Ok…well keep me on your list please…and thank you for thinking of this.
This thread makes me think people here might be interested in owning a Silhouette vinyl cutter. The model used by @bill_laba isn’t mentioned (of if it was, I missed it) but I bet a Cameo would do the job. I have a Cameo - 'tis a cool little machine. I’ve used it at least three times! 
On eBay, it looks like the going rate for used Cameos is about $190 (I didn’t bother to check the shipping costs). There are “starter kits” on Amazon for about $270. I think a Cameo would make a good companion for a Glowforge (not to mention owning one now might make it easier to wait for… whenever… to get a Glowforge). The Silhouette software is decent.
Another option for anyone with a CNC machine of some kind would be to get a drag knife for it. Tormach sells one* for about $150. I have that one and the blade looks very similar to the Cameo blade. I’ve only used it a couple times, I just copied the feeds and speeds from the Silhouette software.
If you have a CNC machine of some kind and you just want to get your feet wet, $8 or so** will get you a replacement Cameo knife cartridge. The cartridge is plastic and the threaded portion could be easily removed with a knife or hacksaw. The barrel is about 14mm in diameter (I think, don’t quote me on that) so if you can hold something that big you could give it a try with very little investment.
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Here’s the Cameo and Tormach drag knives side-by-side… (Cameo left and Tormach right)
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Nice closeup picture of the two knives. I purchased a Silhouette Cameo late last year. I’ve used it several time for various projects, one of which is discussed here.
This simple tool has been a great starting point while I’m waiting for the Glowforge.
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Maybe you can sell like a BIC pen for $50 and give as a gift a t-shirt…who knows perhaps that’s legal!
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Reminds me of visiting East Berlin, before the wall came down. Specific items were only allowed to be sold on specific days, as mandated by the state. One such item was shoes. So you would see a vendor selling a $60 apple that came with a free pair of shoes.
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It’s also how you get around scalping laws (do they still have scalping laws?). The ticket and this pen come as a bundle. That said, the point here is to not violate the spirit of dan’s request.
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Absolutely.
That said…
I made the glowforge logo into a vector and cut it from vinyl as a decal several months ago. At the time I didn’t have the right color vinyl on hand, so I cut it in red. It looked somewhat like a heart, so I made a silly design from it and sent some to the GF crew. I asked about the licensing of the logo, but was essentially told to wait and see, that it hadn’t been figured out yet. I would love to be able to sell them to the rest of the forum, either as decals or as heat-pressed shirts. In fact, I would love to sell them directly to glowforge, to be included in the box! I would bet that I am not the only one who would like to see Glowforge on their client list… and I’m sure there are folks who want a sticker!
Anyone with a vinyl cutter can make their own, of course, but sometimes having one on hand makes it easy to forget how special decals can be when they aren’t just a plotter away.
So, now, looking at this roll of vinyl which is _prett_y close to the right color, and having implicit permission from @Dan to make them in a wholly non-profit, creative, collaborative, community-building fashion, I thought I would like to borrow a fun idea from my friend Zoltron.
Here is what I am thinking:
YOU:
- Send me a letter containing a S.A.S.E. (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope).
- Decorate the exterior of the letter, in any way you see fit. Drawings, stamps, paint, stickers, embossing…
- OPTIONAL - You include your forum username if you want linked/credit photos.
- SUPER-EXTRA OPTIONAL - You include some physical item of art (or craft) of yours for me to keep.
in return,
I:
- Keep the decorated envelope.
- Use the SASE to send you a forum-sanctioned unofficial bootleg vinyl Glowforge decal.
- Post photographs of any and all decorated envelopes to the forum (pending safe content).
- Post photographs of any other art that I receive (pending safe content) to the forum.
- Credit the art to your username (if it was included).
How about it folks…
Would this be of interest to anyone?
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Looks like a really nice crisp etch. I use the Cameo for stencils and have etched using etching cream in the past. I actually bought a Harbor Freight sand blast cabinet last fall and never have used it yet. Can you tell me what sand blasting media you used and where you got it. The etch on these really seems to be much better than using the cream.
I use a Silhouette Cameo with the V3 Designer Edition software upgrade. Really easy for me to work with vectors here. For flat glowforge objects, I’ll probably continue to use this and print to PDF to send to the forge. Struggling with 3D design software a bit, but I’ll eventually get the hang of it.
Actually, you can get a new Cameo on Amazon with Prime shipping for $212 if you skip the bundle. When searching, they always seem to promote the bundled accessories. I have been using the machine for many years and really love working on it. I produce mostly personal items for myself and friends. Christmas cards are one of my favorite things to do. Also wall decals and heat transfer items. I’ll post a few items in the Show and Tell page in a little while.
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Yes @rpegg, but as others have said, I’ll honor the literal response from @dan. What I really was hoping for was a “What T-shirts” nod, nod, wink, wink response that would imply that I wouldn’t be getting an immediate cease and desist order and jeopardizing my place in the shipping queue. Was only going to look for about $11 including US shipping and would stop as soon as I got notice that they were looking to produce any. Unless I get any other glowforge response, I’ll be putting this link to rest.
However, thanks to all the support and fun ideas on how to get these out to owners who wanted them. It really does show that we are a creative group!
Unfortunately if you’re hawking Glowforge shirts in the forum I’d need to ask you to stop.
If people wanted to PM you and discuss how they might engage in creative collaboration with you, of course, that’s none of my business.
–dan
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Thanks for the final response. I’ll not post on this topic anymore. Sorry for creating a mini firestorm.
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@rpegg’s response was a tounge-in-cheek comment on my similar post, he would not endorse any non-sanctioned activity regarding anyone’s IP. 
Thanks Bill for thinking of your fellow 'forgers, your gesture is noted and appreciated!
I have a neural inability to take anything personally. I always assume I’m wrong on every subject so at worst any disagreement just affirms my original thought. If someone actually agrees then it’s a pleasant surprise.
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That’s funny! I’m the same way. It rarely happens that I make a statement that I have high confidence about. When I do, I immediately start to question myself as soon as i compete it. …
See? Wrong again. I have constantly been impressed by you having the right answer almost immediately at hand.
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I used 220 grit aluminum oxide https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CJOAZE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with the Harbor Freight Air Eraser http://www.harborfreight.com/air-eraseretching-kit-69277.html
These were done without a cabinet, just letting the dust blow in the back yard. I’ve now built a blasting box, but have not used it yet.
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Thanks,
I’ll order some today. Another thing to keep me busy experimenting with while I await my forge. Again, the etch on those glasses looks great.
Bill - thanks for sharing some of your design work with me. If you’re interested, I’m more than willing to share the fish outline design with you.
Yes, I’d like that. It would be a good design for some acrylic tumblers I was looking at for a friend’s pool area. Another good reason to have sand blast capabilities. Armour Etch certainly won’t work on acrylic. You also did a great job placing the stencil on the curved bottom area of the glass. I HATE trying to work with that. I also need to research the formula for adjusting text curvature on the stencil so it runs straight on items like pint glasses. I know I saw something on that but lost the link. If I find it, would you like the link?
My e-mail address is bill.laba@me.com
Thanks!