Do you use tape to cover the surface before you etch, or is it necessary? I have been putting painters tape on my tile before I engrave it, and Its so much easier to clean up.
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I donât use tape on it. It doesnât leave any scorch marks at all.
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When I did mine, I used the sharpie, then immediately used a non alcohol babywipe and the extra came right off without too much effort. No masking needed as it doesnât leave any burn marks.
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Thanks. I wasnât actually thinking about scorching until you mentioned it. Lol, I was more worried if it was a possibility of the laser bouncing back because the tile has such a high shine to it.
I have found that using tape makes it so easy because once you take it off the image is great. I actually use flat rustoleum of krylon spray paint if youâre only using one color and it works great. I get so inspired when I see all the beautiful things made by everyone.
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Awesome, you inspired me to try it!
I went for black marker but was not happy with the result. Then I tried black acrylic paint, which is what you see here. Iâm wondering if anyone has tried using the laser to fix a pigment to get something more hard wearing? Glass power, enamel power, toner etc?
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HD sells apparently the same tile (no Lowes here) Iâve been having good success with this:
Daltile Restore Bright White 4-1/4 in. x 4-1/4 in. Ceramic Wall Tile
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Laserbits (now Johnsons Plastics) sells something like that, but with no control on air assist, not sure how you could use any of those powdered pigmentsâŚ
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Thanks for this whole thread.
Read all the different advice and made two attempts. First one came out weak(not depicted), the second one was awesome. Making sure the image was 450 dpi and slowing the speed to 600 made the difference.
600/full @225 lpi(image at 450 dpi).
Also used the 6 inch tiles from home depot.
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Thanks for including this! I gave that a try and it works a treat.
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Good idea!
If youâre already running the laser twice you might want to try a 2-edge jigging, it not only sets your position (like the X method) but also prevents rotation (which the X method doesnât).
Described here:
https://community.glowforge.com/t/alignment-of-irregular-objects-coasters/16116Just a question, how long do you let it dry before the wipe? And do you saturate the broad (wide type) areas? I have a few designs Iâm working on and they have some broad (1/2") areas to fill.
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Finally did my first etch today on 4x4" tile (fortunately have a box in the basement from when I tiled my shower 14 years ago!), using 600 speed; full power, 250 LPI. This is using a copyright-free historic botanical image. Pretty pleased with it. Black sharpie and I extra scrubbed with alcohol on a paper towel-- I wanted to get more ink off than less to show the intricacy of the âtextureâ of the original image. Thanks for the advice from all on settings. IMG_1061|500x500
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I try to remove the oil-based sharpie as quickly as possible. If it dries too much, it requires too much acetone to remove.
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Uh-oh! Thatâs an adorably squeeeee worthy critter youâre trying to sneak past me! 
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Oooh. Where can someone such as I locate this Hedgehog in a Tea Cup artwork? My wife likes Hedgehogs and Tea. Win win if I can make her one⌠and then maybe she wonât complain as much about how much time I spend in my workshop with âthat damn machineâ.
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I bought it quite awhile agoâŚcanât remember wheređ I have a fox, dog and cat in tea cups too.
Secret to getting a nice dark color fill.
Use a Mr Clean eraser, slightly damp and just drag it gently over the designâŚit will take off the sharpie eventually (took about a minuteâŚ). Resist the urge to press down and you will get a nice deep color left behind.
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I buy Magic Erasers by the gross.
(No kidding, theyâre a lot cheaper if you just buy a box of Melamine Sponges off of EBay.)
That looks fantastique. 
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