So when @Joe came over the other night, he left me some of the Inventibles Linoleum (laser safe) stamp blocks (2x3). He can explain more, but he had an intricate pattern that he and his friends wanted to engrave on the stamp for making play money for LARP. Since this was an unknown quantity I figured I’d have to figure out some things.
First off they are too thick to fit on the bed, as each block is almost 0.8" (~20mm) as they have a particle board backing. So had to remove the crumb tray. Before doing so I used the depth gauge of my micrometer to measure from the bottom of the machine (you can’t go through the honeycomb as there is an actual crumb tray) to the top of the grid. (A lot of people don’t realize that’s a depth gauge)
I then subtracted 2 blocks thickness from that and found that we are about 0.25" above the bed height.
So rather than engrave intricate patterns, just made a small filled rectangle. I first tried 15/100 and that cooked into the wood and spattered a lot of ick, so moved over a smidge and tried 10/175 and it was perfect.
Next I had the problem that the block was 3x2" but @Joe’s design was the more squareish, so laid a 3x2 black rectangle in illustrator and moved the engrave part over it (in the foreground) and using the pathfinder (boolean operations to every other human on earth) I merged them resulting in the design in a black square.
quick cleanup with a kitchen wipe and damp paper towel to remove the spatter and spectacular quality (I’ve never made a stamp before, but that was easy!)
Cool! For longterm durability, we’re going to want a gradient so there’s a slope down to 100% engraved, especially for the really thin stuff. But this is still inordinately cool.
That is very finely detailed. Just a thought, wouldn’t that pattern have to be reversed for a stamp to come out looking right or are these blocks the money?
If we assume you’re making stamps to make “paper money” they have this other type of laser printer that might suffice, too.
It is tough stuff. I had a print making segment in an art class and we hand-carved linoleum pads. It took some work with razor sharp carving tools but it did hold really nice detail!
Yes, I spotted that, but not exactly what I was looking for, as in " is this the real deal ?".
Lino cutters over here (my daughter is one) look for old lino tiles, rather than vinyl, and it’s pretty expensive if you can find it.
I would bet that most people would miss the reversing of the design the first time they print something. I did so. And on several others. That should be a permanent sign on my computer monitor: reverse for stamps or underside engraves of acrylic. This is a great design and I am so stoked to see linoleum demonstrated.
Yes, real linoleum is laser safe from everything I read. You do have to check sources and composition. There are several places that sell them ready to go for laser engraving.
Time to buy me some linoleum tiles, either that or take a box cutter to my old church. I think the fifth layer under of flooring in a broom closet is still linoleum. The sacristy had seven layers of different types of tiles and underlayment we took off when we went back to the floor joists and layed ceramic tile.
If the old linoleum is solid brown, and has a jute (burlap) backing, you should have no problem.
If it’s patterned, and/or has a paper and asphalt backing, better not use it.
A very rough guide, but might help you make a decision.
Being that linoleum is cheap enough to cover your entire floor with, obtainable at a gazillion places in almost every conceivable pattern, and having treated many patients with asbestosis seems that unless I needed to McGyver my way out of a North Korean prison camp (not sure why I’d have a GlowForge there - maybe that’s what the torture is, I have to use a north korean knock off K40!) I think I will get newer linoleum tiles…
Absolutely agree. Modern linoleum tiles should be no problem, so long as they’re sold as such.
Will probably also be sold as ‘vinyl free’.
It’s the older stuff that might be a problem, but possibly not the oldest.
