Laser Cutting Terrain for Wargaming - How to Use and My Experience

[@RoyBuntyn]

Wow, like your new presentation of your videos. Great job and I enjoyed watching and seeing how you are improving as you continue to produce more videos for your channel.

[@rustedbeetle]

When I buy an MDF kit, I spray them with rattle can enamel primer. The enamel seals the MDF, and makes a great paint surface while blocking the MDF from trying to absorb the paint.

[@Steven-uk7uf]

Great stuff very clear and concise review. Looking forward to seeing what else you create with this. The Initiative tracker looked great.

[@melsminiloft]

I hope it helps people think about if they want to get into laser cutting. I cant wait to keep using it :)

[@RichardJRussell]

Tip for gluing: Squeeze out a little at a time and use a synthetic brush to apply it to the model. 😎👍

[@michaelsbagley]

Also, rubber bands for "clamping" pieces together until the glue dries well enough to hold.

[@melsminiloft]

So smart, I was using my fingers and it obviously got everywhere haha

[@marklindsey4112]

Oh wow! Full of envy at your new toy. I've always coveted a laser cutter, but never had a suitable place for one. Have so many ideas I'd like to try. Someday, someday. Also, really liking the music choices on these last few videos.

[@melsminiloft]

You guys keep saying you like the music so I'm not going to stop! I like it too its fun to listen back to my videos haha. Yeah its been a fun new gadget :) but definitely need a good space for it with ventilation.

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

Good video. Love mdf terrain, so it's cool to see you building(and cutting!) some.

[@GhostMkrMiniatures]

Another great, informative, well made video. Great job Mel, glad you had fun with it! Lizard of Doom makes some custom terrain for laser cutting, maybe check that out some time... 😉

[@melsminiloft]

I love his channel! I will for sure check out what custom terrain he has!

[@pulsegategaming]

Awesome video! I have wanted to get a laser cutter for forever to make terrain. I love 3d printing but some of the stuff you can do with a laser cutter is just so cool. I'll have to see about getting one for my channel now lol.

[@melsminiloft]

Glad it was helpful! Honestly was way easier to use than I was expecting, was very nervous getting into it. But so far its been fun!

[@crapparc]

I am a simple man. I see a new Mel video, I like it before I'm even finished watching it.

[@dxrobins]

I'd recommend adding an air-assist (mine is literally a cheap fish-tank pump) and a box to contain and extract the smoke. The boxes are a bit irksome in that they bulk up the space occupied by the cutter, but while the smoke isn't all that obvious while the cutter is running it sticks to your clothes like crazy. You can get boxes that fold up, so if you want to store the laser away you don't have a huge, bulky thing to deal with.

[@crapparc]

Is the fish-tank pump strong enough to do what it should? From what I remember of them, they weren't exactly the most muscled, so to speak.

[@dxrobins]

@@crapparc I'm sure it's not brilliant. But it was a fraction of the price of a good pump. But, the cover I have has a fan that pulls air from the box into the duct that goes out of the window. You can see the smoke come out of the coloured cover around the laser and being pulled to that. So I guess to a degree I only need the pump to create enough positive pressure to push the smoke out.

[@davida.5456]

Do put the cutter somewhere well ventilated, or even better, build a case with an extraction to outside. MDF can be nasty when cutting, particularly the formaldehyde fumes. Funny you chose repent, I also use that as one of my test files when setting up new machines. But I also think it's worth giving a shout to Bilbostomper directly in your vid (i know the link to his thingiverse is below). I only say this because I've been 3d printing and laser cutting for a while, and good/free vectors for terrain are actually quite rare (compared to 3d files). Yet, Bilbostomper has created an entire modular table top set for anyone to use.

[@kerodrone1220]

I'm quite new here. What I know from some previous videos is that Mel is a beginner miniature painter. But later I realized, not only Mel can use an airbrush, she can also operate a resin 3D printer and even a laser cutter machine. Wow! Those are some serious arsenals. So, not some ordinary "beginner".

[@melsminiloft]

Hey thanks for this comment as it's something I've been struggling to work on. I always see myself as someone who can improve my hobbying and painting skills. I surround my media consumption with people who have made their lives painting miniatures and it tends to leave the feeling that I am not even close to their levels. When do I call myself in my own head an "expert" or "intermediate" painter? I feel like I'm probably on the road to true improvements and I've noticed a lot in my own painting this past year and a half doing this channel. As for using other tools like resin printers and laser cutters. Those personally feel like very adjacent hobbies and tools that don't necessarily relate to painting in general, and I've been doing resin printing for many years before I picked up a paint brush. It's just great to be able to combine my hobbies together! I'm very thankful to be able to have the space and time to learn to use these too and hopefully others learn something from it and have fun creating. Just trying to improve on myself, my painting, and my own views on how I see my finished painting results. I hope that my journey of painting and trying new things will help others try to get out of their comfort zone as well. Sorry for the rant and I hope you enjoy the next project you work on!

[@3DJapan]

I haven't used this one but usually they automatically stop themselves if there's a fire.

[@paladinpariah325]

You are so much better off with a FDM printer than you are laser cutting MDF. You end up with far more durable and detailed terrain, without filling your house up with the fumes from burnt chemically bonded wood.

[@3DJapan]

Smells: Never cut or engrave PVC, it creates mustard gas. Also Engraving leather smells like burning flesh, pretty nasty.

[@alvaroaugustomeridio]

1200usd lol...