. The batman tile I use as a coaster at my desk and apart from sticking to my glass sometimes it looks the same as the day I made it. I think the nature of the design hides any scuffs that might have happened if any.

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Yep. Well, except I didn’t have spray paint handy so I used a brush. :wink:

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OK, suggestions wanted for a tile project.

I have a tile that I can color with oil-based Sharpie. Unfortunately, both of the spray finishes that I have seem to “lift” the color. I tried spraying it, wiping it off with a paper towel, spraying again, until I got down to just the ceramic color without it bleeding everywhere. (I am using 4" tiles for testing, and plan to use a 6" tile for the final project. The tile will be set in a wood frame. I was thinking it would be a trivet, but see below.) After the first two or three coats, it wasn’t lifting color any more, and I was able to spray it a couple more times.

OK, so I have a couple of sealed 4" tiles that seem OK. I made myself a cup of tea and set it on one of them, and it stuck to the tile. :hushed: The one with a matte finish doesn’t seem to be sticking to my mug, so that might still work as a trivet, but I’m worried that it won’t.

Can I just leave it unsealed? The oil-based Sharpie shouldn’t run, but I’m worried about the possibility of water getting in between the tile and the wood frame and ruining it. Any advice?

(You can see the “lifted” color a little bit at bottom right in this photo.)

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