Use vinyl transfer paper as masking for non-proofgrade materials

After lasering! Not before!.. Poof!

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I mean… it would be nice to be able to pre-clean stuff, so that it wouldn’t get dirty later on…

I could wash my car 7 times in a row, and still be shiny clean after whole a week of dirt roads!

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I put a round piece of the PG maple in denatured alcohol and it potato chipped pretty badly. Was a fresh can of alcohol…clamped it in a vise between some oak planks and got straight again…

Wow. I went through cleaning 1000 pieces, some soaking for minutes and no noticeable effect. That was 99% iso.

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Might have to get some iso…only iso I had was 70% so I thought I give the denatured a shot as it should be 96%range…

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I’ve just used regular ol’ masking tape. It’s 2" wide, but otherwise it’s just normal vanilla masking tape. Works perfectly on every material I’ve used it on so far. Nice and cheap.

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Wait. Are you saying the vinyl in vinyl records isn’t PVC? Is it laser-safe?!

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P V C

PolyVinyl chloride

The vinyl part is safe. It’s the chloride part that’s bad. But, “records = vinyl” lingo makes it confusing. So unless you actually know what’s going on, “vinyl(records) = bad” is safer.

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I use this to mask all my acrylic and non proofgrade wood. You will most likely use it…lol

Ditto
:upside_down_face:

Sadly, no… unless you are talking about a very very old shellac record.

A gramophone record (phonograph record in the US), commonly known as a vinyl record or simply vinyl or record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat polyvinyl chloride (previously shellac) disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove.
Phonograph record - Wikipedia

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Yup, “tape for transferring vinyl” and not “tape made of vinyl”.

To sum up what others have said, the beige/opaque version is literally wider (pro) paper masking tape much like the 3/4" and 2" rolls you might already be used to. There clear is not.

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Thank you all for the lessons in PVC, etc. I don’t have my laser yet, but really wasn’t thinking about the laser itself. I’ve been filing away ideas, and now crossing some materials off. I’ve bookmarked this to start a binder to keep next to the laser in November… fingers crossed.

As a rule of thumb, I tell people to not laser anything they wouldn’t burn in their fireplace.

A couple of times that’s made me aware that people burn ODD stuff in their fireplace, but it’s still a relatively good ground rule. :wink:

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So does that mean regular sign vinyl the stuff you make painting masks etc that you would use on a cricket is safe to laser?

No. They are talking about the transfer paper used to transfer sign vinyl to its destination surface. Sign vinyl contains chlorine and is not safe to laser.

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I’d never burn acrylic in my fireplace but do it all the time in Prometheus.

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Laser like a boss.

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Is there something like a “find a gif” treasure chest ?
I am continually amazed/delighted by the forum members resources.

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:+1:

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