Laser Engraving Clear Materials - Special Techniques for Diode Laser Engraving

[@LightAmpLaserDesigns.]

Your videos have been crucial to our success! Great content, information, tips, tricks and useful knowledge. We love watching your videos in the background while we work in our shop. So thank you very much, you are appreciated more than you know!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Wow, thanks. I’m just glad you find them useful 😁

[@megandrane8251]

Thank you! Very helpful info! I love how your videos are simple and to the point. They aren't complicated and easy to follow!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks for the support 😁

[@PapaRusty]

This was a great video. Thank you for going over the pros and cons of the different techniques. Will be trying the tempera paint soon. Wondering if the same technique (painting the surface) would work when engraving metal, rather than buying those overly expensive laser black sprays. I mean it must take it off the aluminum cards you use underneath as you have to repaint them, but is it actually etching into the surface of the metal as well?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

If you paint aluminum black you will be able to engrave it to bring aluminum colored details out of the black background

[@algerienaucanada]

What about cutting the acrylic? Thank you

[@SteveMakesEverything]

If you want to cut black acrylic, you will be fine, but if you want to cut almost every other color, including clear, then you're going to need a CO2 laser.

[@Mmh4566]

Very useful videos! Thanks. Could you please mention the power of your laser? Giving the power used as a percentage of the maximum is only useful to others if they are using the same power laser as you use. Thanks.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I believe at the time I used a 20W Xtool D1Pro for this

[@Mmh4566]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thanks! I am using a 5.5 W laser, so I need to adjust my speed and power accordingly.

[@duster.]

Great no BS video.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I try to be honest and hopefully helpful 😉

[@velatimx]

Haz la prueba con tinta negra para lustrar calzado, eso es lo que mejor me ha funcionado.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Excellent tip, thanks

[@hpd6119]

Steve! I should have just passed up several of the other videos, and looked for someone with a quality name! 😆 Your videos are excellent and I really appreciate how you DON'T waste everyone's time! Thank you, and nice work!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Wow, thanks!

[@stacy-northernauroratreasu4120]

Thank you for your break down. Great samples. Am a newbie so this is very informative as I have been looking at info for this. Just got a xtool D1 pro .

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Happy to help! The D1Pro is a great laser to start on.

[@billwatcher9321]

Are you focusing the laser to the surface or to the backing material?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Focus it to the surface where you applied the treatment. Could be the front or back.

[@LarryDMitchell]

Good video and the comparisons are very helpful.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad you liked it

[@kimneurenberg5013]

U had a lot of comments. So it was super hard to find what I was looking for. When u painted the acrylic, was the paint side face up or down? Also, thank u for teaching instead of condescending. I'm so new but, layering and wood working together seems to be a snobbish issue when we r just trying to learn.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can actually do either, but I usually prefer paint side up. The diode laser won’t touch the clear glass or acrylic regardless

[@kellyluck1626]

Best video I've seen on the subject. Thank you.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Wow, thanks!

[@kellyluck1626]

@@SteveMakesEverything PS: just tried the tempera method on my first go, and it came out really nice :)

[@SteveMakesEverything]

​@@kellyluck1626 Glad it helped

[@chrisashdown8814]

Thank you steve, I have been trying to do this on my 10w diode but not had any success with a wide range of tests, you quote 1800 x 30% and I assume this is for your 20W. I am running out of acrylic having tried so many samples, would you suggest starting at 900 x30%. Many thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

For a 10W you might want more power not less. I can’t give you an exact setting because this will vary greatly depending on the laser. Do a lightburn engrave test on your prepared material and you’ll know the best setting for sure.

[@GeraldJensen]

Were you applying the tempera paint to the back or the face of the acrylic? Very helpful video ... Thanks!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can do either the back or front. Both will work

[@grahamwhitehead5629]

have you tried blackboard black spray, cleanes up with hot water very easy

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks for the excellent tip. I’m not sure how it differs from tempera paint though.

[@grahamwhitehead5629]

@@SteveMakesEverything I found that a lot harder to clean off, try it and let me know

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@grahamwhitehead5629 At the end of the day, use whatever process works best for you. You don't always have to believe crazy old KZbinrs 😉

[@virginiawong-x7d]

Just want to know, if I can use the method of adding paint onto clear acrylic, can I cut it? Thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Good question, but sadly, no this won’t work

[@jerrywmalone]

Steve I am having trouble with none of the engraving showing up on the lighted base. I can see the image just looking at the acrylic out of the base Thanks for your concise presentations

[@SteveMakesEverything]

If you can see it on the acrylic, there's a chance that it isn't deep enough, though for an edge-lit sign, it shouldn't need to be deep at all. If you are using one of those cheap bases available on Amazon, try looking at it in the dark because they aren't very bright. Assuming the light is on, try flexing the sign from one edge of the slot to the other. Maybe the light just isn't hitting your engraving.

[@holliday9416]

the first video i waw when it really give a prety well result! i apreciate it a lot so u have a new subscriber!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Welcome aboard!

[@astrophysicistguy]

Question about white acrylic. Can I paint white acrylic with something like Rustoleum 2X flat black and then engrave lettering on it so I end up with a black panel with white lettering? could I then also cut out this in simple geometric shapes? I'm trying to reproduce a cockpit panel from a fighter jet like an F-15 which have flat black panels with white lettering around the switches and knobs. The other question is can you use your technique to cut simple geometric shapes from a translucent piece of acrylic? These panels are back lit with green LEDs so you can read your instruments when flying at night and a translucent 2mm piece of acrylic is used behind the panel to diffuse the led so you don't get hotspots in the lighting of the instrument panel markings.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can certainly engrave the black paint off white acrylic, but you won’t be able to cut it if you have a diode laser. You could do this with a co2 laser though.

[@astrophysicistguy]

@ thx! I saw a video where someone was testing colored acrylic with a 20w Xtool diode laser and she successfully cut out these hearts on white so I need to go back and watch that again to see how she did it

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@astrophysicistguy Let me know who this was so I can go have a look. You can cut dark colors with a diode laser, but white would be quite a challenge.

[@astrophysicistguy]

@ her YT channel is: Sarah Nemo-Daher. She used Custom Made Better gloss white acrylic. She said the matte white didn't work. They also make a white acrylic that is gloss on one side and matte on the other which could be interesting. Her laser is the Xtool S1 40w. I'd really love to see a test where you painted the white acrylic black and then engraved lettering and also if you could cut the white acrylic after painting it black. I really can't justify buying a $3500 CO2 laser but I need to be able to engrave lettering and cut simply geometric shapes on white, black and either semi transparent green or semi transparent white 1/8" acrylic ...

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@astrophysicistguy Can you send me a link to the actual video you are watching?

[@marcoss6212]

Nice and easy to understand. Hope I'm no imposing too much but speed and power for the card version and the tempera? Thanks you for the video.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

The speed and power are going to depend on your laser. I’d suggest creating a test sample and then running a few engraving material tests to see what produces the best results for your laser and material

[@WLTravels]

@SteveMakesEverything What are the settings for the acrylic? I have the same diode laser

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hmm, asking me the settings for a project I did months ago will challenge my brain.🤔 The settings will be for the material you are using to mask the acrylic, though, since no settings will work specifically for clear glass or acrylic. Since any laser interaction will stop at the glass/acrylic, you will find the settings are pretty flexible.

[@Ramirola83]

can you use the paint method for cutting acrylic with diode?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

No. It’s just not practical. To cut clear acrylic with a diode laser

[@theresafitzpatrick2112]

Thank you for making this video. I will try with the aluminum business card tomorrow. I saved your video.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad it was helpful!

[@theresafitzpatrick2112]

Thank you so much! My engraving came out amazing work the aluminum cards behind it.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@theresafitzpatrick2112 Awesome!

[@lynn6799]

I would recommend getting a fiber laser for aluminum engraving since they're designed for that.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@lynn6799 This isn't an aluminum engrave, but a coated aluminum business card, so a diode laser will work fine. A fiber laser would be much faster though.

[@dianasanchez6951]

Saved! Thank you for the helpful video

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You're welcome!

[@sonofabiker7283]

Thank you for showing me this

[@SteveMakesEverything]

My pleasure 😊

[@guynotes777]

Thanks again for a great video. Appreciate your efforts

[@SteveMakesEverything]

My pleasure!

[@ivancaslini5963]

Hi Steve, I saw your video, my question is this. Is the black part always placed under the transparent material? And you only put the tempera on one side? Thank you

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can do this on either side, though it seems to work a bit better from the back. You mileage may vary though

[@ivancaslini5963]

Thank you Steve, good continuation@@SteveMakesEverything

[@kevinreidconrad]

Do you know if it would be safe to engrave about 1/8" into artificial countertop granite or quartz filled?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Engraving stone is fine, assuming you have proper ventilation on the laser. It might take quite a few passes to get down 1/8" though - depending on your laser.

[@kevinreidconrad]

Thanks for your reply, Steve. I usually engrave using the vector feature rather than the image feature and was a little worried about fire hazards. I've never engraved on any type of acrylic or plastic, so I am a bit nervous to try it. @@SteveMakesEverything

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@kevinreidconrad With my CO2 laser I have engraved Corian, and it was fine. I've also done granite in the past and there were no surprises.

[@timsandy9051]

I was wondering where you get your water slide paper from, amazon as well? I am looking on there and seeing some but not black.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I’ve see black on Amazon at some point. For this video I didn’t have to buy any since I had some sitting on a shelf in my workshop. Let me look and if I find it I will post back or add a link to the video description

[@indynation6317]

Would blue painters tape have worked?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

That will likely only engrave the tape off an leave pristine clear material underneath.

[@Simon67316]

Could you keep painting the previous engraving until it went all the way through? Or would that take ages.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes, any heat source will work fine.

[@duster.]

I tried engraving onto a flat sided, commercial, jar yesterday using what we call masking tape here in the UK (painters' tape). It is a ceam colour. The panels on the square jar are about 45mm x 75mm, I left the screw top on the jar. So, xTool D1 pro 20W, Lightburn, 80mm sec and 65% power, the jar broke, not just cracked but broke! I used the settings from another channel but the presenter was etching line drwings whereas I was attempting to etch a solid image, an oriental dragon although the subject matter is irrelevant. Any advice would be truly appreciated. Cheers, Bob.........................Subscribed.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hi Bob, first make sure that the lid is not on because the heat will cause pressure in a sealed jar. You will generally need to move faster, since lingering with the beam on glass will cause local heating and stress the glass to the point of breaking. Also 65% is quite a bit of power so you might want to reduce that a bit. If you engrave with higher speed and lower power, but find the engraving isn’t quite right you can re-run the job (so don’t move the jar until you’re happy with the engrave obviously). Another thing you can try is to put water in the bottle to absorb some of the heat - leave a bit of air though so the expanding water has somewhere to go. Since you already have a broken bottle, you can use it to run a martial test or two to get the best settings. Since the glass isn’t clear, you will get more absorption, so you will definitely want to reduce the power quite a bit.

[@duster.]

@@SteveMakesEverything I just happened to be here at the right moment, good afternoon sir 12:49 pm here. I did wonder about the lid being in place, hence the reason for mentioning it. I will practice more with various settins. Thanks for your prompt reply. Bob

[@duster.]

Finally, and I will not bore you further. 600 mm sec 60 power 20W. Cream masking tape blackened with a Sharpie Obviously needs centring. drive.google.com/file/d/1J6db8r3PVeNnNKBUjPUAY3K2eWzKTdin/view?usp=drivesdk

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@duster. Happy to help - it's why I do this.

[@beavercreekdesign]

Thanks gor thr video Steve!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks for watching!

[@ConscienciaSuprahumana]

Crucial information, thanks a lot!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad it was helpful!

[@geoflyer15]

great video, learned a lot. question: when it comes to the wattage of the laser, will the effects on my projects be different because I am using a lower powered laser, not a 20W laser? That has more to do with print settings I assume? Thanks.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Nope! You will probably have to set the speed a bit slower though

[@TechLeatherCraft]

Would these methods work to "cut" The acrylic too? Like holes etc?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

That is a good question, but no. Cutting clear acrylic with a diode laser isn't typically possible because blue light passes right through the acrylic rather than being absorbed. So there is no heat energy transferred to the material. This applies to most colors of acrylic except black or some of the darker reds.

[@TechLeatherCraft]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you!

[@texascrossbowdude636]

Would leaving the protective film on the acrylic would allow it to be cut

[@robr4379]

This was an awesome video so I do have a couple of questions 1 what speed and settings would you recommend for the d1pro 20 watt and do you need a new piece of cards stock after your done for new projects

[@SteveMakesEverything]

The settings will just require some experimentation or check the material settings on the Xtool site. This is laser dependant and my D1Pro is 40W. The need for new card stock will depend on the shape it’s in after engraving. You might be able to get more than on run with it, but it’s pretty cheap, so it’s probably not worth trying.

[@robr4379]

@@SteveMakesEverything ok thanks

[@texascrossbowdude636]

Have you tried placing matt black vinyl wrap behind the acrylic or glass? That would peal off easy.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I have not, but that is something that is easy to try. And I certainly have lots of black vinyl lying around.

[@texascrossbowdude636]

@@SteveMakesEverything hope you update this comment if you try it, thx for your work in putting these videos.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@texascrossbowdude636 The only worry I have is that vinyl is PVC plastic and the "C" is chlorine, so it really shouldn't be used in conjunction with lasers.

[@brunoferro5440]

Thank you for this very useful video. can you give me the information of the settings to engrave in acrylic in Lightburn. my recordings always have bubbles inside the acrylic

[@SteveMakesEverything]

This would be very much dependent on your laser power. In the video I show you my settings, but you may have to tinker a bit if you have a 5 or 10W laser.

[@axeldejesus2060]

Hello Steve, Thanks so much for this video. The only method I've seen in KZbin before this video is the black cardstock. Thank you for taking the time to show other options. I have a 20W laser and would like to know what you recommend I use for settings please. Do you do cross-hatch or a single pass? I bought the 4 bases package from Amazon and would hate to ruin any of them since they are no cheap LOL. Thanks again.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Setting will be laser specific, so you may just have to run a material test. I tend to do most engraving as a single pass but I’m not saying that’s the best technique

[@kirstiegreen6557]

❤❤❤ thank you for this video!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I hope it moves you forward

[@Gnoimsayn]

Thanks you!!!!! Can’t wait to try out these techniques!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hope it helps

[@BrendaDavis-1963]

I have my air assist. I just got today, but I don’t know how it goes on to side of the laserhead cause none of the pieces fit.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

What laser do you have? I you bought you air assist from the same company it should go together fairly easily.

[@BrendaDavis-1963]

@@SteveMakesEverything jl5 Kentok tool

[@BrendaDavis-1963]

@@SteveMakesEverything no bought my air assit from Amazon it’s a Nivll

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@BrendaDavis-1963 With your 5W laser air assist won't have a huge impact. It might help with cutting a bit. But if you have a 5W laser, there probably isn't a mount for it on the laser module, which is no doubt why you are struggling with it. If you still have time to return the air pump, do that because it's probably not going to work in this case. If you have the budget, I'd suggest a higher power laser. Something like the Longer Ray 5 20W or an ACMER P1 20W would make a huge difference for you.

[@BrendaDavis-1963]

@@SteveMakesEverything yeah I know it’s not gonna work miracles but when I practice on cutting wood, I’m getting a lot of charring around the edges. I know it will help that.

[@justalanjones]

Could you paint clear acrylic and a diode remove the paint leaving a design without marking the acrylic? I've tried this with my CO2 but the acrylic gets frosted.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes you can! With the right power setting you will just remove the paint. Diode laser generally won’t tough clear acylic

[@justalanjones]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you for your reply. I'm trying to gather the most logical tools for my ideas which are atypical.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@justalanjones Atypical ideas are my favorite kind 🙂

[@drdave611]

Does greyscale (either dithering or intensity control) work with this method? That is, could you do a photo?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Neither glass nor acrylic take well to shading. You can try dithering it will be your best bet

[@nonchip]

​@@SteveMakesEverything especially also, with lightbases like that essentially any depth should be the same brightness, so it's more about "surface defect density" that makes a surface show up, iirc?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@nonchip This is mostly correct, though something lower on the plate can create a shadow (and dim) something higher. The secret solution to this is to engrave deeper as you move up the plate

[@stevespringer8385]

Hi Steve. With the card stock and painted business card, since they are underneath the glass, do you focus on the top of the glass surface or on on the card surface underneath? Thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Ah I wanted to mention this in the video. Putting a marking material behind the glass means that the laser has to focus lower, so you need to drop the laser by the thickness of your glass. The best way is to put your cardstock down and focus on that first and then slide you material in. Note though that your material may be thicker than the remaining space, so you may have to raise the laser head up enough to get it clear. This obviously means you probably won't be able to engrave material thicker than a few millimeters using this technique. However with the typically long focus of a diode laser, it's not absolutely critical to the hit the exact focus to get a great result.

[@colind2955]

Hi Steve great video thankyou , can I ask what size diode laser are you using for this. I have an Ortur LU2-4-SF which I think is 5.5 watts . Many thanks in advance. Regards Col8n

[@baldtiger1970]

For a 5×7 piece of glass, could you get a piece of metal and paint it black? Would that work the same as the business card idea? Great video!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes it should work, though be careful not to use too much power or the glass will crack. With the glass sandwiched on a metal plate there’s nowhere for the heat to go

[@andhellb8584]

I read almost all the comments and nobody mentioned any possibility of damaging the laser. Are all of these methods safe for your diode laser?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

It is possible,but unlikely, to damage any laser doing almost any job, but in this case you should be fine. The only way you would damage a laser is if you don’t keep the output lens clean, or you get a direct reflection back up the tube. A reflection is unlikely though since most materials won’t be reflective to 355nm light. Light will typically be absorbed or pass right through.

[@JEDSaje15]

Can't you just leave the paper on the acrylic that it comes with?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

This will only cut the paper. Once the beam hits the clear acrylic, is will just pass right through

[@MrJimpurvis]

Hey Dave I was wondering if you could give me some help I have an Adam stack 10 pro I can’t get the fire button to operate despite its enabled and set to 25% I have tried several times

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Have you tried asking this in the Atomstack community on Facebook? That’s the best place to ask

[@mrgrinch61]

spray sidewalk chalk ?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hmm, not sure. I might have to try this if I can find it in black.

[@spideyprince7077]

Paint it with a Black Edding and wipe it off after with isopropanol

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yep, this is a other way

[@carmen7410]

❤

[@nog2you]

I use my airbrush with acrylic based color. really fast to spray on and dries really fast. After laser engraving I just wash everything off with water and it comes off really easy in bigger film parts... Next try is to use thined down tempera paint in my airbrush but as I have just started with airbrushing I have not found the right mix to have the tempera work with my airbrush okay...

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Tempera paint is good for acrylic, though it's water soluble so in the wrong environment it could be short lived. It's not really designed to be thinned though, and that's why you might be running into issues with it.

[@AB_thingsDFW]

I thought about airbrushing as well. But I think the cleanup would be worse than just a foam brush

[@nog2you]

@@AB_thingsDFW It cleans up very well. Like 20sec. under warm Water with a Sponge and the paint is washed off, as a bonus: a drinkingglas is then clean and ready to use.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@AB_thingsDFW Yeah a foam brush works fine. No matter what you will need to apply a second coat.

[@tysonl1908]

Wattage?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

20W is plenty for this

[@ericeinsmann5559]

Polycarbonate too?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Polycarbonate is pretty hard to work with in general but you can try. Engraving won’t be your problem - melting and turning yellow will be the more likely issue

[@rickgilbert6316]

THINKING ABOUT BUYING A DIODE LASER IT SAYS 10000 HRS IS THAT FACT OR FICTION SOMEONE SAYS THEY LASTS ABOUT 40 HRS THANKS RICK

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Well, I certainly have many more than 40 hours of several of my diode lasers. The real answer is probably closer to the 10000 number.

[@georgeb9651]

If you are tired, provide other information

[@SteveMakesEverything]

What would you like to see?

[@BitSmythe]

5:44 Without *air assist* your laser lens gets dirty and you get a lot of soot on your project. GET IT.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Not much soot from acrylic or glass, so it only a bit of paint or paper and both will be vaporized. At any rate there is no soot on the laser. Air is most practical for cutting

[@parker1ray]

I have used a diode laser to engrave acrylic, and let me tell you, my C02 laser is so effortless and in the long run cheaper then a diode laser, why would you ever want to used the diode laser for this? The C02 laser needs no prep, no expensive chemicals, (Enduramark Charcoal Glass$70.00 per can), no messy Tempura paint, super fast 1500 mm/mn at 3 on the power scale, and way brighter and crisp than the Diode. I do have an Xtool D1 Pro 30 watt that does a fabulous job of engraving and cutting

[@SteveMakesEverything]

In my world any acrylic cutting/engraving is also done with a CO2 but I tend to do high volume commercial jobs. This video isn’t intended to suggest that a diode laser is the best for Acrylic, only that for those that own one, there are options to allow it to happen. A diode laser owner could make similar arguments about engraving stainless steel compared to a CO2 laser where you would have to buy an $80 can of Cermark for CO2 engraving. Personally I tend to avoid the head-to-head comparisons between laser types because each has a place where they excel.

[@silentbobfan32]

because i got my diode laser for branding steel parts for $150 and it works wonderfully, and things like this just mean the tool i bought can also be used as a hobby to do many more things. co2 and fiber setups are nice, but cost way more and dont give me any benefit since my single diode already keeps up with the work i need it to do

[@BitSmythe]

No need to say “how’s it going.”

[@SteveMakesEverything]

😁. I’m friendly so it’s kind of my thing, so it worth the second it takes