Made StarWars Coasters with 2 Tone Acrylic - UPDATE: NOW 2 WINS :)

But believe me…

Even WITH the ridges and the black residue, they still look cool as all H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks…

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Another way to smooth those is to “dry brush” with acetone. Not quite a real dry brush but minimize the acetone on the brush as too much is really too much. Takes practice but will smooth those lines.

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I guess this is more what I was thinking, when I said “stronger solvent”. Is this a dab on a little from the corner of the paper towel type operation? How quickly does it go from solid to sloppy once you get the acetone on?

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Oooohh, that’s great to know! Thank you

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I wouldn’t use a towel. You need more control. A paint brush is called for. I can’t tell you how much is too much because I haven’t used the Inventables acrylic which is why I suggest starting with a nearly dry brush and working your way up in terms of how much acetone you leave on the brush before applying it. It looks like a flat chisel brush a quarter or 3/8" wide would probably get you into the vertical segments ok without being excruciatingly tedious.

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Gotcha, that’s good to know. The stuff I use to melt the HIPS I run in my 3D printer takes long enough that I can throw a print in a bath of the stuff and agitate it and smooth stuff out as I please for a minute or more without worrying that I’ll dissolve through a wall

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My technique for acrylics is no mask for raster, then cover with paper transfer tape for cut…perfect everytime :grin:

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If you are fast, you can polish clear cast acrylic with acetone…just dont let it sit… But yeah acetone can definitly cut through and smooth that out…but it might leave a mark on the black surface part so keep it only in the white or red parts…

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I haven’t seen the Inventables stuff to compare, but the top layer of some two-tone acrylic I got from eBay is super thin and it didn’t take much for acrylic solvent to melt all the way through that top layer. If the black on your material is paper-thin, like the white on this stuff I got, be careful with acrylic solvent. Like, test on a piece of scrap first.

IIRC, the mark on the left was made by trying to wipe away a drop of solvent. (blemish size: ~1/4 x ~1/8")


Crop of above image…

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Nice project and interesting analysis of the issues. Keep learning!

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lots of good feedback in here; i’m likewise curious to know what another (low-powered) pass would do for clean up. acetone was the first thing that popped in my head (as mentioned), or some really careful detail sanding with a dremel or other rotary tool.

additionally, have you considered cutting your coasters but leaving everything in place to serve as a jig, then peeling away material only over the areas you plan to engrave / raster cut?

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All great advice, thank you!

Aaahhh…great idea! Easy enough to re-align perfectly, as long as the piece is perfectly horizontal the first time…

Oh, and btw, the black on white cut perfectly w/o any paper protection. I wonder if the white on red will do the same…hhmmm…I can try testing the scrap left over…

Wow…ok, yes, it is super thin, will be careful, and test it first, too.

I have, but they will tend to move around a bit due to the kerf, and so will probably be difficult to place them back on perfectly…

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Acetone is very good for dissolving the backs of plastic nail brushes, and the bristles fall out.
Go with wooden.
Those short bristled brushes for oil painting, would be good for detail work. They’ve probably got a name, but I’m not an artist !

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UPDATE, CHECK THIS OUT!!

So, I contacted Inventables yesterday, and never did I expect such an awesome response / action. Just, wow, they blow me away, and I have to shares this with everyone. I was waiting to hear back from them before posting any part of their reply, so that’s why I didn’t say anything until now…

Me: Subject: Should I remove the plastic protective film on acrylic sheets before rastering with a laser?


MAY 08, 2017 | 01:12PM CDT
Original message
Hi,
I got this result from rastering with a glowforge pre-release unit; should I have removed the plastic protective film first; is that sheet to be kept on only when vectoring?
I.E. a lot of the white was melted, balled up & re-hardened, rather than vaporized…
Thank You,


MAY 08, 2017 | 02:55PM CDT
Mo replied:
Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us about this issue, and sharing the photo. I spoke with my colleagues, and they said that it is best to remove the plastic coating.
If you need more information about the specific cut settings, I suggest using the settings listed on the product page for the best results: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/white-on-red-laserable-acrylic-sheet
Since we don’t make this information clearly available on the site, I am sending you a replacement sheet of the white on red acrylic. You should have it by tomorrow evening, so you can try the project again. I would advise using the recommended settings if possible.
I apologize for the way your project turned out, but I hope the replacement sheets and removing the plastic coating will help. If I can help with anything else, or if you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know and I’ll do my best to assist you. Thank you again for your patience and understanding!

Sincerely,
- Mo


MAY 08, 2017 | 03:00PM CDT
NOOO WAY!!! You guys are awesome, thank you!! I wasn’t even asking for a replacement, holy cow, thank you again!

Do you have any idea know if those settings are applicable for a Glowforge, as well? It’s a 40 watt co2 laser…

Btw, a few people have asked for your response when I get it, so that their projects will work well, too; can you please let me know which part(s) of your reply you are ok with / not ok with me posting publically?

Thanks so much again,


MAY 09, 2017 | 12:09PM CDT

Mo replied:
Hello,

Thanks for reaching back out to us. I am glad the replacement sheet was a nice surprise!

You can feel free to use any parts of my response for use with public posting. You can also let others know that they can reach out to us with specific questions.

As far as the GlowForge goes, it is too hard for me to say. We have not received our GlowForge yet, and I don’t know enough about the product itself and how it works to be able to answer your question. Perhaps you can share the information I’ve given you with them, and they can let you know more about the specific settings on the machine.

Please let me know if I can help with anything else. Thank you for your understanding!

Best,
- Mo

And holy cow, I just got an e-mail confirmation from UPS at 2pm EST (half an hour ago) that the package was delivered. Just like GF & Rita, lol…

How incredible is that? Serious props, and many, man thanks, Inventables! Outstanding customer service, just wow…

I replied & asked Mo if they are on the Forum; fellow GF Customer, I guess?

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They’re so good like that. I had a positive experience with them aswell when I ordered something that wasnt labeled as out of stock. They gave me a replacement even though it was a few dollars more expensive

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oh man, what a really fantastic response. good on them; i’ll try to support them such as i can from canada, haha.

i’d try it on something simple, as that seems relatively overcome-able. there’ve been a few posts from beta and/or PRU users who have successfully flipped and engraved items, so i can’t see this being much worse.

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That was me :slight_smile:

I think I was the first customer with a 2 sided cut, ever…

Still waiting to hear if @dan will grant me a badge for that, as @smcgathyfay suggested…wink wink, hint hint…

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Yeah, been dealing with Inventables since late 2015. They have some of the best customer support. If a part breaks on my CNC they bend over backwards to help. When I order material it goes out the next business day and is usually at my house, 1000 miles away, 2 days after the order. I ordered a bunch of stuff recently with about 2/3 of it on back order. They shipped what they had, the next day shipped another third and the next day the rest of my order. My shipping cost did not change. Inventables ate the extra shipping. Most companies would have waited the 2 days and then shipped everything.

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ha! got me, eh. annnnnnd i’m guessing it’s probably not worth setting up a proper jig unless you were doing a bunch of repeats.

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Shop vac…a necessity in the shop…lol

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