Indeed! I have a box full of nice pieces of cardboard saved right now. And my brother is finding some cool stuff for me too, when he cleans out some of his drawers of art supplies and materials. We can’t do anything to hurry our order along, but we can sure use the time to learn, dream. and hoard!
4 Likes
I am hoarding diet coke boxes(18/24 cans). I am very tempted to hoard a giant 55" and 80" TV double think cardboard boxes that my work has left over from an install. That’s a lot of cutting into 12x20 and space!!
2 Likes
What are you going to use the thinner cardboard for?
I must have known in previous life that there would be a use for things that I’ve sort of saved all along…like nice pieces of cardboard. When something is well-designed and made…even packing materials, I have a tough time throwing them out. My redemption may be nigh!
2 Likes
I have a hoard of old, weathered, hardwood fence palings. May just have to invest in a thicknesser to make best use of them.
1 Like
I just started a new thread, you may be interested in sharing ideas.
3 Likes
Keep thinking the packaging will have designs imprinted on the inside for instant fun.
I only have a 5 foot pile (not exaggerating) of 12 x 12 chipboard waiting for my machine. I go recycle dumpster diving at my day job.
4 Likes
Either test projects or Pepakura/pop up cards and other fun “paper crafts”
I think I’m going to be looking for old and new coloring books. I think the trace feature will make for some interesting rasters!
1 Like
Love it. If I were completely honest, that hadn’t crossed my mind. I’ve not done much pepakura.
OK…here’s one I haven’t seen yet. Zinc plates? My brother has a few zinc plates that have a photo-sensitive coating on them for etching. He got them from his landlady and is thinking that the coating may have already been exposed. So, based on just the type of metal alone…is it anything that could possibly be used in the GF?
Have not really started hording materials yet, but I notice that I’m taking a second look at everything I throw away and wondering what I could do with it when I get my GF.
1 Like
yeah. very similar to this: 
I use the same process in building models. make a skeleton, fill it in, get it shaped properly, cover it with something a little more solid. then you have a prototype
2 Likes
And Autodesk 123D Make (free) will take a 3D model and turn it into a cut file to make the skeleton on the GF too!
1 Like
No one has yet chimed in to my question about zinc, in this thread. I know nothing about metals…ZINC, anyone?
Im not sure if the glowforge can etch zinc, but if he has coated plates, all that really matters is that the laser will burn off the coating. You then use a chemical mixture to engrave the plate where the coating has been removed. After engraving you remove the rest of the coating using the appropriate means and you have yourself and engraved plate. Very similar to circuitboard etching or the process used to dye anodized aluminum.
As far as whether the laser will remove the coating, I cant really answer without knowing what kind of coating it is. Some of those are light sensitive and will dissolve in sufficient light, some need to be scraped off.
1 Like
It’s been less than a day, and you’re asking about a pretty niche product in an unrelated thread. Maybe be a bit more polite?
Anyway, there’s probably someone near you - maybe a maker space, maybe an engraving company - that has a laser. I’d suggest calling them and asking to try. You haven’t given very much info about these plates, but the Forge isn’t going to etch metals. At all.
What it could maybe do is etch the coating, then expose it to whatever / however it uses to etch the plates. But without knowing what the coating is, it’s hard to say whether it’s appropriate to go into the laser.
My apologies. I certainly had no intent as coming off as impolite. This thread was about collecting various materials to try in the GF…or so I thought. The zinc plates are something that my brother thought I might be able to use and I was just wanting to know more about them before I asked him to save them for me. Now, it seems I will not want to use them. Sorry for annoying you.