It would be handy to know what specific paint you were using?
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I really appreciate writeups like this. Even with all that I have done with it there are roads that I have never traveled but would like to.
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Sorry. Forgot that. It was all basic Rustolium from Home Depot. The primer was Krylon , but seemed about the same if a little tougher. The Killz was not great.
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And that’s the first bookmark I’ve thrown in a while.
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When do you use the primer? What color primer (gray)?
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I used the grey primer as a top coat on one of my last designs here:
I wanted to try something other than black as a top coat. I would have used silver if I had it or white. Grey primer was just handy.
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Got it. Thanks. I thought the primer/paint brand comments were about the post up top, not the series you’ve been posting.
It’s a very cool technique though and like others first bookmark I’ve thrown in a long while 
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Wow, I didn’t expect this comment, and it had me laughing pretty hard.
Thanks for the details! This is definitely something I will want to try out!
Edit: This is the first post I have ever bookmarked. I have never tried this feature before, this is definitely a post I want to come back and review! (Now I need to find a few other posts I remember seeing and bookmark them too!)
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How messy is this process? Long engraves tend to be messy in general but I wonder how much dust and gunk accumulates from blasting away all that paint?
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Surprisingly little mess. There is a very light amount of dust in some areas, but no sticky residue at all. I wiped one down with alcohol and the cloth came away clean. An 8 by 10 canvas is about 50 minutes to an hour, but it really seems to just disintegrate the paint.
Which reminds me, I really need to do a dalek. 
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I meant in the machine, optics, exhaust, gantry etc
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Not that I have been able to see. I did a wipe down after the last canvas and it was no more dirty than my wood projects have been. Maybe a little less.
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Off topic but speed 1400? What have I missed? I haven’t been online much for a while. I only see a speed of 1000.
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So this is one of those weird vector vs bitmap things. Vector shapes, like the squares, lines and circles (or more complex shapes) can be engraved up to a speed of 1000. In this example, I have the square selected.
However, bit maps (images composed of dots or pixels) can go up to a speed of 1400. See the example below with the image file selected:
Not 100% sure why.
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Depending on the settings, you can go up to 4000. It’s not much use at that speed, however.
Started last year:
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Ah so only with bitmap images. Most of my engraves are vector so that’s why I missed it.
Thanks!
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Wow, these are amazing. Smart idea! You’re very cool to share and take the time to explain the process and share trials, errors, and settings.
On a side note, it reminds me of this thing I used to do as a kid with crayons. I’d make a layer of colors and cover them all with dark solid color. Then I’d take a fingernail and scratch an image through the top to reveal the colors underneath. (Did anyone else do this too?) Your projects are like the professional adult version. 
The pictures a beautiful. Technique is one thing, but then there’s color, and then of course image selection. All are simply excellent choices.
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Scratch Art! We did the same crayon thing in elementary school. But little sister went to a fancier school where they had the premade sheets you can buy at an art supply store. Even Daiso stocks it now in their art supply section.
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Oh my god yes! I had forgotten about the crayon version from when I was a kid! Thank you for the reminder and the kind words. 
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Is it safe to assume that acrylic gesso primer is safe to cut/engrave with the glowforge?
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