How to Create Stunning, Coloured, Custom Coasters with Your Laser Cutter: A Step-by-Step Guide

[@thomasverga469]

Using the second piece of tape to remove the first is BRILLIANT!, thank you for the tip.

[@MARCAM]

Very welcome :) I just wish I knew it way before making this video 😂

[@RJMachine62]

If you shoot a quick coat of clear over the engraved mask it helps/eliminates bleeding in the pores and under the tape. Works great on wood also.

[@MARCAM]

thanks for the info :) didn't think about trying that. Will do on my next batch for sure

[@ruftime]

Exactly RJ! I also prefer vinyl transfer masking paper tape, super thin and just tacky enough😎

[@craigriley8418]

@@ruftime As far as i'm aware you shouldnt use anything vinyl for laser engraving. It gives off toxic fumes which damage both you and your machine.

[@PerB_M]

@@craigriley8418 he uses the masking Paper tape which is normally used for transferring vinyl letters to objects. So it's completely harmless:-)

[@TachirosLament]

@@MARCAM i subconsciously read that in your accent.

[@bigfranksworld]

The unmasking with the duct tape is brilliant! Thanks for the video.

[@MARCAM]

Thank you :) it’s saved me many hours!!

[@dfortin0011]

Briliant !!!!! tape trick for the win !!! wow ty so much

[@walesara54]

Wow why haven't I seen this before, great method here, can't wait to try it, especially with a fellow countryman giving the tutorial. Expat here in Sweden, recently retired and have had 40w machine for about 4 years. Have loads of North Wales slate here from a recent trip home, ( to the south) and although the welsh dragon perhaps will not sell here I have to try it for myself...Thanks and Hwyl fawr!!

[@MARCAM]

Shwmae! Glad you enjoyed the video :) I’ve got a cupboard full of Welsh slate. Love the stuff. You never know though, I’ve seen the Welsh dragon engraved all over the world. It’s a very unique flag 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@dfortin0011]

GAME changer TIPs !!!! WOW ty so much

[@Blue60]

Great video good information cheers for sharing

[@ajbahe]

Awesome! Thanks for the video!

[@nicholascheadle]

Really cool. Definitely gives more freedom to create to endless designs. Thanks for sharing man.

[@MARCAM]

Thank you. There is an updated version on one of my newer videos and, like you said, it really is endless. I am now the owner of posh designer gold slate coasters 😂

[@kevinguerin2718]

This is great. Love the masking tape technique. Thanks for the video

[@OddvinAlmenning]

To prevent bleed under the maskintape, You can spray clear lack first, then let it dry, and spray the color on afterwards.

[@MARCAM]

Thank your I did manage to find that out many months after I made this video 😊

[@erikrummel6277]

That’s a good trick!!!! Thanks for t showing. Cheers 🍻

[@MARCAM]

Thank you :)

[@Ricks2Cents]

Looks Good!!! I’ll have to try this!!!

[@MARCAM]

Thank you :) it’s definitely worth a go. So easy to do and so many different options to try :)

[@ericnefflen5746]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@ParleyPCat]

Very cool. Thank you for sharing.

[@TheRyanwianecki]

Is it the same process for wood? I'm new to engraving, just trying to obsorb knowledge. Any help would be appreciated, thanks

[@MARCAM]

Unfortunately not. There’s a few more steps you need to do with wooed before hand. Otherwise, any paint bleeds into the grain. I’ve found sanding wood back, applying a clear lacquer and sanding again helps with any bleeding 👍🏻

[@johnsaunders9891]

Amazing 👏 thank you 😊

[@scottcho7064]

great video man, that was super helpful. Thank you for making it

[@MARCAM]

Thank you for the kind words :) And I’m glad it helped 👍🏻

[@steinbierz]

Great video. I was wondering if ORAMASK stencil film would work in place of masking tape? Thanks.

[@MARCAM]

Hi, Oramask should not be used with the laser as it made from PVC and the fumes it produces could kill you. If you were to cut the stencil out on a vinyl cutter then it should work. Would just need to make sure it's stuck down well so no paint bleeds under.

[@steinbierz]

@@MARCAM Thanks…makes sense. Guess I was thinking of it’s use with CNC routers, not lasers.

[@MARCAM]

Should be fine. As long as a cnc can cut the material for the stencil. 👍🏻

[@stuartwalsh4974]

Great trick with the duct tape, many thanks

[@AllenBethea]

Thanks for the demo. Nice work. I am thinking about getting a K40, but there is so much negative talk on youtube. You seem to be very productive with it.

[@MARCAM]

Yeah, there’s probably more negative than positive. I think as long as you use it correctly then you won’t have any problems with it. People will either forget to turn the water pump on or just can’t align them properly and blame the machine.

[@JuryDutySummons]

I feel like it would be a lot less faffing about if you just covered the whole surface with masking tape to start with. Great results though, thanks for this tip!

[@MARCAM]

Thank you. It would be a lot easier mind if I had wider tape. Trying to align two pieces without overlapping can be a bit tedious and time consuming.

[@JuryDutySummons]

@@MARCAM that's a fair point. They do make wider tape, but it's a bit pricey

[@MARCAM]

Yeah it is quite a bit more expensive and I’m a cheapskate. If I can get away with a tiny torn off bit, I will 😂

[@magic_no1]

Hi. Thanks for the video. Where do you get your coasters from? Can you buy them in bulk in the UK?

[@MARCAM]

Glad you like the video. Yes, you can purchase them in bulk in the UK. I used a store on eBay. If you google search eureka stores it should show their eBay page as one of the first links. Great value and great quality

[@leffep]

Question, don't it leave melted glue from the tape on the area that you paint on, or does the laser manage to remove all of that? What laser and what power settings do you use?

[@MARCAM]

The laser removes an trace of the tape. If you find something left behind then just increase your power slightly. Can’t remember what settings I used at the time as I’ve upgraded a few things on my laser since but it’s low power and medium speed. I use a k40 too. It’s a 40w co2 laser machine 👍🏻

[@darrellyeo3680]

Thank you for the video. What settings did you use? I tired, however, the laser did not burn through the tape. I am using Ortur laser master 2 pro and Lasergrbl for the program.

[@MARCAM]

I’d recommend trying low power (what you normally would for slate). If that’s not cutting through paper increase the power a little. Keep increasing until you get a nice clean cut of the tape.

[@krisknowlton5935]

Darell Yeo, mark your tape with a black magic marker. It will cut through with no problem. Masking tape reflects blue laser.

[@Martina1192]

@@krisknowlton5935ah, that makes complete sense! I just tried something on masked wood on my 10w diode and nothing engraved. Now I know why. Thanks!! :)

[@pauposts]

Cool trick with the duct tape for the weeding.

[@MARCAM]

Honestly saved me so much time.

[@gatlinkills896]

Great video keep it up!

[@Bogbrew]

Having some trouble with the duct tape pulling off the little bits of tape. I am using gorilla tape and it seems to be pulling up paint as well. Is there another method that will remove the tiny bits of tape? I've seen a dental pick method, but that seems supppper tedious.

[@MARCAM]

I like to press down really hard with the duct tape. Generate a bit of heat when doing so to really get it to stick. If you don’t it’s pulling up paint, you may be applying too much. I’ve found too much and it can bleed under the mask and peel off in chunks sometimes.

[@Bogbrew]

@@MARCAM awesome, thanks for the info!

[@diemo1ov954]

Should I use sealer? Will sealers leave a mark after use? What's best sealer?

[@MARCAM]

You don’t always have to seal with slate, but I usually do. I just use any clear lacquer before and after

[@SalahMattar-zn7op]

Good day... my friend, I have a laser device and I want you to guide me to the power and speed required for stainless steel, aluminum and platinum. I would be grateful to you.

[@MARCAM]

What laser do you have? Power and type?

[@SalahMattar-zn7op]

I have DAJADJ7 and what app good for it… Thank you 🙏🏽

[@MARCAM]

Is that a diode?

[@BSDLLC]

Very cool, but you should use a brayer on the masking tape after the cut to make sure it's adhered perfectly before painting, then use the brayer again when applying the duct tape. Cool process, by the way.

[@YerUncleWillie]

If you apply clear paint before you apply a colored spray paint it will fill the bleed.

[@allanfryer5851]

The slate coasters look extremely flat. Can you give me an idea of where you purchased them from. Brilliant tutorial video.

[@MARCAM]

Thank you :) I get my slate from Penrhyn slate in Wales.I prefer the flat stuff. Easier to engrave all around the edges

[@brianpierrotti453]

can the blue painters tape be used instead of masking tape?

[@MARCAM]

Should be fine. As far as I know it’s just a “heavier” duty type masking tape 👍🏻

[@telwood15]

Nice teehnique

[@MARCAM]

Thank you :)

[@karenturner5443]

Gorilla tape works great too

[@MARCAM]

I just used the cheapest duct tape I had. I’ve tried the cheap stuff with wood and didn’t work as well so maybe gorilla tape will work good for wood too

[@karenturner5443]

Did you water down the paint?

[@MARCAM]

For this paint to work in my airbrush I used an airbrush thinner by Vallejo. Works great and anything I have left can just pour back into the pot

[@karenturner5443]

Could you use rub n buff

[@MARCAM]

That’s a great idea!! I do have a small tube somewhere. I think as long as the masking tape holds it might work

[@globulas1]

Very good

[@Double0Civic]

What type of paint are you using in your airbrush? I'm using cheap acrylic off amazon thats meant for airbrushes, but when I peel the tape up, it brings all the paint with it. Pulls it right out of the engravings.

[@MARCAM]

I think that may be because you’re spraying on too heavy. Try lighter coats. I use cheap stuff off Amazon too. I do thin mine down with a specific airbrush thinner but shouldn’t make too much of a difference. Just go 2 very light coats and should hopefully be fine. If not, try peeling off masking tape before it fully dries

[@Double0Civic]

@@MARCAM you’re right, I’m definitely going heavy. Orange and yellow always seem to be translucent unless they’re heavy coats. I’ll give the light coats a try and see if that help. Thank you for replying!

[@RoninsCorner]

Hey MARC, good content. One thing that I think could help improve it (which you might have done in future videos, hello future you!) is the camera for your over head shot is recording in stereo, and when you move about the room your audio follows you from side to side, which I felt jarring and hard for me to focus on your content. I am unsure your recording setup or editing but you could switch that to mono at the source or in post and fill the secondary. It mainly happened with the overhead shot, so could be that camera. Hopefully this is helpful! I look forward to trying your multi colored slate in a future project. Cheers - Ronin

[@MARCAM]

Hey, thanks for the heads up 👍🏻 Honestly I’ve had so much trouble with my mic setups. I’ve spent a fair bit of different mics and in this video I think it was just a crappy lapel mic plugged in to the camera. I have got nicer mics since, none I’m still really happy with though 😂. Might look into dubbing over when editing. Could help with all my audio problems 🤷‍♂️😂 Cheers.

[@RoninsCorner]

@@MARCAM I can understand that. Voicing over in post is my route, with camera mic on for ambient sounds. You could try a shotgun style mic. I also use Audition to try and correct any issues I run into with my audio recording. One route you could go, though I have never tried, is external sound recording and sync them after. That is where the clacker comes to use in professional settings. You got this!

[@MARCAM]

Thank you :) I’ll have to try different things in one of my next videos and see what works best for me 👍🏻

[@jerseybigmike2619]

Only downside I see is the clear coat on the slate to start with. One of the advantages of slate as a coaster is that slate is hydroscopic -- ie it absorbs water (so condensation stays off table that you are protecting).

[@MARCAM]

Yeah it is a bit of a problem to be fair. I find they stain (things like coffee and tea) much more. But they do wipe clean okay

[@jerseybigmike2619]

@@MARCAM Have you considered this. If you need to darken the slate use WD40 and wipe it in - do not use a lot. Let it dry well. Mask coaster, engrave, clear coat section to be colored, spray color over the clear coat of "special area" clear coat over the paint. This would leave the rest of the coaster hydroscopic and should still protect the paint well enough for daily use and gentle cleaning.

[@MARCAM]

I haven’t but I’m definitely going to try :) thanks for the info 👌🏻😁

[@CityWoodDesigns]

if ya dont mind where do you get the round slate from?

[@MARCAM]

I get all mine from North Wales. Google penrhyn slate (there’s a few different places) 👍🏻

[@CityWoodDesigns]

@@MARCAM cheers dude im in ireland and have been relying on amazon and ebay but their prices have gone crazy of late

[@MARCAM]

Yeah I know that feeling. The market for anything for laser cutting and 3d printing have gone up so much

[@CityWoodDesigns]

@@MARCAM its tough even with suppliers in england iv spoken too dont seem to ship to ireland hate the thoughts of having to wait 6 - 12 weeks coming from china

[@MARCAM]

I’ve found stuff from China to come really quick recently. Honestly better than our own Royal Mail.

[@Jer0867]

Great video...subscribed! Also, nice to see a fellow Taff here, a nice change from all the "shouty" & flashy Yanks! Whereabouts are you based? Greetings from Llanelli! 😁👍

[@MARCAM]

Thank you very much :) From just around the corner in good old Caerphilly 👋

[@Jer0867]

@@MARCAM Nice spot, there! Still waiting for that part of the castle wall to actually fall over once and for all! Those who know, know! Keep up the great work...love your videos! 👍

[@mikemcguckian6968]

Morning MARC A.M. great little video. Can i ask where you got the air powered spray gun from? Like whats its name or model nbr and how much did it set u back?

[@MARCAM]

Hi Mike. Hope all is good. The gun I used was just a cheap one I got years ago. Probably eBay or Amazon. My air compressor is the same. Just got the cheapest at the time. You can get mini airbrush kits these days (so the gun and small compressor) for pretty cheap. For stuff like this you don’t need a lot of pressure

[@mikemcguckian6968]

@@MARCAM thanks Marc. I just got myself a lidl compressor...it had lots of stuff with it apart from a paint sprayer but i got one of those from a mate (for spraying the fence and shed etc) but wud like to complete the set so to speak with a mini paint sprayer for the slate work. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Keep up the good video work 😀

[@MARCAM]

I’ve recently got a small airbrush gun with the glass bottle for the liquid that clips onto the bottom. They’re dirt cheap and work great with thicker liquids. And yeah all good thanks for asking :) the weather has been kind to us here in Wales so can’t really complain 😁

[@mikemcguckian6968]

@@MARCAM yea its been not too bad here in Ireland either. Fingers crossed for a long hot summer.

[@MARCAM]

Ah nice. Let’s hope. Last few years haven’t been too bad so we are definitely due a wet summer 😭

[@TheFeist77]

have you tried this with powder coat paint?

[@MARCAM]

Not myself. I’ve seen people do some stuff with wood and it didn’t look the best. Could be something to try in the future though 👍🏻

[@Rob_65]

Not myself but I've been told powder coat does work with the CO2 laser. No air assist and low power - otherwise you'll blow or burn the powder away. As far as I understand this, you need a Tribo gun to be able to apply the powder to non metal surfaces.

[@Dancopymus]

Very cool! At the beginning of the video, I was thinking that you were going to paint the slate stone with the laser burning the paint, but you only used the laser to cut out the harp design and paint between the lines with the paint; Am I right? Thanks for the video.

[@MARCAM]

Glad you liked it. You’re correct. Just cut the shape out using the laser on masking tape then just paint over

[@Dancopymus]

@@MARCAM I forgot to ask you: do you use any kind of paint (spray), glossy or matte? Thanks

[@MARCAM]

Yeah I use a glass coat before engraving and another after everything is finished (engraving and painting) 👍🏻

[@Uneasy80]

Would this same technique work on say a wine glass?

[@MARCAM]

Never tried engraving glass but would assume so. Maybe try it in a small scrap piece of glass

[@brettdavison2221]

How do you make your lettering infilled? I only manage to get outlines of lettering which looks a mess in fancy writing.

[@MARCAM]

I just made the lettering black in Inkscape and run a raster engrave with the k40 whisperer software. Should engrave anything that is black. Maybe your test has a red outline and you maybe running a cut??

[@brettdavison2221]

@@MARCAM cheers mate, how do I change settings to engrave and not cut? I can do infilled but it changes a 15 minute job to like 4 hours.

[@MARCAM]

@@brettdavison2221 are you using inkscape together with k40 whisperer? To engrave I just set text to black and in k40 whisperer I press the engrave button. Takes a lot longer as it does it from top to bottom line by line. Can mess with power and speed but won't ever be super fast with these machine

[@brettdavison2221]

@@MARCAM I use Microsoft paint first then import to inkscape with 5w laser, I can do coasters in a few minutes but only if I trace bitmap (only just started so not sure if that's right) but a door plaque is 5hrs+

[@brettdavison2221]

@@MARCAM also thanks for replying 👍

[@3DJapan]

6:12 I'd use some newspaper for this part so I'm not wasting tape.

[@MARCAM]

You’re not wrong there 👍🏻

[@pintokitkat]

Good little video, but you really need a better mic. The sound is all over the place.

[@MARCAM]

Thanks. I know what you mean. I purchased lavalier for like £40 and the quality on it is shocking. Was looking at getting something like a rode and a new camera but as it will be quite an expensive upgrade thought I’d hold out until my channel actually qualified for the YPP. At least then I can justify the cost

[@EricKohlmann]

Where did you source the slate coasters?

[@MARCAM]

Got them from eBay www.ebay.co.uk/str/EUREKA-STORES . Amazing Welsh slate and really cheap

[@ΜΟΛΩΝΛΑΒΕ-μ5μ]

Would be nice if this would work with a fiber laser.

[@MARCAM]

I’ve never seen/ used a fibre laser before. As far as I know they do metal right? And that would be pretty cool if you could colour metals that way

[@ΜΟΛΩΝΛΑΒΕ-μ5μ]

@@MARCAM yea pretty much non organic materials like metal, polymer, plastic, tile and some rocks like slate and granite. When the beam is focused for things like text, I can get a nice clean cut on tape but when it’s spread out for images it doesn’t really do anything to the tape and still marks the material under it. Only way is to crank the power up and by the time you get through the tape, it’s melted and burnt. Depending on how I set my frequency, I can. Mark tan, white or gray on some plastics and slate.

[@MARCAM]

Sounds quite complex compared to a standard laser cutter then. Maybe there’s a way to do it but guessing will require some pretty specialised materials 🤷‍♂️

[@ΜΟΛΩΝΛΑΒΕ-μ5μ]

@@MARCAM when I first started, it was definitely overwhelming. Like most things from china, it didn’t come with an instruction manual or any help on speed/power/frequency settings or how they affect different materials. Lots of trial and even more error lol What machine are you using? Mines a 50W JPT from Mactron Technology.

[@MARCAM]

Yeah the Chinese stuff is always fun to inbox and see what’s not inside. I’ve just got a blue and white k40 mini at the mo. Would love to upgrade one day but it’s doing it’s just at the mo

[@johnathanknifton]

Did you need to purchase a licence to sell with the branding on?

[@MARCAM]

Not for these as they were just for a mate. Probably would have to if you were to market and sell them online

[@pravitjarriya4767]

K40 is so much faster than my Glowforge

[@MARCAM]

Really? I’ve not read too much about the glow forge but not heard lots of good things. For the price they charge I thought they would be amazing

[@pravitjarriya4767]

@@MARCAM Yes at least 3 times faster for cutting comparing to Glowforge basic that I have. There are a lot of issues. First I got my machine and it doesn't cut through so they replaced me with a new one but it doesn't even cut. So I just keep the old one and play with adjustment and make it work. There are so many people regret buying it. I can pay off in a year selling at ebay and Etsy. It's not easy as they show on their advertisement. A lot of people bought the machine and so disappointed with little return they receive. I'm now buying Mira 7. God bless you and your business.

[@sherryleggett1612]

What happened to the bottom of Guinness?

[@MARCAM]

It was just a scrap coaster I messed up on originally. The final ones were done like it shows in the thumbnail :)

[@paulweston8184]

It's missing half the Guinness.

[@MARCAM]

Aye the one I did for the video was a scrap piece I messed up 👍🏻

[@icmpeko]

Aw, Mark - if you: 1) mask; 2) laser; 3) clear coat; 4) paint, you will not have the gold color (or whatev color you're using) bleed under the tape (clear seals tape to part) 🍺🦝👍

[@MARCAM]

Cheers. I find as long as I keep the airbrush spray as minimal as possible it doesn’t bleed under the tape. But definitely good for spray paint or even with a brush 👍🏻

[@jakerazmataz852]

Vid.could have been 5 min. IMO .

[@mikedixonphoto]

Take whatever stereo microphone you're using, and throw it in the garbage, or set it on mono if it has such a setting. The audio was so disorienting that I had to stop watching.

[@MARCAM]

Yeah, that microphone has long gone. I have replaced it a few times since. I would re-do the video but it’s one of my biggest sources of traffic to my channel 😫

[@lantan4776]

Cope

[@Tater_Poutine]

Lol, take whatever speakers you were using and throw them in the trash... the audio nearly needs a bit of post processing. The MIC is fine. The treble level is took high.. That's a post process solution.. apparently, ya watched enough to complain but not enough to understand the real solution..