Novice question but should I remove the masc k tape when Engraving acrylic first?
If you remove the top mask, you will sometimes get a “bloom” that will show up on clear acrylics. (Supposedly can be removed with toothpaste.) I tend to leave it on for that reason.
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Oh yeah, that tiny detail can be a bear.
Get yourself two things…Gorilla Tape, and a plastic razor blade. Both are great for removing all of the little “fuzzies”.
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When engraving acrylic with masking you have to ensure you totally vaporize the paper and adhesive or you have a mess in weeding. Some folks take the masking off and adjust to keep the residue light.
Take some time to test some pieces with different power settings to see how it affects you design.
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Thanks. I’ll give it a shot. Still learning but having fun. Thanks again.
Looks good! Yes, get some plastic razor blades, they are cheap and work great
Thanks Ryan.
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This is one of those things that just depends as both methods work. If you have your setting dialed in you typically don’t need it, but if you’re a little unsure and need some wiggle room, masking is a good thing. I tend to be a masking off kinda gal myself because I like to know exactly what’s going to get etched and I don’t want to deal with adjusting for the masking. I second the plastic razor blades as being very helpful. In a pinch, I use the edge of my gift of good measure or other wood. 
Oh, just in case you’re new to acrylic, avoid alcohol when cleaning it as it can cause little crazing/cracks. Your design looks really cool, can’t wait to see the the final project!
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Thanks for the guidance.
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Isopropyl Alcohol will cause crazing, but I have used Alcohol hand sanitizer to good effect without crazing, and much better for dissolving both adhesive and whatever smoke material clouds the engraving and the gum of almost engraved through adhesive.
The one place you do not want hand sanitizer is MDF as it will dissolve that glue as well.
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It turned out beautifully!!
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Thanks!!!
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That looks great! I had the same problem. I tried a rubber spatula end and it worked.
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I know this OP is from over a year ago but I wanted to contribute. I have worked with acrylic for a long time from a CNC router point of view and I use orange goo gone then a quick wash with dawn dish detergent to remove all sticky tape/paper masking. I had some acrylic that came and must have been sitting in a warehouse for a while because it was terrible to try and remove the paper masking. Goo gone saved my sanity. Just my personal experience so use it as you see fit 
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try weeding those little details on leather 
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Dammit was scrubbing with alcohol to remove goo last night 
Cleaning with alcohol is a really common recommendation, so you’re in good company and your project will probably be just fine!
I learned about it after I spent hours (and HOURS!) creating an intricate 3D acrylic cow puzzle that was for a charity auction. (Yes, I said 
puzzle. 
) It took three tries before getting the final version just right, and I was so proud of it! Then I did one good final scrubbing with alcohol, and a few days later, the clear acrylic was noticeably hazy. 
So I researched it and learned that alcohol being a solvent weakens or sometimes outright breaks the polymer chains that make up acrylic, and that weakness causes microfractures and cloudiness. Obviously, the less you use and the weaker the alcohol, the less chance of damage occurring and you may never notice any changes at all. But even if you can’t see it, that the chemical reaction can still occur to some degree, so just be selective and use it sparingly if you don’t have anything else. (I even still use a little alcohol on occasion, just never on the clear stuff.)
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