Fun with mirrors and the xTool D1 10W laser

[@kwachahousecafe2864]

Wonderful, and encouraging as a new laser owner! I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos, your instruction is clear…and candid 😊. Thank you for sharing.

[@HoboWithWood]

Awesome, thank you!

[@bkbarrier]

Great video and very helpful. I mostly liked that you got right to the point. So many videos take 20 minutes because the person talks a lot but yours was fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for the kind words. This was very early in my laser, Lightburn, and KZbin experience. You'll have to watch some of my later videos and let me know what you think. These early videos I was using my cell phone for recording and editing. I upped my game in the last year. You'll have to let me know if it was for the better or not. Thanks for watching.

[@AcryliWoodDesigns]

Love the "monkey's" sense of humor! This is such a help to me as a beginner with my endeavor to learn how to engrave images onto mirror. Thanks a bunch!!

[@HoboWithWood]

Glad it was helpful!

[@makernova8160]

Wow! That looks great! I literally just finished setting up my xTool M1 and am ready to give it a whirl. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@HoboWithWood]

Have fun!

[@pfiltz]

I ordered my first ever laser last week. I love this idea. Thank you! I'll have to try this.

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for watching. I posted a video yesterday about settings and materials. Also, I shared a huge art library. I just started this adventure myself. My laser arrived on Father's Day this year. So I'm experimenting with tons of ideas. Please subscribe and sign up for notifications, it would really help me out. Thanks again for watching. Good luck with your laser adventure.

[@deadpoollane4229]

Well done matey. it can out looking WAY better that what i had thought it would. and then the frame. nice work. :)

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks 👍

[@merrillalbury8214]

I have done family crests and mounted them in 3d printed frames. Also painted back with various colors so crests are colored.

[@laseranddiy-cq5jf]

Absolutely inspiring, gotta get a mirror right now :)

[@HoboWithWood]

Go for it!

[@yogmoto4221]

Looks great!! Thanks for sharing!! Inspirational!

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for watching!

[@Laserwurks]

Laser the front side effects are great.

[@jraglob5924]

Thanks, answered several xTool operation questions.

[@HoboWithWood]

Glad it helped!

[@martinandremrch905]

Hello there. Like your video :) Do you use Airasist on mirrors? im doning my first mirror now and i have airasist on but im getting a lot of dust in the enclosure.

[@HoboWithWood]

I do use air assist when engraving mirrors. And yes, they make a huge mess.

[@martinandremrch905]

@@HoboWithWood Thnx for the anwser :)

[@shanehamilton3886]

I've been doing 4X4 mirrors for quite awhile with a 40w laser and haven't had a problem with the underlay burning into the mirror. But, I will still take your suggestion in the future and use it, just incase.

[@HoboWithWood]

I since learned that as long as the surface was clean, I didn't have a problem. The quality of the mirrors has been the biggest inconsistency for me.

[@gadieltropicalwood]

Great job cuestión how you put color on words

[@HoboWithWood]

Painted the back of the mirror after lasering.

[@edwardolivares5038]

Nice piece

[@HoboWithWood]

Thank you kindly

[@wowfactsnow]

Great Job! Thanks for sharing the video.

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for watching!

[@I-LOVE-EARTH]

Fantastic!

[@HoboWithWood]

Many thanks!

[@markinpdx7345]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for watching.

[@victoriastokes1574]

Very helpful tutorial! But I have a 5W laser. Any recommendations on speed and power level?

[@HoboWithWood]

There is no way to answer that. Too many variables when doing mirrors. I have several videos that discuss engraving mirrors. I even have a three-part series. You HAVE to test to find your settings. This piece took half a day with a 10W. I would hate to see how long this would take with a 5W. https:hobowithwood.com/roly

[@victoriastokes1574]

@@HoboWithWood okay thanks for the recommendation. I know I need to upgrade my laser. I will keep that in mind if I did decide to try this out!

[@beavercreekdesign]

Thanks for the vid

[@aaronjohnston4073]

Very nice!!!

[@HoboWithWood]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@DawnMiller-d9r]

Looks awesome just wondering you said settings for the cardstock but not for the mirror did you use same 80/5

[@HoboWithWood]

I recently finished 3 separate videos teaching my mirror techniques. Check those out.

[@timbo713]

How did you get the different colours ? Is it possible with the xtool d1 pro 10 w to do that with colours

[@raylee664]

did you change the speed and power when you engraved the mirror? or did you keep it the same as when you marked the card stop? really enjoyed your video, it is very helpful. thanks

[@HoboWithWood]

This was a long time ago. I don't recall what the speed or power settings needed to remove the mirror material from the back of the glass. I can tell you and warn you, mirrors are not created equal. Some of the cheaper mirrors are clears plastic with a mylar backing... these are terrible to try and engrave. Your best results will come with glass mirrors made with a silver and copper mirror plating. As for the speeds and powers, you must test to find the best results for your laser and you work environment. There are so many variables when it comes to using a laser to engrave or mark a material, to find your best settings you must test. You can get cut libraries from other creators. But I caution you, these are only a place to start in most cases. i suggest creating your own cut and engrave library based on your own test results.

[@PatrickSherry-m7m]

How do you get the solid frosted white look at the end of the burn? Every time I do it I get lines through it and it's kind of Grey

[@KerryAllatt-yz6og]

What setting do you have it on as in regards to what material do you choose as Xtool creative space doesn’t have an option for acrylic mirror

[@HoboWithWood]

This wasn't acrylic. It was a glass mirror. And this was so a successful video I have a series of videos on what it takes to engrave an image on a glass mirror. BE WARNED, it ain't easy. It is very easy to engrave an .svg or simple clipart and text. But an image is a whole new ball game. And there is will never be "a setting" that will work with mirrors. Too many variations in mirrors and mirror types to have a setting that will work. But there is a way to test and find the settings that work best for you mirrors. And I go over that in great detail. 1.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/a17YkGyIgrGEgrM 2.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJCvcqWFrMp2mtE 3.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIDHq4h7hbOBjqc To learn to do images in mirrors is a commitment and an artform. If you want to learn I feel like those three videos are a good place to start. They can be long. But there is no easy way to learn. There are shorter demonstrations on engraving mirrors, but they won't tell you why you weren't able to replicate the same thing after following the steps. But after watching my videos, completely, skip around and you'll miss something. You should have a better idea on what to look for and how to make the necessary adjustments for you mirrors.

[@johnnycalderon8261]

Do you paint the back of the mirror before engraving ?

[@HoboWithWood]

No sir. That would be counterproductive. You are using the laser to remove the coating from the rear to create the image.

[@johnnycalderon8261]

Okay thank you , also when you paint do you paint the surface or rear ? Sorry for the dumb questions

[@HoboWithWood]

@@johnnycalderon8261 since I don't show the painting process in the video, I don't consider the dumb questions. IF I am doing mutiple colors, I will use my acrylic paints and brush the rear areas I want for each color. iF I am doing a single color, I will use spray paint on the rear.

[@johnnycalderon8261]

Absolutely thank you

[@johnnycalderon8261]

I’m back because I have the mirrors in stock now , can you share the setting please

[@stacyvasquez3591]

Love your videos. What settings did you use to etch the back of mirror

[@HoboWithWood]

This video was nearly a year ago. If I didn't mention the settings in the video, I have no clue. I was not sharing a lot of my settings in the early days of my "KZbin Career." I did just post two videos on engraving phots on mirrors. I am working on a third video to try and summarize the process I used to engrave photos on mirrors. It will drop in the next couple of days. You will want to be sure and watch all three of these to truly grasp some of the basics on engraving mirrors.

[@DeWitteWilson]

Hey! That's really cool. What settings did you use for the engrave part, and it looks like you painted the glass when you done? Did you, and if so, any certain kind of paint? Also, how did you get the antique looking letters, was that part of the font maybe?

[@HoboWithWood]

I'm happy to share the settings I used, BUT one thing I've learned, my settings are irrelevant. The mirrors you use may have a thinker or thinner coating and you will have to use completely different settings. I used 70 mm/sec and 40% power on the xTool D1 with a 10 watt laser. I did hand paint it when I was done with the laser. I used Decoart Extreme Sheen acrylic paints. They have a metallic finish once dry. The "antiquing" I believe to be side effect of the Decoart paint. After 24 hours a chemical reaction started tarnishing the silver finish on the glass. I've done other mirrors with a solid color from spray paint and didn't have the same result. To really complete the antique look, next time I will randomly burn inconspicuous dots around the glass. Then paint them to promote the antique look all around the glass. Thank you for subscribing. But when it comes to the settings, you really have to do a test burn on everything you try. That's the only way I know I will have the desired results.

[@DeWitteWilson]

@@HoboWithWood thank you! I'll try it soon. I appreciate you showing this. I just bought an xtool, so I'm still a newbie.

[@HoboWithWood]

@DeWitte Wilson if you haven't found this guy yet, you need to subscribe to his channel. The Louisiana Hobby Guy. Also recommend PawPaw's Workshop. I've had my xTool less than month. These channels have been extremely helpful. Enjoy your laser and thanks again for watching.

[@JoeyTheSinic]

Louisiana Hobby Guy is a Lightburn master.

[@Dancopymus]

Hello friend, first of all, thank you for sharing the result of your work. I have two questions: 1) I don't understand why you used the green cardboard as background. 2) Should the painted part of the mirror face the cardboard? Thanks

[@HoboWithWood]

1.) In previous attempts in marking a couple of mirrors, I noticed a pattern on the face of the mirror after the burn. Turns out the honeycomb pattern was presenting itself, and it was not cleaning off. A simple piece of card stock did the trick. Green is just what I had on hand. I don't think color matters, as long as it's a solid, clean surface. 2.) The painted surface of the mirror should be facing up. In this process, you are simply burning away the mirrored surface of the glass to create the image. You are not actually engraving. Trying to engrave from the opposite side produces an entirely different outcome.

[@jitendrathanky3960]

Hi Steve - Really Cool video. Can you please tell me approx how long it too to burn the Jameson image

[@HoboWithWood]

I'm sorry. It was so long ago, I don't remember.

[@AcryliWoodDesigns]

Wait, how'd you get that green on there?!

[@HoboWithWood]

Painted the reverse green and gold.

[@robertrainford301]

nice work! I etched on glass using a glowforge, I found too much energy cracked the glass. I guess it takes some finess. You use paint on the back to create the colored text, right?

[@HoboWithWood]

Thank you. I've had some thin glass out of picture frames that cracked. I have painted the glass, used the laser to remove the paint, then go back and repaint with a contrasting color. While neat to do, time consuming and I didn't see a way to monetize it. Too fragile and too many other technologies out there doing really nice things faster and cheaper than I could figure out with a diode.

[@connielafave923]

so do i leave the image black on the screen when i print it or do i make it white.

[@HoboWithWood]

It needs to be in fill mode

[@brushybillroberts2654]

Slick trick squaring up the glass on your background (green card stock). Have you tired gold leaf instead of paint? I have seen it used with acid etched mirrors. It looked like it was pretty easy to apply in the video I saw. Great job on producing the video, just subscribed, looking forward to seeing more of your content.

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for subscribing. I've learned a lot since this video was published. I've even partnered with a couple others to start a new channel. It officially launches in Jan 2023. It will be a channel dedicated strictly to laser projects with free downloads. You want to subscribe to it as well. I have not worked with any gold leaf... yet. I'm also hoping my production value is increasing as the channel continues to develop. This channel isn't going anywhere. I will continue to share tips and techniques as I learn them. The new channel will be strictly projects for laser enthusiasts. Here's the link. www.youtube.com/@lasermakersrealm

[@brushybillroberts2654]

@@HoboWithWood Followed the link, looking forward to seeing what comes up.😎

[@AndresGarcia-ze1lb]

What kind of paint and brand do you use on the finished mirrors?

[@HoboWithWood]

depends on the job. sometimes it's spray paint. sometimes it brushed on acrylic. different jobs call for different applications.

[@AndresGarcia-ze1lb]

@HoboWithWood Ok. Thank you. That's what I thought. But I'm just curious about which one works better or stays longer on design. I usually use a brush, but the paint kind of starts to fade off. Maybe it is the brand I use. I have not done crazy designs yet since I don't have the laser machine, I do it by hand and use various colors. I have not tried spray paint yet. Thanks for the feedback. Great video, by the way.

[@ciromartello6843]

you can help me choose which one I have to buy laser engraver that engraves and is more precise, I don't care about the cut but the engraving between which to choose ATOMSTACK S10 PRO 50W or Atomstack X7 Pro 50W or laser SCULPFUN S10 thanks

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks for watching. But I have no experience with the lasers you are asking about. I am only using the xTool D1. And I only have a couple months experience with it. But as Tim the Toolman Taylor would say, more power. You can never have too much power. I'm using a 10 watt module and I'm looking to upgrade to the xTool 20 watt laser module. But, I cannot provide an opinion on a tool I know nothing about. Good luck and thanks for watching.

[@HalfAssHomestead]

I have the 10 watt Ortur, (worst), the 20 watt FoxAlien, (Better), and the XTool D1 10 watt, (best of the 3 diodes). If you want to get serious about it, look into the OmTech CO2 lasers. They aren't cheap but can do way more.

[@williamfoster7920]

A lower powered laser, 5 to 10 watt output is going to give you a much finer focal point than the higher powered lasers. So if your just interested in engraving think about that aspect. I have a a 5.5 watt and the focal point is 0.02 mm. That makes a very fine engrave.

[@terrysmithl80]

That looks great! Are you painting the back side of the glass after the engraving?

[@HoboWithWood]

It depends. Some are painted. Some are back lit with the light shining through.

[@HWoodCreations]

How did you accomplish the "antiquing"?

[@HoboWithWood]

The ability to recreate the antiquing will vary depending on the quality of the mirror. As mirrors age the silver plating will begin to lift and oxidize on the back of the glass. Ammonia is the worst thing you can ever apply to a mirror. Unless you are trying to ruin it. After laser engraving the mirror, the edges or the engraved area are potentially vulnerable to damage. On a test piece, apply a strong ammonia based cleaner to the back surface of the glass. It may take up to 24 hrs to start to see the effects. And again, depending on the quality of the mirror, your results may vary.

[@HWoodCreations]

Thank you for information.

[@andrewtilly5676]

How did you get that antique effect on the mirror?

[@HoboWithWood]

The success of this technique will vary depending on the type and overall quality of the mirror. But what i do is after lasering, i clean the lasered surface with rubbing alcohol. The edges around the lasered perimeter will let the alcohol seep in. This distorts the edges of the images. An old mirror that is showing age is simply where the silver is lifting or gone from the back of the glass. But again, the success depends on the quality of the mirror. Good luck.

[@StrattonVA]

How did you do the paint color?

[@HoboWithWood]

Paintbrush and acrylic paints on the backside after lasering.

[@ScottHamlin-r7z]

What were the settings for the laser?

[@HoboWithWood]

Settings will vary from laser to laser, locale to locale, mirror type to mirror type. You cannot rely on someone else's settings. Especially when it comes to mirrors.

[@timbo713]

Awesome work, did you keep the same power and speed settings you used when you framed it up ?

[@HoboWithWood]

If you're talking about the outline I created on the craft paper, no. It was at a much lower power. Didn't want to cut the paper. Simply mark it.

[@mikeandchristyrivera8245]

Hi Steve. Are your settings of 12mm/s correct? If I set my D1 at that speed it shows a 13+ hour burn.

[@HoboWithWood]

I know. Crazy. Right? But yes. To get the effect I wanted those were the settings I used for this burn. If you haven't used a mirror to do a test burn pattern, I strongly recommend it. You may find a result that works for you at a faster speed. I ran two test grids. The first was really large and I used speeds from 10 to 200 mm/s. The second, I took the results from the first test to really dial in the optimum speeds and power to get a full burn on the test pattern with varying degrees of etching in the glass. If you aren't interested in trying to really create a frosted look in the glass, you may be happy with a setting as high as 80mm/s and 100% power. This removed all the plating on the mirror and produced a clear image, but it had little to no frosting/etching of the glass. And the biggest things I learned playing with mirrors were. 1.) I'm not the easy to look at for long periods of time. 2.) Mirrors vary greatly in the way the are manufactured and will require different settings from one type of mirror to another. So you need to TEST, TEST, and TEST. You would be sorely upset to wait 13+ hours to find the result was less than satisfactory. In later videos, I had some really interesting results engraving mirrors from the front using masking tape. I was able to create a 3D embossed look in the glass. Good luck. But do yourself a favor and use a mirror for tests. you can get 6 or more tests on the same mirror and have that around for reference on future projects.

[@Joshuaellis420]

Nice

[@HoboWithWood]

Thanks

[@Jumpy66]

I take kitchen Paper Wet for Ground, Make it Wet with a Sprayer.

[@49ccdad31]

it doesn't burn the card stock while it's engraving?

[@HoboWithWood]

nope

[@49ccdad31]

does it have to be green card stock? and is it 32 pound card stock? @@HoboWithWood

[@HoboWithWood]

No. That was just what I had on hand. @@49ccdad31

[@samuelsanchez6180]

Which setting did you used?

[@HoboWithWood]

You need to watch the series I have on engraving mirrors. There are three videos on engraving mirrors. There is SOOOOO much more to worry about than settings. The biggest of which is what type of mirror. Mirrors are not created equal. Watch the series on engraving mirrors and good luck. if you are engraving images, there is a TON of testing in your future. If you are engraving simple graphics, it's no that hard. But you still need to test your mirrors.

[@joopstroop8926]

Can you engrave a photo in a mirror with grayscale option

[@HoboWithWood]

Engraving mirrors is tricky. First if you aren't using a "real" glass mirror with the silver plating, it will be difficult to get an image you are truly happy with. Then using grayscale may give mixed results. Removing the silver plating on a mirror requires getting through the outer most painted surface. Then there is are some mirrors out there that still use a copper layer on them, too. Then the silver plate. Grayscale works by varying the power intensity to create the varying degrees of engraving. This may result in not getting through all the layers needed to create the desired image. The one thing I can say for sure is the only way to know is to test, test, test. And know that if you get a second batch of mirrors, they may not have the same results. Vendors are constantly changing and not disclosing. Good luck and thanks for watching.

[@gbkc20]

What did you set your minimum power to ?

[@HoboWithWood]

This was so long ago. I have no idea. But what I do remember is that mirrors are not created equal. These mirrors were bought from Lowes. No mirror I've worked with since produce as nice of an image as these. My best advice is to test. Test. And the test so more.

[@davidwest7622]

What burn setting did you use for the engraving?

[@HoboWithWood]

For this mirror, 12 mm/s and 80% power was successful. But those same settings didn't work on a different mirror later. This was a 12x12 tile from Lowes. Item # 197427 www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selections-12-in-L-x-12-in-W-Square-Polished-Wall-Mirror/3730183 The mirror I purchased from Dollar Tree had a different material creating the mirror it was more like a sticker, (cheap mirror). And those setting were ineffective. You need to test your laser on a sacrificial mirror before trying a project, so you know what works for you. Good luck and thanks for watching.

[@dbrimmage237]

What are the fonts used on this project

[@HoboWithWood]

That is a question I cannot answer. I used the logo for the restaurant and the logo for Jameson. I simply married the two existing logos. Sorry.

[@cardfriendsy]

Love this idea thanks for the fun. Awesome stuff

[@HoboWithWood]

Be sure and subscribe. I'm working on a new video with mirrors. I've had some great success with a new technique. Thanks for watching.

[@basook6116]

did you used CO2 ???

[@HoboWithWood]

This was using my 10w diode.

[@basook6116]

@@HoboWithWood thanks

[@williamfoster7920]

Make sure you have a good ventilation system when doing mirrors... Burning off the material stinks to high heaven and I'm sure it isn't good for you to be breathing that stuff.

[@karatohongkongcat]

How did you get the colors in the mirror? They came out fantastic!

[@HoboWithWood]

If you are referring to the mirrors at the end of the video, they were hand painted after lasering. Each color painted on the back. Then sprayed black paint to seal and protect.

[@karatohongkongcat]

@@HoboWithWood beautiful!

[@robertballesteros1187]

how do you get the colored letters?

[@HoboWithWood]

Paint the back after engraving.