The glowforge is an amazing too that can create things that no one else has created - because of that, there are a lot of people that have seen what I’ve done and have wanted me to do something for them. While I’m not necessarily ready to start taking on many commissions, this one is probably the most special thus far.
Recently there was an accident in my town involving a truck rolling and a high school senior passing away as a result. The many communities near by are relatively close so this sort of news travels quickly, but it wasn’t anybody I knew. I work at a bank, and much like any other place that a high volume of people pass through, we tend to hear a lot about what’s going on. I figured I would eventually hear more about it, and a few days after the accident one of my regulars came in to ask if I was still doing my “laser stuff” (what most people refer to it as ) and I told her of course. That’s when she told me that it was her younger brother who recently passed away in the accident and if I would be willing to make a few tie pins for her family with his name.
I couldn’t imagine not using this tool to help her and agreed immediately. While it may not be the flashiest or most awe inspiring project from a forge unit, I find myself being incredibly humbled and grateful that I’m able to do these types of things for people. I’ve spent most of my life wanting to be a good person and doing good people things, and this has helped in that journey. Anyway, she hasn’t seen them yet, but I’m hoping she loves them. Thanks for stopping by, and for those of you who are the curious type: Medium maple plywood for the name, and a double layer of stick glued shimmery white cardstock for the wings. I used 700 speed with 20 power for the engrave on the wings, and while I probably should have used less, I used full power with 500 speed on the cutting of them. I didn’t use any sort of protection/masking on the face for the engrave and tried reducing char on the back by using masking, but I believe because of the full power I still got a bit of char. Not as bad as my initial test, but still there, luckily it’s only a holder and not necessary for the final usable project.
Update: Both her and her mother loved them! She said she was having to hold back tears but that her joy of how good they turned out was balancing out the sadness. So that’s a win in my book!
Such a sad tragedy. I’m glad you were able to use your talents and tools to provide a unique item that will help the family celebrate the cherished memories of their loved one.
Well, bless your heart. Those are wonderful and will mean the world to the family of the young man. I love when life hands us an opportunity to do good things. In re-reading…that last sentence just didn’t sound right, but hopefully all will understand what I’m meaning.
Thank you everybody, I’ll update this with her reaction. I believe she’ll grab them from me on Friday. I wanted to do something nice instead of just hanging them to get, so the angel wings seemed the most appropriate.
The only downside that I had at first was that the glue wasn’t always wanting to stick to the pin, and occasionally some of them would break off. I fixed this by sanding the smooth surface of the pin to a rough one to give the glue a better grip. It’s not a perfect solution as I’ll still get a broken one here and there, but it’s the best I can do with what I’ve got
And I’m glad you are part of a team that has helped me to be able to make such wonderful things. This has been the greatest tool I’ve invested in, and it’s been a thrill to have!
Would you be willing to share your file? We lost 3 senior students in the past week in my small town. This would be a nice thing to make for those affected by these tragedies. <3
I recommend using some masking and it will help reduce the burning on the back from flashback. Better yet, if you have some throw away scraps, you could try lightly adhering them to those and cutting them from there. I haven’t tried this, but I’m willing to bet that would help a lot. I highly recommend using a double layer of 80lb cardstock or if you have a higher 110lb that may work, but the single layer is a tad bit flimsy.
) and I told her of course. That’s when she told me that it was her younger brother who recently passed away in the accident and if I would be willing to make a few tie pins for her family with his name.
