Laser Engraving Rubber: Make Rubber Stamps!

This is a step-by-step guide about laser engraving rubber and making rubber stamps using a diode laser engraver.
00:00 Intro
00:39 Safety Precautions
00:55 TLDR Version
01:30 Step 1 - What rubber to use?
02:48 Step 2 - Cleaning
02:57 Step 3 - Power and Speed
04:04 Step 4 - Design
06:31 Step 5 - Engraving
07:50 The point where people leave and I keep on talking.
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Watch how to make test patterns in LightBurn:
• How to Design Laser Po...
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Product Links (Affiliate):
Red Rubber Sheet A4:
www.amazon.com/dp/B09N98WCQH?...
Grey Rubber Sheet A4:
www.amazon.com/dp/B09NBZS3TD?...

[@MellowpineLasers]

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[@jeffreyrood8755]

Great teaching. I really appreciate the no fluff style and it makes it so much easier.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Thank you so much. Glad it's helping.

[@kericlose5962]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is such a helpful video!!

[@MellowpineLasers]

Glad it was helpful

[@altgoz]

I want to start with lasers. The recommendation from KZbin was very nice. I learn a lot from you and I find it especially good, that you give safety advices at the beginning. Keep up the good work and I hope get recommended to your channel.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Great to hear. Stay subscribed.

[@Smajtastic]

TLDR earned a subscription, thanks

[@MellowpineLasers]

You're welcome and thanks for the sub

[@lizardhollow]

Your videos are great! Easily understandable and you get right to it. Why do you only have 4k subscribers? You should have a million. Thanks for your teaching and experience.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Thank you! It's ok, I make videos to help laser users, soon other laser enthusiasts will join. Do share the channel in laser related forums.

[@ct1freak]

It's great content and much appreciated. His subs is unfortunately limited to laser owners. It's his niche.

[@cw4608]

I watched until people left but you were still talking. Thanks for the fine tutorial.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Thanks for watching!

[@NiksSofa]

I specifically subscribed to your channel because of the title of the last chapter. :D

[@MellowpineLasers]

Thank you for subscribing. 😊

[@jezzab5621]

Thank you.

[@MellowpineLasers]

You're welcome

[@hitten03]

God Bless You!

[@MellowpineLasers]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@GuilhermeRocha1]

Nice video. I need buy a laser machine for make silicon pet tags. What power laser is recommend to cut silicon?

[@PowaPop]

So happy found this video. I need to engrave rubber bands and could find no info anywhere. Quick question, can any laser engraver work to cut rubber? What key features should I look for the buying a laser engraving machine specifically for rubber? Thanks!

[@MellowpineLasers]

You should choose a laser with a small spot size.

[@robertolopez5186]

Thank you so much, love your videos and I give you a Like and subscribe... do you know if Daja Dj6 laser engraving works well for this purpose rubber stamps?

[@MellowpineLasers]

It could work. Here is my opinion, the power is low, so it can take quite a bit of time. Also, the work area is small, so you won't be able to work on other large-sized projects. But I have not used the machine, so I'm stating these things from a theoretical point of view.

[@mashaelmohd2310]

Awesome! Thank you. Can I use it to stamp on soap? Or I should use the acrylic stamp not the rubber

[@MellowpineLasers]

Rubber stamp would be too soft to stamp on soap. You can make a stamp out of wood, it should work. I have a video on engraving wood, it might help you.

[@tiffanyfrance9431]

is there a way to engrave deeper so that the stamped image is cleaner?

[@fionasmith4427]

Ide like the free trial

[@MellowpineLasers]

Hi, the link to sign-up for our Free 7-day Course is provided in the description of the video.

[@daggerone7436]

Please help me. Im doing a stamp with an area of 26mm by 9mm. But the letters are not precise sometimes it looks melted. What settings should I use? Its a rubber pad and Im using algolaser diy kit 5w.

[@zinsecter3577]

do u think this is good quality? there is black mark on corner. also there is many Faded bits. can not sell them in this quality

[@theoilyduckling1577]

You mention the color matters and have links to both red and grey, is there any rule of thumb as to when to use one vs the other, or under which circumstances one would be better? Or do we just need to be aware that they are different and plan to adjust settings accordingly?

[@MellowpineLasers]

Both of them perform more or less similarly. You just need to make sure to use the proper setting for the color you are using. The settings can have a slight change based on color in some cases. Always run some tests whenever you bring in a new batch of material.

[@CodeCowboy64]

Thank you. Haha, I fast forwarded to "the part where people leave and I keep talking". 🤣

[@MellowpineLasers]

You're welcome. 😁

[@colind2955]

Mate a good video a bit fast but very informative and easy to understand. Will this work on wood.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Thank you. I have tried to slow down a bit in my new videos. 😀 Yes, it will work on wood if you use the right settings for engraving wood, but getting deeper engravings on wood will require a powerful laser, and the grainy structure of wood makes the intricate patterns prone to breaking. So, I would suggest to use rubber for making good quality stamps.

[@colind2955]

See my comment re trying to create the stamp template

[@alexandrebarros4722]

Hi there! cool video! but what abou the height of the laser? I have a 5W two trees and have a few heights to set up being the furthest from the surface to engrave and the other ones to cut - should I set it for engraving height?

[@MellowpineLasers]

Hi, glad you liked the video. 😊 Set the laser focus at the surface of the material (engraving height), as it ensures the smallest spot size at the top surface and results in a detailed engraving.

[@akhtardesai1864]

🎉

[@jarodmorris611]

You should give us an affiliate link to the rubber you purchased, if you can. You did mention Amazon.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Here you go Red Rubber Sheet A4: www.amazon.com/dp/B09N98WCQH?tag=mellowpinecnc-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1 Grey Rubber Sheet A4: www.amazon.com/dp/B09NBZS3TD?tag=mellowpinecnc-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1

[@quianadavis2787]

Which logo format should I use? I have tried jpeg, pdf, and ai and had issues with each of them.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Please try PNG and let me know

[@saiyangemini]

Thank You ! Do you know if your able to make block printing easier by chance uploading your image and have the machine do all the tedious work ?

[@MellowpineLasers]

Sorry, I don't quiet understand your question here, but are you asking if you can use the laser to engrave wooden blocks for block printing?

[@saiyangemini]

yes! and I saw some people able to use battleship grey linoleum with lasers so was wondering if I could streamline the process of carving. 😁 @@MellowpineLasers

[@MellowpineLasers]

Yes, it is doable. You can use a laser to cut or engrave the design on wood, plywood, MDF, or Linoleum and then use it for block printing. For this, you need your design file in vector format and then mirror it along the horizontal axis before laser engraving or cutting. This way, the design you print should come out the right way. If you plan to use Linoleum, make sure you use the right quality. Some materials have vinyl in them, and laser cutting or engraving vinyl produces harmful fumes that can be dangerous if inhaled and can also damage your laser.

[@saiyangemini]

Is there any laser you'd recommend ?😇 @@MellowpineLasers And thank you wrote all that down so I keep that in mind with designing and when it comes to engraving I don't make that mistake in the future. 😁

[@MellowpineLasers]

To make deep engravings with intricate patterns, you need something that is powerful, yet has a fine spot size. Generally, the spot size of diode lasers increases as the power increases; So, I would recommend to get a CO2 laser, such as xTool P2. However, you can also use a 20 - 40W diode laser, such as xTool S1, to make good engravings with decent depth and detailing. Apart from that, you can use a diode laser to cut the design pattern from a thin sheet and use it as a relief plate for block printing. xTool P2: www.xtool.com/products/xtool-p2-55w-co2-laser-cutter?ref=rVAr7a1K& xTool S1: www.xtool.com/products/xtool-s1-laser-cutter?ref=rVAr7a1K& xTool D1 Pro 20W: www.xtool.com/products/xtool-d1-pro-20w-higher-accuracy-diode-diy-laser-engraving-cutting-machine?_pos=18&_sid=05b756bf5&_ss=r&ref=rVAr7a1K&variant=43024877813999

[@ericeinsmann5559]

Any chance you have a link to the rubber material you used? Nice video BTW..

[@MellowpineLasers]

Here you go. Red Rubber Sheet A4: www.amazon.com/dp/B09N98WCQH?tag=mellowpinecnc-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1 Grey Rubber Sheet A4: www.amazon.com/dp/B09NBZS3TD?tag=mellowpinecnc-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1

[@readingcraze7283]

I need to cut rubber with a detailed design. I have d1 pro . 2mm

[@MellowpineLasers]

You can use your D1 pro for engraving rubber, but cutting rubber with a diode laser is not advised as it produces heavy smoke which can darken the edges. Moreover, if you are working with intricate patterns, the heat generated can melt the rubber and ruin the workpiece. However, the results can vary based on the type of rubber used.

[@thebigbigdaddy]

Are these good for QR code

[@MellowpineLasers]

If the elements on your code is not too small this would work. Really tiny details are difficult to maintain on rubber.

[@Yianni.S]

What is a good laser engraver that is good for rubber and pretty cheap?

[@MellowpineLasers]

Use a laser with a small spot size 0.06 or 0.08 on one axis. I tried engraving rubber using Comgrow but didn't get a good result.

[@JuanAndres7530]

@@MellowpineLasers do you recommend the XTool D1? It has 0.08 on both axis

[@merrilymcauliffe7822]

I have the same question. Can the crook be used for stamps?

[@colind2955]

I tried what you explained but did not work. When you select fill for your items how. Does it show black as my system does not separate the text any help greatly appreciated. I did the following: Created rectangle and cut layer was set to fill Created text and set to fill input into rectangle When viewed b4 engraving all showed as red and black especially text Please help what have i done wrong. Using Lightburn ortur Master 2 laser

[@colind2955]

How did you change settings too threshold. where and how do. We get these settings

[@MellowpineLasers]

Hi, To get filled shapes, go to Edit -> Settings -> turn on 'Filled Rendering' This fill give you filled shapes when you change the layer mode to fill. To change image mode, the object should be an image. Double click on the layer on the layers panel on right side, a new window will pop up and you'll find the image mode field where you can select threshold mode. If you are using a vector image you would only have fill and line options. Please consider signing up for my weekly newsletter that shares valuable insights for laser enthusiasts and also includes a PDF that covers basics of lasers: mellowpine.ck.page/6050008

[@obi-ijomahprecious4409]

Good morning, sir, I am a new business starter who wants to get into stamp-making i want the laser engraving rubber. how can you help.

[@MellowpineLasers]

If you plan to start a laser engraving business, I would recommend getting a CO2 laser, as it provides comparatively faster engraving speed than a diode laser. However, if you are on a budget, then go for a diode laser. 5W diode laser generally has the smallest spot size, making it suitable for intricate engravings, while a 10W diode laser will provide faster engraving speed with a slightly increased spot size. On the other hand, a 20W diode laser will increase speed but reduce the quality of engraving due to a larger spot size, which is not desirable for stamp making. Good Luck!

[@cratlyecommercepvtltd711]

​@@MellowpineLaserswhich machine i should buy to start this rubber stamp making business in india

[@walterhynson2898]

Ramp EDGE is GONE

[@akemtaylor49]

Do you do customs

[@MellowpineLasers]

I can make them but I have not taken it up as a business. I play with lasers and CNCs and make videos to help others learn.

[@walterhynson2898]

you are using an old version of Lightburn please update and fix this video.

[@MellowpineLasers]

Hi I'm running the latest LightBurn vesion 1.4.00 as of May 26 2023. I just checked the Ramp Edge feature is available. Please head over to layer settings -> Advanced -> Set ramp length -> Enable Ramp outer edge

[@JuanAndres7530]

Walter, man is giving free useful information. Start to say thanks first and complain less

[@LeonaFayWoodturning]

You say to bring in your logo and set to fill. But when I bring in my logo its an image. And I cant change the mode from image. Do I need to save the logo as a different file type or something? So confused 🫤

[@MellowpineLasers]

You need to use vector images. You can use the trace image option in LightBurn to create vector image from regular image. Import image into LightBurn, right click on it and click trace image, enable delete original image and click ok. You'll get the vector image

[@LeonaFayWoodturning]

@@MellowpineLasers brilliant thanks so much