Inlay test

Ordered a pack of the veneer online so I was looking for some inspiration thumbing through the 40 pieces and when I saw this unusual one, fire was the first thing that popped into my head.

What I didn’t expect was the chatoyancy it would exhibit when it was finished!

That veneer is a perfect choice for this! Inlay into an engraving in :proofgrade: Maple ply. I did sand the finish off the ply cutting the surface flat, and hit it with a water based satin poly.

Yeah well, in my exuberance I managed to break it up pretty well, so I cut off the bad because the good was too good for the trash. Better than average chance I will be able to incorporate a piece of it into a future project.

:notes: And he’ll have Fun Fun Fun until Dan takes the laser awaaay :notes:

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Holy cow! That is an unexpectedly awesome side effect! :squeeee::pancake:

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So cool! I think i bought that same veneer pack, and this gets me excited to work with it.

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OK…new word here. Most likely I’ll never use it, but my vocabulary thanks you.

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I had to look it up too. :slight_smile:

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This is something I want to do. What settings did you use to cut out for the veneer? :slightly_smiling_face:

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It really was. I love surprises like that! When something turns out better that you had envisioned…

“I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success . . . Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.” - Tesla

really was just a proof of concept, aside from the fumbling I had - proven. There is a future project stirring inside. Another wonderful feeling. :sunglasses:

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It was a low setting, I don’t recall… and this is a PRU before the update, so all the numbers I started to commit to memory are inaccurate. I do have a notebook now since it looks to me like the settings are pretty well dialed in. When you can just singe paper at lowest setting, I think they have a pretty good handle on harnessing the laser power.
Thing is, there is no substitute for running a test on the material in question. That is a requisite on every job, every time. :wink:

Edit; because I always do my best proof reading just after I hit ‘Send’.

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So did I when I started dabbling in lapidary. It’s a unique effect. The mineral or fibrous material displays a propensity to conduct light along it’s axis that depending on the orientation of the light source changes in relation to the viewing angle, and results in a sheen that stands out relative to the rest of the material.

@hansepe, What happened with the launch tonight by SpaceX Rocket man? History happening here. Did it go as planned?

Edit; I see that it did. No chance for landing the next one though, Geosynchronous orbit at 22,000 miles uses all the fuel… a lot higher than low Earth orbit like the ISS.

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Such beautiful inlay and wood :heart: Do you know the name of the wood?
“chatoyancy” - Holy cow, I was trying search out what the sparkly-ness of my black palm veneer was officially called. Kinda random and cool to see someone else posting about it. :slight_smile:

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Chatoyance is one of my favorite stone properties. All of my favorite rocks and gems have it. Labradorite, Moonstone and Pietersite all have it. :grinning:

Now as for this project, WOW I never realized wood could be chatoyant!!!

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Video not working still! :frowning:

downloaded it and it works

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In wood veneer we don’t have such a fancy name. It is simply called “figure”.

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I don’t, but I’m guessing a fancy sawn oak of some kind.

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@PrintToLaser did you make any adjustments for kerf on your inlay? I’m working on a file and don’t know if I need to account for it or not.

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I actually did this the hard, inaccurate way, by eye sizing the cut to the engrave in the GFUI, not recommended. By zooming way in and dancing with the size until it looked very close. That’s the main reason for the failure of breaking it up trying to fit it.

Yes, you should account for it for the best fit.
@marmak3261, the wizard of inlay (a power gained from his Scrabble board) is the higher power to ask for help with this.
PM him and he can guide you better than I! That guy is a great teacher, and always willing to help in any way he can. :grin:

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Awesome, thanks. I’ve been doing a lot a reading up on it and was preparing for it. With all the recent GF updates I just wasn’t sure where it stood in regards to the GFUI. With things ever evolving it’s hard to know what info still applies or not. Gosh forbid I wait a week or so until I can actually learn on my own machine, I want to learn all the things right now! lol.

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Yes, an exciting adventure we have here! Relish in it after the long wait.:sunglasses:

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One way to get a feel for what you may need to allow for is just print an object with a full cutout inside of it of a letter or initial. Don’t make any allowances. Print the same thing twice but using different colored materials. Doesn’t need to be big. A two inch square with the letter A cutout 1.5" high. Then swap the letter cutout in the two materials. See if it is tight enough for your needs.

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Oh wow. That was amazing.

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