Mastering Laser Engraving for VIBRANT Colored Signs

[@chrisbird1870]

I really like your videos. Especially when you take something that everybody else over engineers and make it simple.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks. My approach is a side-effect of 35 years building products that real people had to use. I spent a lot of time translating techno-speak into human language😉.

[@Fancylooks]

Such a good idea, love it, so many things can be done this way

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes it’s a pretty cheap way to create professional looking signs

[@josejuan1029]

Nice tip thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@kevinjones6924]

Great instructions for doing clear acrylic Steve! Thanks for the great video!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad it was helpful!

[@michaelmcqueen8001]

You have some awesome videos and great techniques! Keep up the good work!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@olafb.2929]

Good idea and it looks easy. Easy is good for me 😅

[@SteveMakesEverything]

It's definitely easy if you use light paint coats. Thick layers tend to shrink as they dry and lift the remaining plastic film.

[@satxsatxsatx]

I appreciate your experimentation and innovations Keep up the good work

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thank you very much!

[@beavercreekdesign]

Thanks for the video!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You're welcome!

[@ericeinsmann5559]

Excellent video! I will have to try this!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Please do!

[@tonybostrom9480]

Nice, thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thank you too!

[@felipecastilloappas]

Nice video.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Many many thanks

[@mikemcknight2936]

I loved this video and decided to make a sign for my wife's greenhouse. I should have been a bit more conservative on the number of colors, but wives can be persuasive! The sign had to be round and my stock was square and I could not cut it perfectly round, so I ordered from Amazon. The disk I received were not covered in colored protective material as pictured but rather clear plastic that I didn't think the laser would cut through, but I took a shot at it anyway, and it failed. I resorted to painter's tape (several times) and though it cut well, it leaked paint under the tape even when overlapping. I did press the tape down well, but small streaks appeared in places. Otherwise the paint looks great! I guess I'll try to get the streaks off or get more disk if I can find a seller that presents his product more accurately. But great video! Keep 'em coming. Thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

On Amazon you tend to get the cheapest materials. It’s a little more work but you can also do this with material protected with paper as long as you peel the paper of the other side and lift it off the workspace before cutting to design.

[@gerritgeldenhuys2763]

Hi Steve. One question, how to you stop your first spray layer from filling in all the cuts. I tried this and ended up with my first color being a feint line between all the other colors.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Well you do need to be fairly careful about where you're spraying, but You could always place some cardboard over the pieces where you definitely don't want pain. The other option is to build a jig that lets you place the part very accurately and then only cut the mask for one color at a time and paint each separately.

[@burtgraham3689]

Good video - currently im making a wedding plaque for a lady - She wants the wood painted black and the printing white. I used cricut vinyl - my friend found out abt this method and he told me to stop using the cricut material. Would you be willing to share the name of the vinyl you are using and where you get it from. Thanks in advance for any help you can pass along. Burt in Western Canada

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hi Burt. I just use regular transfer tape that you can get on Amazon (amzn.to/3f9bu1S) though you can just use the plastic/paper protectant on the acrylic and peel it off in the order you want to paint.

[@LarryDMitchell]

Good video Steve. Since my diode laser will not cut clear acrylic I'm going to see if Amazon has pre-cut acrylic key chains that I can try your process with. Thanks for the idea.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I added an Amazon link to some 12x12" sheets that will work. You can also cut acrylic with a table saw or just score it with a knife and it will (usually) break along the score line

[@LarryDMitchell]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thanks for the quick response.

[@nickdinick7653]

Great video. I do have 1 question. I have a falcon 22w diode and I was wondering which method you use to CUT out clear acrylic if it’s possible. Approximately 3mm thick. Tia

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Cutting clear acrylic just a non-starter for diode lasers. Really only CO2 lasers can cut acrylic.

[@nickdinick7653]

@@SteveMakesEverything Ty!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@nickdinick7653 Happy to help. I really want to do a video about the different types of lasers.

[@DrgnSlyr]

Thanks Steve. Did you have any problems with the veneer swelling from the glue?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I assume this is a comment for my recent inlay video. No, no issue with glue-swell, in part because you don’t use too much glue., but also because the outer template is also veneer, so everything expands by about the same amount.

[@DrgnSlyr]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thanks

[@CoffeeJake]

Can the diode laser also cut the clear with a white backing?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Always a good question, but the answer is always no. Diode lasers can't generally cut any acrylic except black no matter how you treat the acrylic.

[@BigT396]

Hey Steve, thanks for the videos. Excellent content. If you had to pick just one diode laser, which one would you choose? Also same question towards a co2 laser. I’m looking to upgrade my 5w laser and looking at a few options. I’m also trying to decide between a 30w diode vs a 100 watt co2. I know that’s a broad range but any input would be greatly appreciated.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I’m always uncomfortable answering this question, but here goes. For a 20W diode laser I’d pick the AlgoLaser Delta, but if you wanted a 40W I’d probably go with the Longer B1. It’s not the most glamorous laser but it works pretty well and seems reliable. CO2 lasers are. H h more of a challenge. I’m tainted by my own CO2 design because it’s big and powerful, but if you’re looking for something mainstream at the smaller end, maybe the Xtool P2, but if price is your criteria, then maybe something from OMTEC. If need something larger then look at Thunder Laser

[@BigT396]

@@SteveMakesEverything Steve I understand your hesitation. I have never heard of the algo laser but it looks like a nice unit. I’m currently looking at the laser by roly automation. It also seems like a really nice machine. All these machines will work for me and will definitely be an upgrade to my shop. Thanks for your time and quick response. Keep up the good work with your videos.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@BigT396 I have heard lots of people talk about the Roly in a positive way. The only real complaints I would have about it are, first, the relatively huge beam spot size compared to just about everyone else, and second, there appear to be some limitations around the height of things you can engrave with it, though I have no first-hand knowledge to verify this. I believe this is because the bottom of the unit is fixed, so you can only engrave what you can fit inside. Hopefully, someone in the channel who has one can chime in here to explain why I'm talking sh*t, though. I know Rich (Louisiana Hobby Guy) loves them and that probably means something, but Roly does pay him to be a spokesperson, so maybe he has a bit of bias. Roly is also a very small player in the diode laser space, where the company founder is largely also the prime contact for support. While I like Roly's effort to be different, I would likely not buy one for myself.

[@LoriWember]

I have paper masked acrylic. I scored/engraved my acrylic and then weeded out the parts to be pained. I painted a coat of clear first and let dry. Then I sprayed white. When I peeled back my paper my lines look terrible. I will try to skip the clear, though I thought that was suppose to help with clean lines. I'm concerned that it's some adhesive residue causing this, or too much paint? I'm at a loss and wondering if you have any suggestions. I've made 350 name plates and am hoping to salvage the ones that I haven't yet tried painted. Any suggestions appreciated.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Making things is volume is never a great idea until you perfect the process on lower volumes. A process like this has a lot of variables and takes a bit of practice to get right. I've made quite a few signs like this before I got it right. Definitely. start with relatively light coats of paint. Two light coats is better than one that causes the paint to pool.

[@markmorgan8378]

That is awesome, thank you for giving me some ideas. How could you finish the back to keep the paint safe from scratches?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You are so welcome! As far as protecting this, I did spray the back with a coat of white paint, but if you need something more durable than that, you could always add a second sheet of acrylic and then put both into a slotted border frame to hold it all together

[@LoriWember]

This looks like you are actually scoring, not engraving? I have the XTool P2, and when engraving it took forever & left it very sticky.

[@markmorgan8378]

@@LoriWember correct just doing enough to make so you can get the backing off in the pattern you want.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@LoriWember Yes these are done with lines. Depending on your school of thought, this could be considered scoring rather than Engraving. XCS uses separate terms, Lightburn calls this type of engraving a line, but also has separate modes for images and filled objects.

[@LoriWember]

@@markmorgan8378 thanks for the clarification!!

[@fruitloops68]

Another great video! 👏Steve, if you have to play favorites, what would you recommend as a desktop best laser - S1 or P2 ultimately ( please don't say that good ol lawyer favorite ''That depends'' ) What would be a better investment in a small laser engraving business. What has more range and potential? The reason I ask for a no ''That depends '' answer is that today I might do /sell something, but tomorrow I might change my mind and add other stuff, so generally speaking S 1 or P2 ( I only consider those 2, so I can stay within the X tool ecosystem currently have the F1 )- Thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

If you want to work with acrylic you would need a P2 - I have a review coming soon. The S1 is also a fine laser, but no diode laser works well with acrylic.

[@ericeinsmann5559]

I'm going to be using this method on black acrylic.. So I won't be flipping the image.. It's just for a small logo, two colors.. I hope it works!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hmm. Certainly masking the front of the acrylic is possible but I would worry about durability. I think you’d still be better to paint the back and if you want black then finish off with black paint rather than white

[@ericeinsmann5559]

@@SteveMakesEverything I only have a diode laser. I wouldn't be able to cut out the panel or the holes for the usb chargers I need with enough precision. If the durability proves to be an issue down the road, hopefully by then I will have a K40 CO2 and can remake it with clear acrylic

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@ericeinsmann5559 You are correct.

[@ericeinsmann5559]

@@SteveMakesEverything Steve, it worked out great! Even better than I hoped for!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@ericeinsmann5559 Awesome! Happy to here it.

[@algerienaucanada]

Straight to the point as usual :-) No fluff, well done. Did you try to engrave using Wecreat? Thank you

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks. I try. 😉

[@jessetutterrow4320]

Are you actually engraving the plastic or just cutting through the protective film?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Just cutting through the film and then using it as a stencil

[@olivierw7405]

Nice job ! I thought that only acrylic sheet protected with brown paper was good for this but it seems i was wrong... I tried to make it but when i remove the protective paper the paint comes off 😢 Perhaps is comes from my paint quality ....? Bye from France

[@SteveMakesEverything]

The stuff with brown paper definitely works, though I’d recommend peeling off the other side before putting it in your laser because the beam will hit it and mark the surface

[@jeffcooper2464]

Hi Steve, Didn’t quite understand why you have to remove the protective film on the reverse side to the brown paper? One further question, you refer to engraving the image but surely you mean score, otherwise it will burn off the backing paper.

[@mrthomas8615]

@marcam video looks familiar thumbnail is even the same lol

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I don’t know him/her but I’ll have a look

[@Subbieman650]

I was dou g this with Oramask, everybody was jumping my shit saying it was PVC and I was breathing in syonide gas

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Well people sometimes over react, but regardless always have good fume extraction