I test 3 different coatings for getting darker laser engraving on wood

I tried these 3 mixed with water (Borax, Baking soda & Citric acid) mixed with water then lightly sprayed on MDF wood to see how they compare, I also left a section uncoated for a control sample.

[@andrewwatts1997]

I can't believe it made that much of a difference. Thank you for testing this.

[@timgarrett203]

Thank you! Good test for lots of people!

[@dizfoster8726]

Never would have thought to use borax like that. Great science, thanks Terry!

[@kellyklaask7su990]

Very interesting test. Thanks for sharing!

[@electronron1]

Great test. I have been using a 2.5 watt diode laser engraver for most laser engraving because it gives the nice dark image but is very slow up to 12 hours for a very large image where as my CO2 laser is very fast with 20 minutes for the same image but much too light. From videos I've seen higher watt diode lasers can be run faster but produce results similar to the CO2 laser. Thanks for sharing this information, I'm definitely going to pick up some Borax.

[@chrisdixonstudios]

Thanks,was wondering..watch to the end!

[@crowetrucking]

Thank you for this video

[@CashappPanhandler]

Running out to buy borax right now lol. I do a lot of company logos on plywood and that will help me out tons. Great video

[@geektoolkit]

OMG I love the scientific approach of this video...I immediately can trust the results because it was so well done! You sold me on borax for this :D Thanks for the work and sharing, this is great for the community and learners like me!

[@samesta5695]

I wish I weren’t so allergic to Borax. That looks great.

[@user-cp3nx2du3h]

Can I still cover the wood with clear transfer tape to avoid having to clean the wood? Excellent video.

[@jeremyanold491]

Do you use clear coat to make the ash sealed or do you get rid of the ash? If you get rid of it, how without destroying the project? It really smears a lot when trying to clean it. Thank you for the great video.

[@mohammadparvez6256]

Nice technically sir

[@deanandlindaspalletsigns281]

Hi Terry I did the borax trick trouble was I sealed it with spray varnish only to find out that the black rubbed off after I had sprayed it any way of sealing it in without it wiping off?

[@johnfreeth1988]

Does Borax substitute work,Borax not available in UK

[@biagiocozza8875]

Interesting, I have heard that Borax is the best solution for wood, and metal. Have you tried it on metal yet? Please let me know.

[@otallono]

Borax seems to char the wood and blend the dots together, killing any greyscale effect for me on basswood, no matter how fast or low the power is on my ortur M2 20w. I had to switch back to baking soda for a good medium tone. Maybe I used too much borax but I didn't think I did.

[@terrymakes3613]

Yea, probably not the best for photos. More for line art vector images as well as text.

[@rickmccaskill7888]

Thanks for sharing. Going to use borax going forward.

[@dasfreakster]

Great video. I have the same laser as yours. ;) Where did you get your laser crosshair setup?

[@terrymakes3613]

Designed and made it myself

[@sherryleggett1612]

Where does all that soot go normally?

[@jarvistech7408]

Okay. So baking soda tends to cause some discoloration

[@thatonegamer2709]

Heads up...if gou seal your work that has borax..the wood will get a tad bit on the darker side nothing crazy but it gives it like a yellowish color tone....unless its just mine but i seal my work right after it finishes that way the ash dont smeer everything and ruins it.

[@JackInTheShop]

I tried Borax with my last burn on the 60watt "Big Red" laser. Did not get that good of a result. My last video, I tried it with the 20 Diode laser. Still not as dark as I would have liked. How much are you spraying on the wood? Maybe II did not use enough?

[@terrymakes3613]

Just sprayed on a light coat (like I would cleaner to clean a counter) I then let it dry.

[@gcase08]

The camera whipping around makes me dizzy but great content.

[@iamthaone3134]

Use white vinegar to get rid of sutt just tap it on💪🏾🐉

[@lasermania6194]

un gusto conocerte haré las pruebas y espero nos podamos comunicar... un abrazo desde URUGUAY

[@BurtonDynamics]

My friend wants me to engrave his table but it's been lacquered what should I do? I'm using an ortur master laser 20w diode

[@rebelmarshall3632]

Science!

[@GeppettoCreations]

Great idea! Have you tried on real wood other than MDF? Something like plywood or pine?

[@terrymakes3613]

Works the same on birch ply. I would say the Borax mix is way to strong the way I show it in the video, leaves a lot fo soot, cut the mix in half and it's a lot better.

[@woodfantasy871]

great video sir but i have to ask. what is Borax? (i am european)

[@terrymakes3613]

We know it just as Borax but I looked it up and the chemical name is sodium tetraborate

[@TheDradge]

Try ammonium chloride. It's used in woodburning.

[@stevendunn264]

Is the wood wet or dry when you cut?

[@terrymakes3613]

Dry, it dries in like 5 minutes.

[@dwightstebner2345]

how much borax in amount of water??

[@utahprepper8925]

Acid vs base

[@DeepSeaWorks]

Would you consider borax food safe and use on something like a cutting board?

[@terrymakes3613]

Borax itself is NOT food safe, that being said if you wash the cutting board after engraving there should not be any left as it either vaporized or washed off.

[@UloPe]

Borax is a suspect carcinogen. In Germany (possibly the whole EU, don’t know) sale to private citizens has been banned since 2009.

[@jarvistech7408]

My baking soda solution is yellowing the wood. Have you seen this? Do you think it's something in my water. I only have about a teaspoon of baking soda in about 20 oz of water.

[@terrymakes3613]

I have not seen this so I can't really say what the cause is, might be the type of wood or minerals or chlorine in the water, you might try with some distilled water from the grocery store, that would eliminate the minerals and chlorine as the cause.

[@Sartek]

@mpkunz6336 the funny part is that soda ash will raise the pH the same with much less used in a solution, but the alkalinity guess up only a fraction of what baking soda causes. I learned this from a chemist that does pH balancing for water sports centers

[@rebelmarshall3632]

What is the percentage of the solutions? i.e. how much baking soda to water ratio.

[@terrymakes3613]

It says at a few seconds into the video 1 cup or water to 2Tbs of the powders. The Borax one was too strong though and I would cut the powder in half.

[@3DJapan]

The Borax looks good if you want black. I feel like most people working with wood would want brown. Unless I'm mistaken.

[@terrymakes3613]

Not always. I am on laser forums where it's a common question of why isn't my text darker or how can I make it black, this is especially true if you want to just do a light surface etch (add the text or image) without making deep etching (hole). So there are always different wants/needs. This just gives another option or tool in your arsenal.

[@Redthumb45]

You need to hit that with a clear coat or fixative. Before you touch it with anything else.

[@wds4022]

o problema que e pessoal mostra depois de feito e não explica como fazer esta mistura dos produtos e como passar na madeira e quanto tempo após a aplicação pode ser usado no laser

[@terrymakes3613]

Just mix with water, spray on let dry (just so it's not wet anymore) and laser. Super simple.

[@marcojurgel1065]

Just a question. I come from Germany and borax is here classified as a poison as it harms biological reproduction and may harm unborn children in mother's body. I know things were handles differently in Germany and the US. Thats why I would like to know is there anything known in the US about these risks or are you guys less sensitive :-) I tend to take borax as results are amazing and lot of such rules here are "German Angst" driven... Thanks for your comments...

[@alastairaitchison6787]

We don't have it in the UK either. I use Sodium Bicarbonate instead.

[@Sartek]

The entire class of "borate" salts is banned in the EU and UK since 2010. Borax is sodium borate. You might try sodium carbonate (washing soda/soda ash), instead of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

[@wheelbarrowviva8978]

Surely it is poisonous. But it can be found in the laundry section of any supermarket in Australia. It is needed to make slime for children to play with.

[@user-ct8my8rv9c]

Germany also bans blood in video games and scary words

[@marcojurgel1065]

@@user-ct8my8rv9c yeah, that's why I already mentioned the famous German Angst 😉

[@ragcell]

Are you sure you are using MDF?

[@terrymakes3613]

Very sure. I basically use 2 woods, MDF and Baltic Birch plywood.

[@3DJapan]

It certainly looks like MDF.

[@richardpogue4959]

Borax it is

[@stevenmarston8923]

Thanks for taking the time to share! I did, however, have to look away and only open my eyes periodically (so I could capture what you were trying to convey) due to the camera view moving about a bit too much. Otherwise, great job!

[@gaelpiratelife1941]

Is borax toxic?

[@terrymakes3613]

Yes, you don't want to ingest it (but then again water is toxic if taken in large enough quantities). Borax is most commonly used to aid in laundry washing and can be purchased alongside detergent (which is also toxic).

[@loyalistman]

I have been trying borax but have a lot of smudging. How can I clean it up without smudges?

[@eugeneallen4373]

Try a Mr. Clean pad or clear coat first

[@mikeshanahan8602]

Terry, I think that you have a lot of good information. I have tried the Borax myself with mixed results depending on the wood species. I really would like to subscribe but unfortunately I am unable to actually watch your video due to the rapid camera movement. It literally gives me vertigo.🤢 So I am restricted to listening only. I think that if you could edit your video such that there would be a cut when switching from one scene to another rather than the fast panning it would be much less distracting and would look much more like most of the other KZbinrs. Love the info though!😁

[@user-gy2jd6tw9q]

Borax is too dark

[@BlueGeckoLaser]

Learn to use your laser and you won't have to rely on these gimmicks.