QOTD from Glowforge: What Proofgrade materials do you want?

leathers please!

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There are 3 of us that are going to be using it here but the general consesus is:

Hardwoods
Leather
Acrylics a variety
Rubber for stamps
Plywoods

We want to make a catan board first thing then our plans right now are to use it to produce:

Miniatures for gaming
Jewlery
Boxes
Wallhangings
Dollhouse and miniatures
Game boards
Whatever comes to mind

Ahhhhh can’t wait!

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Is there more than the Catan board cause thats all I see?

It’s the whole process from start to finish. Designing, drawing, engraving, cutting, finishing, all in animated gifs. You might not be able to see the animations if you’re using an old browser that goes support the file type…

Okay thanks for clarifying.

magnet sheets

There is a discussion on magnet sheets that seems to indicate that they aren’t all laser safe.

I’d love to be able to cut them with the glowforge; though there may be better methods. I just know that X-acto isn’t super efficient and it doesn’t come out real clean… at least not when I’m the one holding the knife.

If I could buy laser-safe proofgrade magnet sheets, sticky or not, I’d buy a few rolls each year.

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1/8 - 1/4 hardwoods and plywood
stamp material
acrylics, clear and colored
aluminum
other metals or metallic colored materials

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  • 1/8" plywood
  • 1/4" plywood
  • leather
  • hardwoods
  • acrylic/delrin
  • cork

I’m most looking forward to making custom notebooks, bags, etc. with leather. I foresee making mostly things for home use and gifts, as opposed to a business.

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I’ll also put out a request for laser-able rubber… as in stuff to make rubber stamps.

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It was mentioned above, but I would like to second an alternative to solid color vinyl sheets with adhesive backing for making decals or stickers.

There is a company that makes something similar that is PVC-Free, but their site hasn’t been updated in a while, and I would really like something from a reliable source.

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Would playing cards be possible? Preferably the flexible plastic type, like KEM cards (cellulose acetate); perhaps a plastic “sandwich” with a dark layer within lighter layers, for contrast once the cards are etched; but might be able to use a single layer of plastic and a “scrimshaw” method of coloring in the etched designs instead…

Speaking of scrimshaw: artificial ivory, in plaques, cabochons, and pendant shapes.

Polyhedral dice for gamers!

Velvet and other fabrics compatible with “burn out” patterns

Watchbands, leather and “Twistoflex” types with flat links

Pre-enameled (or colored titanium?) metal jewelry blanks (eg, metal with black enamel; the enamel can be removed by the Glowforge leaving the contrasting metal beneath to show the pattern)

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Oooh, I love all of @barbaradace’s suggestions. Ditto on those!

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So I’m not the only one to remember “Twistoflex” bands? (and the commercials?):relaxed:

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Aren’t those the ones that used to rip out your arm hair? :grimacing: :anguished: :grin:

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I sport several scars on the back of my hand from the winding stem impacting from me smacking something into place.
Twistoflex was a poor choice for my lifestyle.

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a little of everything would be great. I have made things out of all of them.

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I don’t know how I missed this thread…

I’m interested in solid wood that is 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, whatever I can get my hands on. I’m also interested in a variety of colors and shades.

Plywood, for sure, in whatever thicknesses plywood can come in.

Rolls of the masking/backing paper.

In general, materials thinner than 1/4 inch. Nearly all of my designs involve layering and 1/4 inch layers get very thick very quickly.

I’m also interested in a rating system or something for stinky-ness of the material while it’s cutting. I haven’t used a laser before, and I’ve learned from the forums that some materials smell a great deal - leather, for example. I don’t mind a wood or smokey smell, but I definitely want to avoid stinkier things. For those of us who are new, this information before we buy would be great.

And, most of all, bulk discounts or packaged deals. I’m the sort of person who likes to stock up and have a lot of supplies on hand. There’s something about seeing the materials all nice and organized and just waiting :slight_smile: I know that isn’t everyone, but once I know what supplies I like, I’m not all that interested in buying them one sheet at a time.

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Went to Laguiole in France, a knife making center. This is the steak knife capital of France in the Aveyron region famous for the aubrac beef cattle. One shop had this display for knife handle samples. Just to keep the options open.

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I liked seeing this. I bought a Laguiole knife for my husband over 30 years ago, but not in France…in Switzerland. So beautifully made.

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I actually didn’t think I had something to add to this thread as I want to try every thing maybe even more than once. So, I’d actually just been skimming it.

But now I’ve come to realize I’d love a subscription where I could pay a modest fee say $30-$50 per month and get a random grab bag of materials to experiment with. So not really a material but a service/way to consume materials I thought tangentially related.

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