I’ve made a lot of things on my Glowforge, like heaps of things. Taking a hiatus from creating and then coming back wanting to make stuff but not knowing where to start left me feeling like an imposter. I’ve only made a handful of things since moving back, but this is easily my favorite thing so far.
I’ve been in a weird funk mentally lately, and the other day it was really weighing me down. I was trying to do some work but just couldn’t concentrate on it. I had a friend share a band with me recently and I was listening to a song on repeat because it just felt right. This is a quote from the song - and I felt like I just had to make a sign out of it.
When I was lasering a lot, ideas would come to me all of the time, and often I’d have to draw them out because so many would come I’d just forget about them. This was like that, where it was the first organic idea that had come to me in years, and it was just so fun to create. It felt good to make something again that was completely new.
Anyway, here it is up on the wall with the signs I’ve made in the past.
Also, I usually put something in the back, previously it was my signature with “made in Hawaii”, but since I don’t live there anymore I had to change it up.
For those who aren’t familiar with the process I use, or are just curious I’ll comment here about it. I use several materials to get this effect, the first, and easiest, is a prepainted white mdf board bought from Home Depot. I’ll mask both the front and back, then throw that in the laser, engrave the sections I want like usual, and score where I want the letters to be raised.
From there I take a separate sheet of mdf, in this case draftboard, paint it myself, black, then apply a 3M double sided adhesive to the back of the sheet. I mask the front with the appropriate masking tape, throw it in the laser and cut out the border of the sign and whatever letters I need.
It’s a straightforward process after that of assembling the sign, where I peel the letters and stick them inside of the scored sections. If you’re not as precise as you’d like, you can adjust the scored letters to be slightly smaller than the cut ones and just use them as a guide instead of needing to perfectly align them.
I love your wall of signs - very inspirational! And your new sign is awesome!
I love using the white mdf for signs. I have to get some more though, as I’m out. I do forget about using it when I have it on hand, and after spending time painting mdf white, I think, “Duh! I have white mdf!” I like it for engraving words, but I don’t mask it, just use baby wipes to clean off the smoke. But then again, I’m usually engraving lots of words (think words to a hymn or Christmas carol), and the masking was just taking too long for me to weed.
Oh, my bad, I had meant to mention them! Winnetka Bowling League is the Band, the song is This is Life. Love it, they have quite a few songs I enjoy, and even had a friend messaging me to make her one of these because they’re apparently her favorite band!
Yeah, I’ve done both but I thought I would enjoy doing way more than I needed to haha. In fact, afterwards I’d actually wished that I hadn’t because the pattern from the residue made the stars look like they had bloom and motion - would have been a cool effect, I think!
And thanks everybody, it really did feel good to make something actually creative again
I was just listening to this song! I tell people I’m really enjoying sad boy music right now, another couple of great bands I’ve been into is The Head and the Heart, and IV of Spades, all lovely music!
@Aloha always great to be back, I’ve got a few more projects I’ll be working on, like a new wallet since I lost the one I made for myself finally after years, I’ll definitely share that one whenever it is I get around to it
Thanks, I honestly couldn’t remember how long it’s been but wow has that time flown, grateful to have experienced this community and to have interacted with all of you for all these years!
You have been a great member of the community for all these 9 years.