What is the settings for engraving on punch tin

[becky.winkler]

I have tried several settings to engrave on a punch tin plate that I purchased at a local Hobby Lobby. I have also used the IPHONE setting given but to no avail. Can this metal be engraved and if so can someone please supply the settings for this? Thank you

[primal_healer]

You can’t engrave metal with the glowforge. you can add material to it like cermark or you can etch away coatings like anodization like on an iphone but that is all.

[evansd2]

You can also spray paint metal surfaces with laser safe paints (acrylics) and engrave the paint away to expose metal.

Or cover the surface with masking, cut shapes out, weed the shapes and then paint the exposed metal. Peel away your masking “stencil” and voila.

[primal_healer]

ive also though about doing the masking thing but then either chemically or electro chemically etching the exposed areas

[evansd2]

@primal_healer

though about doing the masking thing

Someone did that. Hmm…

here we go:

Paint Resist on Steel - Lessons Learned

My partner was recently up for a big award in our LARP group, and as a fan of Brandon Sanderson had commented that it would be cool to see the physical award in steel. [79755302_10162527201885263_754215197983375360_o] Knowing that the GF couldn’t etch steel without using CerMark or similar, I decided that I would etch a resist with the GF and then use acid to do the etching. I leaned really heavily on Annie Sullivan’s tutorial as it gave me an excellent starting point. My desired end result w…

And another:

Using spray paint as a resist for etching metal

There have been some great posts here about etching metal, so I tried it out. Finally had the time to write up the process on my blog. [glowforge-etched-brass] Note: copper is reflective! See @martin.anderson’s note below.

Maybe more out there if you dig deep.

[becky.winkler]

Thank you all for your information. It helps greatly.

[ben1]

Be aware that materials containing copper will act as a mirror for the laser beam. Mirrored surfaces don’t reflect the laser unless the material is reflective to the laser. Copper and its alloys should be used with extreme care. Common copper alloys are brass, bronze, and nickel silver.

[bexnoel]

Does this mean mirrored acrylic is safe to use without fear of it mirroring the laser? (or mirror glass for etching)

[eflyguy]

No. It’s up to you to determine what the mirror material is made from and whether it’s safe to use. There’s no one answer for all materials.

[ben1]

Yes, while you need to do your research, mirrored acrylic acts the same as normal acrylic, per Dan at Glowforge. However, if the mirror coating is infrared reflective, like copper, it will reflect the laser beam.