The longer it is on the harder it is to remove and I have even seen it lift wood grain on raw wood.
Transfer tape rolls just work better. (slightly more work since has to be squeegeed down with a flat edge to remove air bubbles, but weeds easier - you can even use the blue tape to weed it).
DO NOT use that brown shipping tape. It is impossible to remove once heated.
If anybody is still there to respond to this, does this tape work too then? It being clear-ish isn’t an issue, right?
no, you want a paper-based tape, not a film-based tape.
Hey. New to this space. My GF will be in the end of September. Could you explain more about the neurotoxin stuff? Just want to make sure I don’t make a mistake like that. Also, would toxins get pushed out through air vent? Thanks @chris1!
@shop
So… This? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVAYT4E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_q1oDDb4A618KB
@MikeyJ you’ll want to avoid anything that might have PVC in it. When cut it releases chlorine gas which is not only harmful to you but the machine too. There are other things too but that’s the one I know.
I mean it’s only 3” wide, more expensive than proper masking, and probably high tack, but it’d probably work. You’d struggle to apply it, it’d be difficult to remove from lots of materials, and it might leave a residue on your pieces depending on its adhesive. I’d stay away.
You really want purpose-made transfer tape. People have posted links to the correct stuff in this thread already but here’s another:
I’m mostly trying to find something from Amazon that works because I get points back and it is usually less expensive. That’s why I was still asking. It may just be though I can’t do that, unfortunately. Thanks for links!
Amazon carries similar products.
Vinyl Ease 12" x 100 ft Roll Paper Transfer Tape for Cricut, Silhouette Cameo, Oracal Self Adhesive Vinyl for Decals, Signs, Walls and More - V0821 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DF7TDSF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rsqDDbZ4JE4ST
(Far more expensive as compared to signwarehouse. I don’t know how good your points are but I suspect they aren’t that good, this is like 5-6x as expensive as my other recommendation)
1 Roll 12in x 300ft Application/Transfer Tape, GreenStar Classic Adhesive - Vinyl Cutter Signs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C131Y04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LtqDDbM69TZZW
About $10-15 more expensive than sign warehouse.
Read up on how to apply it, the forum is full of advice. It basically entails using a tool to press it firmly, but there is a lot of discussion.
i get cash back on amazon, too. but it’s less expensive to buy from signwarehouse than it is at amazon, even with points.
Howdy!
First off, that was a joke reference to a video game.
As for the hazards of lasering stuff, there are a few different things to worry about. One is damaging the machine, and another is damaging you. PVC vinyl is problematic because it’s bad for you and the machine. It has chlorine in it, and burning it produces a number of compounds you don’t want around. Hydrochloric acid can quickly corrode nearby metal, as seen in this picture of a laser damaged by cutting vinyl:
You also get stuff like benzene and toluene, which are health hazards. If you have a filter, the fine print almost certainly says it’s not rated to remove that stuff. If you’re venting it outside, it’s probably a miniscule amount, but vent systems leak and I just try to minimize the amount of poison in my airspace.
Lots of people are pretty cavalier about this stuff. It’s worth keeping in mind that cutting and engraving things with a laser is, by definition, going to produce particulates and gasses. Try to be aware of what you’re vaporizing, what it’s made of, and what its thermal decomposition products are. When it comes to something like the adhesive on a piece of masking tape, I just cross my fingers and hope I’m cutting so little of it that it doesn’t matter.
Thankyou for clarifying! I feel a little better now about what to look for.
Can the Gf cut what they sell as vinyl sheets as well? Sorry this may be answered somewhere else but I am new here and surely didn’t read the entire forum yet
Thanks for your help
It can. That’s not the right question, though. The right question is, “SHOULD it?” The answer is no. No vinyl, for all the reasons listed above.
Hi,
I went to a craft store and they recommended to use Frisket film. Do you know if that will work out ? Purchases 3inches by 4 yards for like 30$.
It says low tack adhesive film
Thanks for you help
Nope. Not a good choice.
Frisket film is about twenty times more expensive than the paper tape listed above. It also does NOT hold as well as it needs to to mask the material, and that can cause serious problems if it gets blown off and sucked into the exhaust fan. Get some of the paper masking tape. It has medium to high tack, and has to be activated by squeegeeing the masking material down.
Thanks for the input… So I will try cutting birch without any protection, then I will try with the masking tape I bought at home depot (standard 2inches masking tape) … then see if the transfer tape is needed…
Does that work as a plan ?
Yep! 
I often cut Baltic Birch without masking and then run a few passes of 320grit over it with an orbital sander to clean it up.
But the 2 inch blue tape isn’t a great alternative to real masking. You have to be very careful lining up the edges of the tape - overlaps will show in the engrave of cuts as the power hitting the material will be less in the overlaps so you get shallower engraves under the tape overlaps. Also, if you leave any gaps, you’ll get more power as it’s not being absorbed by the tape and you’ll get deeper and darker engraves. Blue tape is also much more expensive than proper masking.
I am new to the GF Forum and reading some of the forums before my GF arrives this week. Do you cover the whole board you are working to avoid the burn marks? and it has to be a paper transfer correct? Any additional tips would be greatly appreciated
