Has anyone used a different art or craft they have learnt into a design on the glow forge?
I have been making lanterns and decided to use napkin craft on the design. I also am interested in resin’ing some parts when I have finished the cutting process.
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Are you asking about other materials besides the usual wood and acrylic? Not sure what you want to know. I have done projects that combine wood and acrylic, acrylic and LED lighting, leather, wood and resin…there are many combos you can think of.
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I have made items that used different tools, like 3d-prints or electronics. I even made something with parts first laser-cut, then turned on a wood lathe. Obviously, also things using different materials all laser-cut.
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If you take a dive into the “Made on Glowforge” section, you will see that makers have a tough time sticking to one discipline and often the results are fantastic.
I wasn’t aware that was a thing, thanx for the intro.
Yes, I’ve seen it here, the two mix wonderfully. Just start with wood that both lasers cut well and resin well.
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@jae’s leather work is top notch:
@henryhbk has done many projects that span lots of different skills and fabrication techniques:
@Whengeekscraft It’s crazy the variety of skills they bring to their projects… their resin work is outstanding:
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I have been a leatherworker for decades, one of my earliest projects on my 'forge was engraving designs into the flat pattern for a leather shoe 
As others have said, absolutely! I think the most successful 'forgers are the ones who were already skilled crafters who added a laser to their toolbox, rather than those for whom the laser was first. Not that the latter haven’t also been successful, just that the learning curve is steeper.
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I used to combine sublimation and the laser. I used a craft cutter to cut my sublimation prints to fit my glowforge cut pieces perfectly, then sublimated them to the materials. Or I’d sublimate a pattern into the main material before cutting it in the laser.
I started with the glowforge, and then bought additional tools and equipment to help bring my ideas to life. Actually, i guess i started with a sewing machine, then bought the glowforge to assist with my sewing ideas… and it just spiraled out of control…
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Yup, “you’re probably wondering how I got here”, for me it was a HandiBot CNC, now I have three spinning CNCs, the Glowforge, a hobby blade cutter, I’m on my third FDM 3d printer and countless dumb power tools.
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I have a lot of these moments…I’ve been cleaning my office for days. Each time I set out to clear it out, I logically find myself in another area of the house doing something seemingly unrelated, but I swear it made sense and in the long run, the office will be better organized because of it…maybe.
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I had a play with some 3d paste yesterday & yet another idea occurred to me. How about using a stencil with the paste & incorporate into a project - I need to try this ….
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I like to use Canson watercolor art board for projects. You can color it with watercolors, then seal them and it cuts beautifully on all lasers, Aura and Spark included. Here’s a couple examples I have done:
Pendants, coated in resin after cutting:
Miniature house:
The cool thing about this material is it’s about 1/16” or 1.5mm, so you can often take a design intended for 1/8” material, resize to 50% of the original, and cut as is, and all slots and finger joints will fit.
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Hmm… wondering how the Epson “Eco-Tank” printers would handle this - mine feeds from the back only and handles envelopes well…
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I love these!
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