Laser masking

So I’m still big on materials other than :proofgrade: though I will be using quite a few of those, I am sure. Since masking is sometimes very useful with :glowforge: I am curious which, if any, of these products have been used by beta and pre-release users in conjunction with materials other than :proofgrade: and how well did it work?

8 Likes

Frog Tape. Big time.

The Blue Masking tape will also work and it’s a lot cheaper.

(Also use a lot of the Scotch ATG 714 tape gun with double sided adhesive. Well worth the price of the gun if you do a lot of paper work or other light materials. Holds it down and can be rubbed off after, or just used to adhere the paper to whatever you are going to stick it to.)

11 Likes

Good to know. These are very common at local stores, and I was hoping that they, especially the Frog Tape, would work well for masking when not using :proofgrade: materials.

Now I just need something that allows me to store specific presets retrievable by custom QR code.

1 Like

I use the frog tape more for holding down papers at the edges and trying to keep jigs from moving around.

If you want to use a masking tape - you can buy a roll of paper masking tape (like 12 inches wide) a whole lot cheaper than the frog tape.

It’s not as tacky either, which you want for removal.

I would link you to the stuff I’m using, but it actually is a little too light on the tackiness, and I’m going to need to find one that has a little more sticking power.

3 Likes

I’m sure between craft and home stores, I can get plenty of cheap paper masking, too. I guess some of it will be guessing and testing for preferences, too. I expect to have a LOT of fun once I get everything worked out for my apartment and am :glowforge: ready.

2 Likes

@jules, have you tried using a squeegee (you should definitely have one of those :wink:) or credit card to smooth down that less-tacky tape after you apply it? I have a big roll of something similar that I thought wasn’t tacky enough until I started doing that. If you do that, it won’t peel up until you are ready–performs pretty much like the Proofgrade stuff. You do have to put a little elbow grease into the squeegee-ing.

8 Likes

Definitely need to get one…I keep getting busy and I just forget.

I’m usually doing PG stuff anyway…that’s got good adhesive.

1 Like

I’ve used plenty of blue tape to hold stuff in place. Worked well and as mentioned is super cheap

1 Like

A print brayer works well too. Either hobby/craft stores or Amazon for under $10.

2 Likes

I am sure I will use a good amount of Proofgrade, but I am also intent on a good bit of other materials, including some recovered/recycled, and possibly working with one or more folk I know that have their own wood shops at home, to accent and personalize their pieces. (The one is selling these amazing trays for Mothers’ Day, but let’s face it, what flat wood project can’t be improved with :glowforge: time?)

5 Likes

I’ve had great success with the squeegee that came with the glass etching kit for my Silhouette, but I’m going to get a brayer, too (new word of the day!).

https://www.craftdirect.com/scraper-tool-silhouette.html

2 Likes

I have a couple of plastic squeegees as well but the brayer is a nice wide (you can get some really big ones) smooth rolling way to put even pressure down.

1 Like

Been using blue tape, and not exactly tickled pink over how much it allows paint to creep under it

:frowning:

2 Likes

Are you squeegeeing it or using a brayer to roll it tight?

1 Like

No, I just thought about that today, actually, after 2 times of it seeping. Thought I had pushed it down hard enough with my fingers, but apparently not…

1 Like

Try the squeegee or even a credit card (or hotel room key). Also, go over it once more if you can after you engrave/cut but before you paint in the event that the edges crept up from the burn.

5 Likes

Hey @Jules did you find this to be more tacky than preferred, or were you saying that the perfect-tear was easier to work with than traditional transfer tape? Thanks!

No actually, i wasn’t that impressed with it, and unfortunately, I’ve got a whole roll of the stuff. This one has the problem of not being tacky enough - I’d try to get the version that has a stronger tack. (I think this one was medium tack.)

This would be great for papers, but it has trouble sticking to wood.

So I am looking for better masking material. I use TransferRite Ultra right now, and it’s ok, but I don’t have much to compare it to.

I was looking for material safety data sheets to compare, and found the one for TransferRite Ultra…

And then I wanted to find the perfectear MSDS, and found it under the old name, “main tape”

From what I can tell, they both burn pretty clean, anyone with more experience on this want to give it a look?

Also, has anyone done a side by side of these two types? As I said, TransferRite is pretty good, but I wonder if I’m missing out…

I’ve used the Medium Tack Main tape and it’s not very good for staying stuck to wood. Excellent for leather and paper.

I’ve also used the Enduramask MH-130, and it’s only slightly better at the woods.

Neither is as sticky as the Proofgrade masking. Whatever they’re using for adhesive…it holds until you’re ready to peel it off.

(Which is not a good thing for leather, paper or light engraving on acrylic. Sometimes it’s a little too strong for those and melts into a mess.)

So it just depends what you want to use it on. Some are better than others for certain things.

1 Like