From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Elevate Your Signs with Better Edge-Lighting

[@JoHunter]

Is there a reason for using two pieces of acrylic for the sign part other than you said the 3mm was easier to cut? Any benefit to having two engraved surfaces? Thanks for the tips and showing how to make the base; those light strips have been tempting me.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Excellent question. What you get if you sandwich two pieces together is the ability to put all of the engraving inside. This provides a bit of a 3D effect to the image which I think looks kind of cool. Using a single piece is certainly fine though; however a 40W laser would have to work pretty hard to cut through 6mm acrylic

[@sdrawkcab_ssa]

If you mounted it to a wall and wrapped the acrylic at a 90 degree angle so it was sticking up, would the light still travel throughout the acrylic?🤔

[@SteveMakesEverything]

The LEDs I use when I make these signs are very bright and would work just fine in this application

[@garyrichardson5164]

How close is the acrylic to the LED’s in the final piece? Thanks!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

It can be touching if you want, but a millimeter or two of gap will help spread the light a bit

[@mrgrinch61]

nice video thanks ... the powder cord should be in the back

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Agreed, though the LED string and the power adapter usually come as a set, so you get what you get most of the time.

[@MrJimpurvis]

Love your videos it’s like having my own personal mentor thanks Steve

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks! 😁. It’s nice to know that I’m having some impact while I’m trying to do exactly this. As always, if you need help or want to see something specific covered in a video, just shoot me an email.

[@chiefdreambig9178]

Can you buy more power sources to power the rest of the light strip that you cut off? Surely you didn't just waste what was trimmed off.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes Amazon is your friend for additional connectors and power supplies. I’ve updated the video description to include what you need

[@dennisterry2671]

@@SteveMakesEverything thank you sir, and I am enjoying your videos! God Speed to you!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@dennisterry2671 Hopefully I'm helping 😀

[@chiefdreambig9178]

@@SteveMakesEverything Yes, thank you so much!!!

[@zemanwoodcrafts]

Nice job Steve! Are you still hanging on to FSL? I've moved completely away to Lightburn/Ruida. RE3 is just too much of a pain for me and simply not efficient or stable enough for production work.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I still use my FSL but it is mostly relegated to rotary work now. Most of the things I engrave these days require a larger workspace or higher power. I am a fan of Lightburn as well, for some of the same reasons, though the Muse is still a good starter CO2 laser

[@karenhadden4980]

Thanks for this video! Next time try using clear acrylic for the 2nd or 3rd layer in the base. It looks really cool!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks for the tip! I do make tons of these and have used various colors as customers require. I also normally glue them and cut multiple layers at once since my 90W laser can cut through 6mm+. This ensure that the edges are practically seamless.

[@MauiSoundsCarAudio]

Do you think a 5.5 watt diode laser can do this ?

[@MauiSoundsCarAudio]

Just engraving / etching not cutting

[@SteveMakesEverything]

No. Diode laser can’t cut clear acrylic and without surface treatment can’t engrave it either

[@capndave3570]

Hi Steve, I appreciate you excellent videos. You present the information at a good tempo, and don't fly through the steps like so many others. What do you do with all the extra LED strip? Does the company sell extra adapters and plugs?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can buy adaptors on Amazon. Depending on the leds you use, you will need a 5V or 12V adaptor and a connector you can wire into into the light string

[@gameonuk9169]

Awesome work Steve, 1 question. As these are 12v LEDs what power supply do you recommend to power them? Thanks.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Yes they typically run off a 12V DC adaptor, though when you buy these LED light strips from Amazon they often come with the adaptor. Note that since you'd only use 1 foot or 2 of the LED strip, you can buy the controls/remotes and 12V adaptors separately as well.

[@gameonuk9169]

@@SteveMakesEverything thanks Steve 👍👍

[@getthenetfishing7130]

Sir thank you for the video! can you tell if there is a place to buy more power supplies for the leftover led strips so I can buy longer lengths and use as needed?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can certainly get these on Amazon.

[@karenockey7922]

Thanks for making this video, really like your base design. I am wondering where you get the remotes and power supplies for the LED strips. So far, I have only found they include one remote and power cord.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Everything here can be bought on Amazon. See the description for affiliate links

[@LarryDMitchell]

I'm a new subscriber and doing some research on lasers and projects. I can see so many uses for these signs in stores and restaurants. As soon as I get my laser I'll work my way up to this project. Thanks for explaining it so well.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Happy to help and welcome aboard. There are many different type of acrylic signs that can be made. I’m happy to cover more of them in future videos

[@randybranson1009]

@@SteveMakesEverything Same here Steve. My laser (Atezr 20W) is due in any day. I'm definitely wanting to make some of those type of signs. I cannot figure out though how to actually use your downloads. How do I load the download into Lightburn?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@randybranson1009 OK first a cautionary point: You can't cut clear acrylic with a diode laser. That may totally screw up your plans. As far as downloads, I usually export these as SVG files, and you can just drag them into Lightburn from your computer's file manager.

[@billkeogh1591]

I am new to the world of Lasers. I have purchased a Longer Ray5 - 10W and Lightburn, or course. Thank you for your videos. You have taught me sooo much already. A few quick questions though, -How do I know which plastics are safe to burn? I have heard than some are extremely dangerous. -Where you purchase your 3mm plywood for other projects? Wood prices here in Canada have jumped insanely in the past 3 years or so. Thanks again for your videos. I hope I can try most of them on my 10W Longer. Take Care, Bill

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Excellent question. Acrylics are fine, but anything that contains Chlorine (e.g., PVC) or Florine are bad because the laser hits these with enough power to knock those atoms loose, allowing them to outgas into the air, which is a bad thing for your lungs and your equipment. Regarding wood prices, I use 3mm plywood, mostly for prototyping, and typically get it from engraving-supplies.ca or now HomeDepot also offers laser grade plywood (though I believe it is 1/8" rather than 3mm

[@billkeogh1591]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thank You Steve. Your knowledge is helping more people than you know.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@billkeogh1591 Then I am doing the right thing 😀

[@georgevanvalkenburg2560]

STEVE, EXCELLENT PRESITATION1 thank you . . .

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hope it helps you

[@greghumphreys1619]

I received my laser the middle of February and just got it working yesterday. Your videos have been very helpful. Thanks!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Awesome. Happy I can be useful 🙂

[@yosofya]

great video. I wish you have videos of the design process itself and how you approach such designs in fusion 360

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You are reading my mind. I want to do a video series on how to install and use the free Fusion 360 and what you need to know about Fusion 360 for laser work. This is probably a month away because I will have a lot more free time start next month

[@yosofya]

@@SteveMakesEverything thanks for your reply. and sure take your time it's worth waiting for :).

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@yosofya Thanks. It means a lot.

[@johnkemas7344]

Nice video Steve! I have often used a blank piece of black plexi to back up the engraved piece. It adds more contrast to the sign and no "see through" of anything behind it. Different colored plexiglas will give you different effects depending on the light color and the background color used. I have also made multicolored signs with different layers each a different light color. It helps to separate the light colors in the base from each layer by making baffles to keep one color light to one layer of plexi.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

The are great ideas. I've used the black backing before but I like your ideas for multi-color

[@PinItRight1]

Amazing idea Steve, I cannot wait to try something like this! That is when I can get time on the LASER!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Ha I feel your pain

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Ha I feel your pain

[@stevespringer8385]

Hi Steve. In general, how deep should the engraving be for 3mm and 4mm acrylics? With a 40W laser is there a risk of melting? Is it better to use a lower power with multiple passes when engraving and cutting? Thanks

[@SteveMakesEverything]

It requires surprisingly little depth, and in fact, if you engrave too deep you can really mess us the effect of edge lighting. This is why I rarely make edge-lit signs on a CNC.

[@isuzucrewcab]

Great video!! Do you have a source of extra power supplies/controllers for the led strips? I assume that eaxh roll only comes with 1, so if you just use 5 inches or so for this project you have a whole length of strip left without a power supply.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

You can buy 12V adaptors on Amazon. That’s where I get mine.

[@scottmalach8757]

I am trying to find led controller that has both battery and usb power like the round puck I want to make my own base do you know of any

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Sorry I don’t know of anything that’s turnkey like you probably want. You would have to source a usb module that the supplies power and charging and then connect a suitable battery. Look for something like this amzn.to/3vlNpwc

[@scottmalach8757]

@@SteveMakesEverything Thanks not looking to charge just want to be able to use either option

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@scottmalach8757 Right. These boards will also provide power to run things instead of, or during charging.

[@cathymyers7831]

Love the light sign. On my bucket now.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I have a couple others coming as well. Stay tuned

[@caneloANDRETTi]

Great quality video! Do you still use the muse laser? Looking into getting a core in the future

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I use my Muse almost every day. I didn’t for this video but it would certainly work on this. My Muse is currently set up to engrave Yeti tumblers

[@caneloANDRETTi]

@@SteveMakesEverything do you like the software the muse comes with or would you prefer an alternative like light burn? I do like that you can get the rotary attachment, unlike glowforge.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@caneloANDRETTi Well first, you can't run Lightburn with a Muse (and this drives me a bit crazy). Retina Engrave 3 is the Muse software and it is adequate, though not as powerful at design as Lightburn. However I rarely use either of those tools for actual design, but instead limit my use to simply loading drawing and starting/stop laser jobs. For design work I use a real drawing or CAD program because that's the right tool for the job IMHO.

[@paulmckenzie8242]

im currently 16 looking for a small business for my laser my dad bought me and this video has made me open up to all the possibilities available in owning a laser

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Hi Paul, Do you have diode laser or a CO2? Diode lasers don't cut clear acrylic and don't really engrave it well either

[@robsandstrom9854]

Thank you - well done tutorial.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Get one made! 😀

[@ClownfishDepot]

Why does a PNG engrave faster than a Vector?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

This happens because it’s drawing a single line of the image with each pass and will usually engrave in both directions. Vector images are drawn by shapes so the laser head tends to move around a lot

[@ClownfishDepot]

@Steve Makes Everything Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. I'll do a test and see how much of a difference it makes.

[@Rawz33]

What software are you using to design this sign or other items?

[@SteveMakesEverything]

I usually use either Fusion 360 or Inkscape. Sometimes it’s both. In this case the outline of the sign was Fusion360 and then I imported the generated SVG into Inkscape to lay down the graphics

[@deastech1176]

Excellent Work Sir

[@SteveMakesEverything]

So nice of you

[@gameonuk9169]

Hi Steve, sorry for the follow up question, but I have issues with cutting acrylic. Basically I always seem to get a slightly raised edge on the cut. Tried various acrylics with varying results but all with this slightly raised edge. Any advice on this would be extremely helpful and appreciated. Thankyou.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

A couple things to try. First, lower the power to the minimum that still does the cut. Also leave the film on until you cut. If the raised edge is on the bottom then try to prop the material up with spike boards to get it off the bed. Finally check your alignment to make sure that cuts are absolutely square to the material. If the beam is hitting at an angle you might getting a bit of plowing of the material - in this case you probably see the ridge more on one side of the cut than the other

[@gameonuk9169]

@@SteveMakesEverything awesome thanks Steve, I'm pretty happy the alignment is good so I will lower the power a bit at a time and raise the material off the bed. Thanks again Steve I really appreciate it. 👍👍

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@gameonuk9169 Hope one of these random thoughts fixes your problem.

[@gameonuk9169]

@@SteveMakesEverything Steve you are a legend. I elevated the acrylic and set my power down several times until all of a sudden no more lipped edge. I have a 80w co2 laser and cutting at 30mm ps and power of 40% works perfectly, I was set at 70% beforehand. So once again thankyou very much. 👌👍

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@gameonuk9169 This is great news.

[@bingestero9901]

you're awesome!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Nope, I just want to help, but thanks, 😀

[@whynotcnc8828]

great job

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks

[@bingestero9901]

amazing!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Glad you like it

[@paultakoy7091]

Awesome job, Steve, as always!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Get out there and build one 😊

[@paultakoy7091]

@@SteveMakesEverything on my list. Finishing up my laser expansion that changed shape twice. Once it is together, I want to make two for my nephews that are both firefighters/paramedics.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@paultakoy7091 Awesome project for a couple of crucial people :-)

[@paultakoy7091]

I will let you know how it turns out. Sadly working Mon-Sat only leaves Sunday as a full “work on the laser” day. I’m trying to get it completed before Spring when the yard work begins. Today I mounted the top part of the lid before I ran outta time. The only thing left with the frame is the front part of the lid and the tube mounting. My K40 tube didn’t work when I tested it so I upgraded to a true 60W tube. I already 3D printed the tube mounts. The X & Y axis are already aligned and true. The Z axis just needs the motor mounted and it should be complete as well. This originally started as only adding a Z axis to the K40 and making the bed the full size of the case. Currently I’ve expanded the bed to be 26” x 19”. That’s about as large as I have room for at the moment. I’d like to start my side business and make enough to buy a larger one like yours. Then I would move out of my current shop into the main part of the finished basement and take that space over (I just about have my wife saying ok, go for it). Sorry, got to rambling. Thank you for your videos, they inspire me.

[@SteveMakesEverything]

@@paultakoy7091 Well you might only get one day a week to work on this, but it sounds like fun 😀

[@bryanwiley7345]

Great signs!!!

[@SteveMakesEverything]

Thanks. Get out there and make one!