Jumped on tile wagon

Tile is SO satisfying!

I’m going to move this over to Beyond the Manual so we don’t have to lose the settings. :slight_smile:

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Thanks for the tip! I think I cleaned a little early, lol…

So, are you engraving on a blank white tile, then going back and coloring it in with marker?

Yes. It’s a 4x4 ceramic tile, engraved and then colored with a black sharpie. I let it sit for about 30 minutes then scrubbed/wiped off.

That’s what I thought, just wanted to clarify. I have only tried tile a couple times now, but I spray painted the tile black first, then engraved an inverted image on the tile. I’ll have to give this method a go as well! Thanks

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That’s my next try is painting the tile then etching, it takes alot of careful elbow grease to get the marker off. A mr. Clean scrubby seems to work best so far.

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FYI - you can get bulk purchases of those melamine sponges off Amazon for like $6 for 100 (WAY cheaper than Mr. Clean, exactly the same material) :slight_smile:

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what a great idea! Thanks for the tip, I was not looking forward to the expense of the Mr. Clean!

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Tiles are fun!

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Does anyone have settings for Glowforge Basic and these $0.16 tiles from Home Depot? I just bought a few to play with.

A simple search will reward your efforts. For example, Etching Tile

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I see settings for Pro. I guess my question is do settings for Pro work the same for Basic? Also, the tile isn’t too reflective? I did a tile yesterday but held my breath for 20 minutes while the laser did its thing. I couldn’t even look into the GFthe laser reflection was so bright. I was convinced I was killing the GF. I did full power, two passes, 1000 speed. It’s not “my” machine so I have people to answer to if something goes wrong. Thanks so much for the help!

Everything up to 100 power are the same. Full power is different for each.

Yes, it can get very bright but the brightness isn’t hurting the machine. It can hurt your eyes. The glowforge glasses protect against IR, not bright light. So don’t stare at it.

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I certainly understand your apprehension. Nobody wants to damage a shared tool, and lasers are new to many of us. There are materials that can cause harm to lasers, but ceramic tiles, slate, rocks, etc. are not such materials. With a little more experience, you will be watching the laser because it is so satisfying to see the magic, and you won’t be holding your breath you will be anxiously awaiting the end of the job so you can start the next one. I encourage you to exercise caution (never leave the Glowforge unattended) be prepared for a flare up (opening the lid immediately stops the laser) and experiment with settings. Here is an explanation of manual settings: https://glowforge.com/support/topic/first-three-prints/working-with-manual-mode

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Thank you, all! This is really helpful and reassuring.

when you say “scrubbed/wiped off”, what method are you referring to? I made my first engraved tile yesterday and after coloring in with a black sharpie I couldn’t get the edges clean. Everyone else’s tiles look so nice so I’m trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong :sweat_smile: Do I need a cleaning solution? A specific scrubber type (paper towel, rag, Magic Eraser, etc.)? Help :confused:

It’s posted above.

The “Mr Clean” style pads work great.

What do you mean by edge? Do you mean an edge of the tile without glazing? Because that probably isn’t coming off without a Dremel. Otherwise the sharpie usually wipes off pretty easy.

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