Make A Statement With Laser Cut Copper Jewelry | xTool D1 Pro

[@GMCLabs]

So you're not going to tell us how you broke it?

[@peterbrownwastaken]

Yes. It was super brave of me! twitter.com/kludge1977/status/1645908681018720256

[@GMCLabs]

Man, and I thought it was gonna be the lathe! 😆

[@hollypierce3076]

​@@peterbrownwastaken such a brave act! That bear might have done worse than the socks did!!😂

[@Guru_1092]

@@peterbrownwastaken Peter sounds like a good dad. I still respect you!

[@smerk85]

Professional and amateur laser guy here: so another possibility for misalignment is skipping a tooth on the timing belts for the laser axes. If it catches as you were thinking, the piece may not slide, but instead it jumps a tooth and gets off by a step on the stepper motor, so features get shifted. This can also happen if there is too much slack in the belts or sometimes with too much jerk or acceleration in the settings, or if you get gunk in the teeth of the timing belt or pulley.

[@Mhornfeck72205]

If its misaligning randomly in one axis, you might have a loose pulley/setscrew on the motor. If the motor has a D shaft, the setscrew can back off just enough to allow it to rock a bit each way before it starts moving in the other direction which would cause the cuts to misalign after direction changes, or it could also jam to one side and seem to be working fine again until it loosens up again. If you want to test it, try and engrave an evenly spaced grid of repeating squares(not a grid of lines that make squares) and when the laser follows the vector lines, it'll draw each individual square at a time with a lot of direction changes rather than straight lines down and across. If there's anything loose causing backlash, you'll be able to see if the squares ever misalign or don't appear to be spaced evenly with each other down each column or row.

[@peterbrownwastaken]

That makes sense! Thank you!

[@roberthackett2973]

@@peterbrownwastaken I have the Same machine looks like you are losing steps on the X directions between to outside and inside cuts, you can add more tension to the x axes there is a tensioner on the left hand side on the x Carriage.

[@Dman0001]

Are you saying Peter has a,screw loose

[@NoMusiciansInMusicAnymore]

@@Dman0001 This is one of those times where Yes and No are simultaneously correct

[@hazelbarks]

i am so serious and mean this in the best way possible, but i watch your videos to be able to sleep and they work so well. i have insomnia caused by paranoia and your videos help me just focus on your crafts and projects so i’m able to fall asleep. Thank you Peter Brown!

[@divalea]

I have intrusive thoughts when I try to sleep, so Peter’s vids help me conk out, too. In case you haven’t heard of him, Olivier Gomis’ woodturning vids are also suuuuuper relaxing. Good luck with the insomnia. I know how much it sucks.

[@TravisFabel]

I have also fallen asleep watching him... which I am told is less creepy than watching him fall asleep.

[@samanthajade3782]

His voice is just sooo soothing!😅 I've been watching him for years and I swear his voice always lulls me to sleep.😅 I loves when Peter sings randomly too! He's a great singer.

[@grbtrnnymuehg]

Same thing for me! I always watch his vids when I’m trying to sleep and especially when i have something the next day that makes me anxious. Very soothing :)

[@FuriosasWarRig]

His videos help me sleep too

[@MizSandry]

I usually use a sacrificial piece under my intricate cuts so the bits can't fall. Blue Tape on the back would probably help too

[@ABCRK18]

Separate your cutting paths by changing colors in your image editor so you can choose to have the inner designs cut before the outer path is cut to drop the earing.

[@comradegarrett1202]

Definitely definitely do this! Also from my experience with water jets always be ready to hit stop to fish out cutouts lol

[@OfficiallySnek]

Hopefully your wrist heals well. Artist kinda need their wrists to make projects

[@KC8EWU]

Not just projects, building Lego and most anything. I had a triple sprain about this time two years ago. Still constant problems with muscle spasms in wrist that causes it too lock up and fingers too partially close and lock, whole arm will lock well into shoulder and part of back. Or complete opposite and even worse, whole left arm will go completely limp. Have full feeling but muscles will not respond. That was from heavy vibration using a palm nailer for assembly operation at my work. Now have too avoid heavy vibration or makes it worse.

[@AuroraBlacke]

I really enjoy your content; I'm not sure there's a single video of yours I haven't watched! As a jewelry hobbyist (and aspiring jeweler) I do have some tips for this video, such as: -- Please, please never open jump rings that way. Not only does this make them harder to close snugly and securely, but it also puts the metal under a lot of stress, which will make it brittle and much more prone to wear and tear. Instead, they should be gently twisted open and shut. -- When using a sulfur-based patina, make sure to rinse your pieces in a baking soda and water solution before drying them to neutralize the solution. Not neutralizing the pieces won't hurt them, but it will cause them to continue to rapidly patina. This is especially important if you plan to polish or seal the piece afterward. -- I don't recommend using a wire brush to polish anything that's been plated. Plated metal is very thin (usually less than even a tenth of a millimeter) and a wire brush will wear through it extremely quickly. Also, in cases where you're electroplating something like wood, you can even risk catching an edge and tearing the plated metal off the piece entirely.

[@em-agan]

I was so glad to see this video at the top of my feed right when I needed it. My boss passed last night, but he was much more of a friend. Your videos have always been so calming to me, and I’ve been watching them in times of stress for quite a while.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Peter . 🐺

[@GalliumEnergy]

I haven't watched in awhile Peter. Amazing video as ever! I love that you have kept the old intro. So many memories! Well wishes and I hope your wrist gets better and isn't too impeding! As a drummer and painter, wrist injuries SUCK.

[@JoeMakes]

Having 2 laser cutters for 8 years, never have I ever thought of copper plating a part! Love it 💪

[@peterbrownwastaken]

Now you need to copper plate your face prints!

[@JoeMakes]

@@peterbrownwastaken 🤩

[@HelenaDaydreamer]

This was so interesting! Thank you, I didn’t know you can electroplate just any material. Brilliant 👍🏻

[@Vambracer]

It is a truly creative approach. Electroplating metallic paint so we can electroplate wood, kinda.

[@Mommamacnz]

Oh dear on the broken wrist. I hope it heals fast and with no lingering issues. I loved the earrings you made - very nice.

[@spyerobrian4241]

Use some stand off material to lift the plywood up above honeycomb. This allows the small peices to fall under. Also helps prevent back flash of the laser.

[@peterbrownwastaken]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@KC8EWU]

I was thinking the same, something for the parts too fall.

[@Silentspeaker3]

That patina formula you used seemed to be liver of sulfur. If so, primarily, it'll give a nice brown/black patina, which can darken with time, but the sulphur compound acts as an oxidative inhibitor, so it's unlikely they'll turn green. However, I'd hazard a guess that if you made a solution using vinegar, table salt, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride (make sure its not sulphate) and made an enclosure where you could put a small fan; hang the earrings and spray the solution into the enclosure with an atomizer with the fan on low to keep the vapor suspended for as long as possible, you'd probably succeed at getting a decent green that's not too far off of Statue of Liberty Green. Patina chemistry is very fickle. I recommend looking up The Science Company's patina formula list. It's a useful document that gives insight into the colors you get from certain chemicals.

[@Elesh_Gyorn]

I hope you get a full recovery! Any plans on casting the cast after?

[@camloch]

A larger copper-plated, resin-filled sun catcher would be absolutely cool to see once the wrist is healed. Speedy recovery, bud!

[@TheInfamousMustache]

This video has tickled my noggin quite a bit! For the laser, you may look into a weighted stand to minimize vibrations and check the belt tightness. An easier way I've found to polish the copper coating is a little bit of lemon juice diluted in water, it allows you to polish off the patina without worrying about taking too much off and going to the base material. You should also look into the blue or green "shipwreck" copper patinas. I used to make them by putting salt or salt water on a freshly coated copper piece, then putting it in a container with ammonia fumes until it patinas, then quickly wash it off with distilled water. Makes a beautiful blue patina.

[@samanthajade3782]

I love that so many of your projects are just for sh*ts and giggles, like the dip it series, but then you also make a ton of projects that end up being for Mrs. Brown, due to them being jewelry or hair pieces. Lol it's really sweet. Like your practicing with a media or trying something new and then the end product turns into something for your wife.

[@salaltschul3604]

Your wrist! Poor thing. Love watching laser cutting, so this was awesome. Imagine when they first invented lasers....it was an absolute impossibility that you could have one in your house to do stuff like this. Love, love, love it.

[@FuriosasWarRig]

Your videos make me so happy, thank you for everything you do, and thank you for being you Peter.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

You look like you're from the movie Spy Kids in your thumbnail. That's awesome dude I love you

[@petergamache5368]

Ouch! Get better soon and thanks for gracing us with content in spite of your injury!

[@StuartRedman]

Happy healing, Peter!

[@jimcooksey812]

Sorry to see you are injured Mr. Brown! Thanks for the video! Have a good week!

[@Zoso14892]

I love that box/shield thing. Aww, we can't see as well, but at least we can keep seeing! We, in this instance, being you, of course. Hope you feel better soon, mate.

[@peterbrownwastaken]

😊 thank you. It’s definitely an improvement on the fumes!

[@KC8EWU]

​@@peterbrownwastakenspeaking of fumes, when doing any kind of plating, including the "fart" solution, make sure too mention have plenty of ventilation. I worked chrome plate and made sure plenty of ventilation. Also if notice any itching or rash, stop using immediately! I developed a very bad allergy while doing chrome plate called Nickosis. It's along the same lines as poison ivy of which I am very allergic too. Mine got too the point one arm locked up having that severe of a reaction. Now if in the air nearbye, have very bad reactions, of which nothing will work. Also black locust is no fun. I cut down a small one and then ran through a chipper. Itched like hell for a few months after that no matter what. If used for anything, make sure very dried out!

[@deejustdee1234]

This vid is a refreshing change. I hope you heal well.

[@Convolutedtubules]

They look really cool! Especially the backlit resin one. Reminds me of a sunflower.

[@salemstrange2091]

Whoa! I love how dainty they are, if you make more of these I’d love to see them!

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

I completely understand about you limited activity. I broke my left wrist in 2018. I ended up having to get it surgically set after about a month or so. Mine was doubly limiting because I'm left handed.

[@KC8EWU]

Mines opposite, basically quad sprained left hand. Only problem left handed.....harder then hell learning too use right hand....agian (left one sprained 3x, 2nd degree burns, broke thump, sliced hand.....)

[@TeamPanicRobotics]

Good luck with your wrist healing I broke mine late last year, the cast coming off is not fun at all, your wrist is so stiff for a good few days after I'd recommend finding a good physio and pre-booking an appointment for the day after your cast comes off. Mine has been magic for mobility, but we are still working on full weight bearing (8ish weeks after cast removal)

[@wynjones2877]

My sympathies on the broken wrist. I had my hands casted three times in four years and it is no fun. (Broken left wrist, broken right wrist [both from falls] and three bones broken in left hand [car crash]). It put a major crimp in my crafting and ended my motorcycling journey.

[@sp2432YT]

Good vid Pete, you should try sanding the objects smooth before plating and see if it looks like a solid piece of copper. Get well soon.

[@vincentferrari]

I bought that same bottle of stuff from Michael’s and I had no luck with it whatsoever. You might want to get a small bottle of liver of sulfur gel, which you dilute into very hot water. It patinas faster and darker, and then you can knock it off with a brass wheel (which, btw you might want to get for your dremel; the brass brushes are less scratchy on the copper). I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the cool verdagris on them (Statue of Liberty green) consistently so that’s what I’m workin’ hard on. Oh and when working with liver of sulfur or any sulfur-based patina solution, you can stop the reaction best with warm water and baking soda. Rinsing it does mostly stop it, but you could always have sulfur particles left over. The baking soda neutralizes it entirely. Sorry for the wall of text! LOL

[@dawnlheart]

They turned out so pretty and delicate. I'd be curious to see how they would look with resin in the voids like little stained glass peices.

[@rrrosecarbinela]

Ouch! Hope it heals quickly and completely! Cool project!

[@06LS2GTO]

I broke my wrist a few days ago. When you get the cast cut off, you should see if you can make something with it. Maybe put a few pieces in the blender and see if it could be a dye. Or see if you could make some sort of micarta out of it or something

[@elizabethpage_]

I’d recommend the Midas patina solution by Rio Grande. You don’t have to mix it and it is super effective. Just be sure to only dip the piece for a few seconds at a time, washing between dips in the solution to ensure a really good and even oxidization. Great video!

[@BryceGillion]

My day is already made and I just woke up. Love seeing new Peter Brown videos!

[@Zeuseus6609]

Wishing you a speedy recovery. Thanks for finding something you could share with us even with your war wounds XD

[@glittermytimbers]

Sometimes challenges force us to grow creatively. So glad you have decided the broken arm will be one of those times! Can’t wait to see where your new explorations take you!

[@3ch1dna07]

I used to have to gold plate pcb for an electronic manufacturer. To do that; since I couldn't submerge the board, I had to use a little bottle with a dropper and hold the electrodes in my hand to add the current. You get used to the smell but I always enjoyed watching the copper board turn to gold.

[@jrodbrown58]

Sorry about your wrist! Unfortunately I broke my tibia and fibula 3 weeks ago and just had surgery on Monday. So I sorta know what you're going through. Hope you heal quickly Peter!

[@raelewis9957]

Seeing this super-sized to say stained glass or a sun catcher with the resin would be the ultimate project! Please Peter Do it!!!! Please Please Please!

[@peterbrownwastaken]

It's going to happen!

[@raelewis9957]

@@peterbrownwastaken YAY!!!

[@wilkins67890]

To stop the loose parts from popping up, Put some double sided sticky tape on the back side of the material. It should keep it stuck to the honeycomb but still be easy to remove once the cut is done.

[@SofaraStarfyre]

Hope you heal up quickly! the earrings looked great!

[@brookeansell265]

i used to use something like what you did for the oxidation what i used was called liver of sulfur and yes it smelled bad but it WORKED i could get copper earrings to be BLACK with patina and i loved doing it (here is a tip use a thrift store slow cooker or something similar because it works better warmed in my exp) and the one i used came in a pill looking tablet best of luck with your copper fun!

[@jcmilleker5449]

You can add bridges which leave the smallest piece of wood between your cut areas. Think the effect how laser cut kits are built and you pop out each piece. Software dependent. Alternatively, you can also raise the board so that those pieces fall through, being sure to order the cut parts first in the laser software so that the last thing to cutaway is the final part from the stock.

[@shirleyannconfer9651]

These are just beautiful, with or without the resin.

[@BeardoK15884]

I hope you have a quick recovery.

[@SuperBeardWill]

Really interesting Peter, does open up a lot of possibilities for projects. That sunflower especially was beautiful! Get well soon with the wrist 👍🏻

[@CharmEng89]

Hope your wrist recovers well Peter! Enjoyed the trials and tribulations of this project!

[@BusterNut]

Hopefully mrs brown likes the earrings if you gave em to her, if i may suggest something, maybe make a pare of Glasses out of the same material and copper plate it and put some resin in the eye holes, preferably a galaxy style with black purple and white spots. I think that would be cool

[@TheAruruu]

after plating them with copper, perhaps a thicker layer, i'd LOVE to see if you can hit it with a torch to get that beautiful rainbow effect that copper has when heated with a torch. I don't know if it's possible to do that when the substrate is wood, but it is certain to be informative.

[@BillHartCooks.]

Nice. About half a century ago I tried to electroplate wood. I attempted to make a Van Der Graaf generator. I never got my wooden top smooth enough of spherical enough to actually work. But since I took lots of Polaroid pictures of the project and because I explained why it failed I still got an A on my Science experiment.

[@kimvellore4134]

That's an intricate design and nice tutorial on electroplating, thanks for making the video. I am curious on how brittle is the final product, have you tried breaking a spare part to see if it breaks easily or the copper holds it in place even if broken?

[@micah_noel]

I’ve been ordering parts in brass from Sendcutsend and I’m really happy with the results. The only problem is that their wood options are very limited. Pretty much just plywood and particle board. I would love to find a similar service to get materials like 1/8” hardwoods such as cherry, walnut, padauk or purple heart. I’ve contacted several CNC owners but they have all either flaked on me or tried to involve themselves in my design process rather than agreeing to simply cut the wood for me.

[@1976ClassicCelica]

Very cool and quick. I'll have to try this one day.

[@hollypierce3076]

Awe the sunflower earrings are so darling!😊 I would love a pair!🌻

[@MaxedHardware]

Order of operations on the laser. You have to think about what cut de lodges it from the wood. For that piece it was the outside circle. So do the outside circle last and do all the internal details first.

[@SkullyWoodMetal]

I love my laser, I make all kinds of stuff with it. The wood warps some times and causes cuts to over lap. You may need bigger stronger magnets.

[@ekoreo4614]

Thank you Peter for teaching me that all good things take time💯

[@keithyinger3326]

You should try a fume box for patina. I just took a plastic container with a lid and made a mesh basket to put my things in that was suspended from the bottom a couple inches. Put a little bit of your patina solution and a little bit of water in the bottom of the container, but whatever you want patina in the basket and put the lid on it. You will start getting a rainbow patina on copper that is really pretty. Blues and purples and eventually it kind of goes to a silvery color. If you're making electroplated earrings I really suggest trying that method out. Just make sure and give the stuff a good rinsing afterwards in some rubbing alcohol or denatured ethyl alcohol to clean off any residual sulfur or they will keep tarnishing and eventually look like an old penny instead of all rainbow and pretty.

[@MikaylaSnow]

I’m very glad it wasn’t a shop accident! Stay safe, Peter!

[@stephaniewerst7450]

Bit of a tip with liquid sulfur (liquid death eggs) if you want it really really dark, you can heat the water before adding it. it will make it black, then you can polish for a gunmetal finish

[@ThatLazyL1zard]

MAKE AN AMULET OF MARA AND GIVE IT TO YOUR WIFE

[@peterbrownwastaken]

Yes!! “Got to thinking, maybe I’m the Dragonborn and I just don’t know it yet.”

[@skeleton_craftGaming]

I just bought skyrim AE so I found this extra funny

[@ThatLazyL1zard]

@@peterbrownwastaken if you have the aptitude you should join the mages college in winterhold

[@ShugoAWay]

I used to be an adventurer till i took a fus ro dah to the nutz

[@johnq4951]

​@@skeleton_craftGaming AE? They've released another one?

[@jimmyhowzer]

I have the same laser cutter. It's not nearly as important as it's made out to set the laser focus perfectly. If the shroud is catching on the material you can move the laser assembly up a little with little effect on the cut.

[@mrs.ktpage10]

I'm so glad you have a new toy!! That means more videos lol.

[@Trumpet_Traction]

How much durability (if any) does this add to the plywood? I'm curious about the wood inside the coating, specifically if the conductive paint gets absorbed into the wood, making the copper penetrate the wood as well. Does the wood basically get impregnated with the copper, or does the copper only coat the outside of the wood?

[@KC8EWU]

Outside, it was sealed with spray lacquer first. The paint needed that in order too stick correctly. Same with plastic and brass chrome plate, along with powder coat. It needs some kind of primer coat.

[@Squibbleses]

Came out nice! On copper patina, I remember when I was growing up our chemistry teacher said there's different types of oxidation for copper I think. Basically one makes it go dull and eventually kinda black and the other is what gives you that green colour. In our city the university put up a copper sign, presumably expecting it to turn green but I guess whatever chemicals were in the air from the local industry (pulp mill) ended up making it just fade to grey/black over time. Our teacher told us that to get the proper kind of oxidation started on copper roofs the builders would pee on it since that started the correct chemical reaction that would then spread across the whole panel and turn it green 😂

[@carolinewitherspoon6345]

This is so cool, I didn't know this is how this is done!! Best wishes for a speedy recovery :)

[@MrErViLi]

I've run into exactly what you were describing, where a small cut off piece stuck up and the laser head hit it and moved the piece. Predetermine where your cut out is going to be and put double sided tape on the back. That can keep the piece from moving.

[@JashinsMagpie]

Wishing you a swift and uncomplicated recovery!

[@Tazerboy_10]

Whoa, that's really cool! Sorry, that you broke your wrist, Peter!

[@PaulJohnsLife]

Would it still cut through if you put a sacrificial board under it so the pieces would stay flat in place until it was done cutting? Haven't used a laser, just trying to think it through. Great pieces though.

[@codyduff655]

For your piece sliding around issue there are some quick solutions. Hold down with greater force, use full size stock that reaches the edges and braces against something, thicker cross sections in the design phase, and cut the outside out last. These are things I typically do with a plasma cutter.

[@cornonjacob]

I saw someone mention this earlier, but lifting the whole board up to leave room for pieces to fall through would help. I'd also say try to change the cut order if you can, have it cut out the full outline of the piece last so it's not able to shift around in the gap left behind before the insides are all done

[@ace_place]

I love the copper platting thing it’s so cool! hope you recover soon. love ur content 😊

[@Lurker_Emerges_and_Says]

If you pull the laser up a bit so the shroud is not flush and complete the cut with more than one pass it might help the "knocking aside" issue. You can do several tests to see how many passes it takes being slightly out of focus to finish the cut

[@goshisanniichi]

You can remove the patina and clean copper really easily with a mixture of salt and vinegar. Just put a little bit on your copper piece and you can rub the patina off with a finger. Tabasco sauce (and most other hot sauces) has enough S+V in it that it'll do it as well. It's also the best way to clean copper cookware, if you have any.

[@hobbes7839]

Sorry to hear about your wrist hope you heal up quickly.

[@jorgemeadys8285]

Take care of your wrist! We need it as good as new for more videos in the future!

[@ThatRobHuman]

could always put a couple pieces of plywood underneath your cutting piece to act as a spacer, that way the pieces that drop will drop beneath the piece being cut.

[@ThatRobHuman]

also seconding the call for masking tape! ;)

[@hannable3871]

I feel you're pain I broke both wrist and my elbow 4 years ago. Don't worry, only the wrist that I had surgery on hurts every day😂 other than that. All good 👍 I hope you heel good

[@dj1NM3]

Possibly a finer steel/stainless mesh put under the designs with very fine details which don't normally fall-through, to keep everything flat, might work to prevent the snagging/shifting problem.

[@TheCompWiz]

Try applying a patina using white-vinegar & salt... so you get more blue-green coloring.

[@TerribleTrace]

you can also oxidize copper using baking soda and vinegar and leave it a few days if you want to get that deep green/blue color.

[@yeetmcmeat]

you can create that blue/green oxide on copper with a ammonia and salt, white vinegar may also work instead of ammonia.

[@DaveGDesigns]

Really interesting matter how does it feel I’m interested to know if it feels like wood still or metal?

[@missyb5255]

I hope your arm heals well and speedy ... Just take it easy until then ... But awesome projects today anyways ... Stay safe and well ... See you next video 🙃❤❤❤

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

If you want to keep the copper at maximum shine, then you need to spray it with lacquer the moment you finish drying it off after pulling it off the plating wire... That keeps the oxygen away so it can't tarnish... The same goes for plating any metals that oxidize/tarnish...

[@SquirrelGrrlBlue]

I was just thinking how much I wanted to learn electroplating. And then you upload this. 😁

[@ethanpschwartz]

I just broke my collar bone and a vertebra in a car accident. Thanks for inspiring me to take on projects that only need one arm and let me sit down!

[@TitanUranusOfficial]

If you want the true blue green verdigris, just cover them with ash (for some reason tobacco ash works well) for a day, then suspend them in a clear plastic container above a little vinegar. Have done it for similar projects for years - takes a few days and you may want to spray a sealant over afterwards as it can rub off fairly easily.

[@3D_foos]

honeycomb base is great for lots of projects but not the best in all cases. for something like this a solid base with double sided tape would be best but would also require much more dialed in laser settings.

[@LisaHarsh]

Are you cutting interior holes first then cutting shape. I couldn’t tell for sure.

[@spiderwrangler4457]

Sorry to hear about the wrist, hopefully you can convince them to let you keep some of the cast material for a future Dip It?

[@mc-sp8zr]

Aww dude! So sorry to hear about the wrist! Thanks for the vid, get well soon!

[@macrumpton]

You can use some aluminum or stainless steel screen or mesh under your wood to prevent the parts from partially dropping though and catching on the laser shield. The stainless lasts longer than the aluminum.

[@UnboundedArtandCrafts]

My very first thought when I started watching was "shouldn't the wings be mirrored?" Get well soon 🌹 wrists are a tricky thing to heal ❤ Loving the laser set-up 👌🏻kind of wanting one too 😅