Tile etching - How much paint is too much paint? Is paint the way to go?

In this video, I am using my LE5040 Genmistu laser. It has a 5.5 watt, variable focus laser at the time of this video.
In all of the white tiles I have painted and etched, I never remember taking the time to experiment, at the same time, with how much paint to put on a tile. We found with the Cold Galvanizing Compound that it was easy to put too much on.
I have had people ask me about issues they are having with this process where you paint a tile with white paint and then burn it with your laser. Where you burn it, the white paint turns black and sticks to the tile. It is a fun project and doesn't cost too much either.
I have had hit and miss issues over the years and there are three things that make this work or fail. Focus, speed and power, and amount of paint. All of these things have to be correct or your burn will fail or not be as good as you want.
It is easy to put too much paint on the tile and your burn parameters will be wrong. When I am going to be doing tiles, I try to paint up 8 to 12 or more at the same time so they are as close to being the same as I can get them. Focus, focus, focus! If your laser is out of focus, it won't burn how you need/want.
In light burn, it is easy to run a material test to determine where you sweet spots are for burn speed and power. The amount of paint you put on the tile will greatly affect these numbers so keep consistent on applying the paint.

[@MileyonDisney]

Thanks for this great demonstration!

[@MichaelProstka]

Thank you for putting in all the effort with this and sharing your results!

[@Graymane99]

Just starting with my engraver and trying to get something that I think is dark enough is the problem I have been having. Thanks for the CGC information. Going to pick a can of that up and give it a try!!

[@CNCATHome]

I hope that works well for you. It seems to be more forgiving than the white paint method. A light coat is all you need with the CGC. 🙂

[@KatoriaLuke]

Thank you for your recommendation, very generous of you. I’m doing engraving as a hobby & have gone through many times with unhappy results. I’m using diode laser, 40W. The one where you painted Etching powder over a single painted surface is impressive. I presume the Etching powder is similar with Titanium Dioxide powder which I have ordered. Katoria.

[@CNCATHome]

I don't know what is in the etching power. They don't say. ;-) I am assuming it is mainly TO2. I have some and will be experimenting with it one of these days. The 5.5 watt laser doesn't seem to really get hot enough for the etching powder to really work. I have a couple newer lasers now. I will see how they work with it.

[@charlesanderson3801]

Thank you for sharing your results for this engraving method. I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the amount of coating. I experimented a bit and it seems like the lightest most even coat of spray works best. I don't know if this is the most efficient use of the paint, but try to just barely fog the surface, let it dry a few seconds and then fog it again turned 90 degrees. It is tempting to put more paint on but go with the most minimal amount to get an even coating. My NWT test pattern had a nice indelible black pattern at 3000 mm/min, 60% power. I also tried the Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover Heirloom White and got pretty good results at 2000 mm/min, 50% power, but I think I had too thick of a coating and need to run the test again. I am using an XTool D1 10watt.

[@CNCATHome]

In this case, more is not better. Thank you for the the information. I have also heard from several people that their beige color works well. I have not tried it yet and plan on picking up a can to try it.

[@reidjensen569]

One of the better videos I’ve seen when it comes to white tile, thank you! I’m curious, when running your test burn what are the settings to make the laser go both vertical and horizontal?

[@CNCATHome]

Thank you for that compliment! I did a quick review of the video to see what you were talking about with the vertical and horizontal. I didn't see what you were talking about. I did think about how that could be done. With a material test, you have control over the material default settings and the text default settings. As these are set independently from each other, one could be with with a 0° scan angle and the other at 90°. Within your layer settings, LightBurn has the option of setting multiple layer settings which are applied in order. I have used this when filling lettering and then come back and use the line option to finish around that to help give it a cleaner look. This could be used to have a 0° scan followed by a 90° scan. I hope this helps! 🙂

[@reidjensen569]

@@CNCATHome Thank you for the reply. I was referring to your comment at 2:35 point of the video.

[@CNCATHome]

@@reidjensen569 - Poor explanation on my part. I was referring to the coating on the tile, not the laser movement.

[@KiLLaDaTa]

Thanks! I need to do this with my 100w c02 had some good results initially but haven't landed on any settings that give me a consistent result.

[@CNCATHome]

For me, getting consistent with the amount of coating seems to make a huge difference. Good luck getting your settings figured out.

[@gregwilliams7354]

thank you for the video, very helpful. However, I urge you to use PPE dealing with lacquer thinner. Do not let it touch your skin, nor breathe the fumes. They are carcinogenic. Prolonged exposure can and will cause cancer. My father died from prolonged exposure. Years of exposure, and many years later in his life, yet his multiple myeloma was traced back to this exposure.

[@nickynorton]

That method sure looks familiar

[@CNCATHome]

Since this video, I have found two other methods that are more consistent and yield better results. I replaced the white paint with Cold Galvanizing Compound which works very well. The other method is to use raw titanium dioxide which is what is in the white paint that makes the magic happen. CGC: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmnMe2iHataff7csi=2_TlDtVitDB-OOti (figuring out an issue with CGC) TiO2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fae6eaSEoNpqqZIsi=5P6zjL8G49Qu0Wqu

[@l3iofix]

Great video, thanks for the content. Any tips on removing the smell of the paint thinner from the tile after it is cleaned off? Thank you!

[@CNCATHome]

That is a really good questions. The first thing I do is to try and minimize the amount of thinner that touches the none glazed part of the tile. That is where it will soak into the tile. There will always be some that gets in. In really bad cases, I will scrub the tile with soap and water. Otherwise, I put them out in the sun so all of the liquids will evaporate out. For me, that has worked well.

[@jerbear7952]

I lick em clean but people thing I'm strange.

[@CNCATHome]

@@jerbear7952 - That's not strange at all! I worked with a guy who would clean his glasses by licking them. And he wasn't.... Well, maybe he was strange. But that's not the point. 🤣

[@LHA100]

Very informative. Can I use zinc spray instead of cold galvanizing compound?

[@CNCATHome]

I would think ZRC would work as well as CGS. My can even says it is a Zinc Rich Coating. I have not tried a zinc spray. If I come across some, I will pick some up and give it a try.

[@calvinhenshaw2147]

good info except not listing the sources of the items used, fold galvanizing compound, metal etch powder ?????????

[@CNCATHome]

It TOP SECRET! ;-) The CGS is from Rust-Oleum and I picked that up from the local hardware store. The metal etching powder is something I don't mention by brand name for reasons I am not going to get into so don't tell anyone what it is. I use a Laser Inks product from a company called Brilliance. ;-)

[@youmbgtube]

Enjoyed you controlled testing. I just got a small CNC to play around with. I painted a tile with Satin Smokey Beige that I saw recommended with two light passes. I did the grayscale test and found it strange at higher power levels the samples lightened again. Any reason for this that you know of? - Thanks

[@CNCATHome]

Great questions. I have a guess but don't know if this is what is really going on. When you laser certain paint, there is something in the paint, like titanium oxide, that will blacken under the heat and become very sticky. When headed the right amount, we get a nice black residue stuck to the tile. That is what we want. If we apply too much heat, I would think it basically burns away and doesn't stick to the tile. I have seen similar results. That is why a nice test patter helps find the sweet spot for power and speed.

[@youmbgtube]

@@CNCATHome I was thinking along the same line because the blocks darken with more power and then get lighter. Thanks for the quick reply. Guess I’ll pick up some of that galvanized paint and give that a try. Seems you recommend a one pass light coat.

[@CNCATHome]

@@youmbgtube - It is balancing act. The biggest thing it so be consistent with the application from batch to batch so that your burn parameters will be the same. Too much paint and it becomes more difficult to burn down and get the desired results. Too little paint, and you can't get a black enough results. The CGC tests to be easier to see how well a light coat goes on as it isn't white on a white tile. It also seems to be more consistent in converting into a black residue left behind. In this video, I put the CGS and white paint method under the microscope and you can clearly see how nicer the CGC looks. 14:37 and 15:20.

[@mongowildman]

I have been doing glass and mirror etching here, and have been wondering about doing tiles. CGC is easily obtainable but what is this metal etching compound? Does it help with the blue lasers for etching things like stainless mugs and tumblers?

[@CNCATHome]

I would like to do more glass and mirror etching. I haven't gotten the metal etching powder to work very well with my 5.5watt blue laser. I have a 10watt now and a 5.5watt with a much tighter spot. I am going to try doing metal etching again with that. Their website talks about CO2/Fiber/YAG lasers. I tried finding out from them about DIODE lasers and they just said to try it and see. The product is BLI101MBLIQ120 by Brilliance Laser Inks. If you can get it to work, it should work doing mugs and tumblers.

[@mongowildman]

@@CNCATHome I looked up the BLI101MBLIQ120 and it says it is not recommended for diode lasers. (low watt). Mine is a 20 Watt laser, 5 Watt beam. (FoxAlien). The product is intriguing but if it does not work with the blue laser, it would be a bit of a waste. Has anybody tried it with a diode laser yet?

[@CNCATHome]

@@mongowildman - I have tried it with fairly poor results. I do want to give it another change with the two new lasers I have. The Genmitsu Jinsoku LC-50-Plus has a 10 watt laser and the Atomstack P7 has a 5.5 watt with a very tightly focused beam which makes it operate like a laser with more power. I an not holding my breath this this stuff will work better but it might. It seemed close with the 5.5watt Genmitsu LE-5040 variable focus laser. Even that machine might work now as I have swapped out the laser emitter for something that is fixed focus and should have a slightly tighter dot. This stuff it very expensive and not knowing if it works or not is a show stopper. Since this is the kind of thing I do on this channel, I did get some and will keep reviewing it. Maybe the stronger lasers will be what is needed to get this to work.

[@freddunaway2777]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and please put some gloves on when handling chemicals. Lacquer thinner may contain compounds that are known carcinogens. I have personally found out that even different batches of Rustoleum flat white yields different results. Carb & choke cleaner also does a great job of removing the paint.

[@CNCATHome]

Thank you for the advice. I do try to minimize my contact. Gloves would be a good add. I am working on a different process that will be water cleanup so I can avoid Lacquer thinner altogether. I have not tried carb cleaner on the paint. I will have to give that a try.

[@23names13]

INTERESTING, I LASER ENGRAVE ON 12 X 12 CERAMIC TILES, AND I PAINT THEM WHITE GLOSS, AND I RUN THE SAME MATERIAL TEST AND I REMOVE OF THE PAINT AND TAKE A WIRE BRUSH OVER IT TO REMOVE ALL OF THE PAINT, ITS SHARP, CLEAN AND DARK, IT LOOKS GREAT, VARIES LIKE IT SHOULD, I SPRAY 3 DECENT COATS, I SPRAY IT A LITTLE HEAVY, THE END RESULTS ARE ALWAYS THE SAME, ONE THING THAT REALLY DOES HELP IS KNOWING HOW TO SPRAY CAN CONSISTENTLY, TO HAVE TO SAME EXACT QUALITY SPRAY COVERAGE AND CONSISTENCY EVERY TIME, IT TAKES SOME TIME TO GET THE SKILL, I CAN SPRAY HEAVY ENOUGH TO END UP HEAVY WITHOUT HAVING ANY RUNS, OTHER POINTS WHEN SPRAYING IS MAKING SURE THE SURFACE IS CLEANED CORRECTLY, I NEVER LAY THE TILES DOWN, I SET THEM AT AN ANGLE TO SPRAY, ALSO TEST SPRAY THE CAN ON ANOTHER SURFACE, THIS GET THE PAINT FLOWING ALSO PREVENTS SPLATTER OR TEXTURE, THE PROBLEM I TEND TO NOTICE WHEN PEOPLE USE A SPRAY CAN, THEY JUST SHAKE THE CAN FOR A VERY SHORT TIME OR NOT AT ALL, THEY JUST SPRAY RANDOM AND WAY TOO HEAVY AND WAY TOO CLOSE, THE DISTANCE AND SPRAY TECHNIQUE REALLY MATTERS, ALSO I MAKE SURE I REALLY REMOVE THE PAINT AFTER ENGRAVING, I USE ACETONE ON PAPER TOWELS TO REMOVE THE PAINT, I KEEP ON GOING OVER THE ENTIRE TILE UNTILE NOTHING MORE COMES OFF, I FOUND THAT THE DARK PART OF THE ENGRAVING WILL TAKE A FEW TIMES TO REMOVE ALL OF THE GRAY AND BLACK DUST FROM THE ENGRAVED IMAGE, AND AFTER THAT I POUR A LITTLE ACETONE DIRECTLY ON THE SURFACE OF THE CERAMIC TILE AND SCRUB IT WITH A WIRE BRUSH, AND THEN ONE MORE QUICK WIPE, THE IMAGE IS ALWAYS DARK AND DETAILED AND PERMANENTLY ON THE TILE, THE ONLY ISSUE I RUN INTO IS FAINT LINES OR A SLIGHT LINE PATTERN, I AM STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT ISSUE, I HAVE ALMOST ELIMINATED, THE TILES I HAVE BEEN USING ARE MAN MADE AND NOT MACHINE MADE, SO IT TAKES ME SOME TIME TO FIND A DECENT BALANCE BECAUSE OF THE WAVINESS AND UNEVENNESS, I NEVER HAVE LIGHT AND DARK ENGRAVINGS, I HAVE A FEW 12 X 12 SPRAYED READY TO GO, AND I WILL BE RUNNING THE MATERIAL TEST IN POWERS OF 10 AND IN POWERS OF 5, I FOUND THAT SOME TIMES SETTING AT 55 PERCENT IS BETTER THAN 60 PERCENT, THERE WILL BE 4 TEST, 2 FILL, AND 2 LINE, SORRY FOR GETTING IN TO THIS IN MY COMMENT, I DO KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH ENDING WITH A DECENT SPRAY COVERAGE AS WELL AS A DECENT END RESULTS WITH THE ENGRAVING, ANOTHER THING MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT IS HOW GRAPHICS AND FONTS ARE MUCH EASIER TO ENGRAVE AND CAN BE MUCH DARKER THAN IMAGES, IMAGES ARE TRICKY ESPECIALLY WHEN ENGRAVING ON A LARGE OR SMALL AREAS, THE BEST ADVICE THAT I CAN GIVE IS WATCH VIDEOS ON HOW TO SPRAY CAN ANYTHING(NOT JUST CERAMIC TILES), PRACTICE, THIS VIDEO IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO END WITH A QUALITY CONSISTENT RESULTS, THE MATERIAL TEST HELPS, BUT IT ONLY GIVES A GENERAL LIGHTNESS TO DARKNESS, DOES NOT GIVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT THE ENDS RESULT WILL EXACTLY BE, EXAMPLE, I DECIDED TO PLAY AROUND ON SOME POLISHED METAL, METAL IS WAY DIFFERENT AND TAKES MANY PASSES TO ENGRAVE, I SPRAYED ALMOST HALF WHITE GLOSS, AND THE OTHER HALF, I COLORED WITH A FAT BLACK SHARPIE, I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF PASSES IT WOULD TAKE TO MARK THE METAL AT LEAST, I DID A MATERIAL TEST ON BOTH SIDES, PLUS SOME IMAGES AND GRAPHICS ON BOTH SIDE, ON THE PAINT I RAN 1 PASS ON EVERYTHING, AND ON THE BLACK I RAN 2 PASSES, I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO MARK OR IMPRINT A LITTLE I WAS NOT EXPECTING MUCH TO REMAIN ONCE I CLEANED OF THE PAINT AND MARKER, ONCE I REMOVED ALL OF THE PAINT AND MARKER, ONLY NOT EVEN 1 PERCENT MARKED, MOST IF THE METAL WAS BLANK, I RESPRAYED AND RECOLORED THE SAME WAY, AND THIS TIME, I RAN 10 PASSES ON THE WHITE AND 5 PASSES ON THE BLACK, MATERIAL TEST, GRAPHICS, AND IMAGES, I HAVE NOT CLEANED IT YET, I KNOW THAT IT DID ENGRAVE MOST OF THAT, A FEW DAYS AGO I ENGRAVED A NAME ON A FOLDING KNIFE, I ENGRAVED THE NAME ON THE HANDLE AND THE BLADE, BOTH AREAS ARE POLISHED METAL, THE NAMES CAME OUT GREAT, I USED A SHARPIE TO COLOR THE METAL FIRST, SORRY THIS COMMENT IS SO LONG, I TAKE PHOTOS AND MAKE NOTES, THIS KEEPS TRACK OF EVERYTHING AND PREVENTS REPEATING THE SAME TEST, BESIDES MATERIAL TEST, I USE IMAGES AND GRAPHICS TO RUN TEST ALSO

[@CNCATHome]

Thank you for the long comment. It sounds like you are having fun experimenting with different techniques and materials. The material test is great for getting you close to a good starting point. There are always variables with your coating, material, image, fill, etc... Out of curiosity, how powerful is your laser? When I go thick on the paint, it turns black but then washes off as it did not ahead to my tile.

[@rrradutheimpaler3926]

@23names13 I know I'm late with this, but this is just disgusting. Oh My GOD!!! Have you ever heard of punctuation? What do they teach these days? Or were you just absent that day or too busy playing on your phone?

[@karlsangree4679]

I watched another channel who recommended the "Antique White" spray paint from Rust Oleum because the formula contained a larger amount of zinc, so I think you are on to something with the cold galvanizing spray which is 93% zinc.

[@CNCATHome]

Thank you for the information! I will have to try the Antique White to see how it performs. The CGC that I use works remarkably well and is much more forgiving on the burn speeds and power settings. It isn't quite as dark of a black as the white paint method. Still, much easier to work with and clean up.

[@karlsangree4679]

@@CNCATHome I've been using the white, but just ordered a can of CGC. Your results look better than the Antique White.

[@CNCATHome]

@@karlsangree4679 - When you see how it look under the microscope, you can really see how the CGC looks so much more consistent than the white paint method. Good luck with the CGC when you get it. You should like the results and the flexibility you get when using it for this process.

[@bigfranksworld]

How long did you let the paint dry before you etched? Also, are you worried at all about burning cold galvanizing and the fumes produced? Thanks.

[@CNCATHome]

That is a great question. The paint only needs to be dry to the touch and this process will work. It is the titanium dioxide pigment that this process changes to black and the rest of the paint is just there to deliver and hold it. A thin coat of paint is all that is needed. Since this video, I have gone directly to spraying a titanium dioxide mixture onto my tiles and have gotten great results.

[@bigfranksworld]

@@CNCATHome The reason I asked is that I have tried the satin smokey beige paint, which is supposed to have more Ti oxide in it than the white paint does. I was putting on two light to medium coats on the tiles, and not getting any black to come out. I'm using an 80w Co2 laser. I've done tests from 10mm/s to 300mm/s and power from 10% to 60% with no luck. Really didn't want to use the galvanizing paint if I could help it, because of the zinc fumes. I guess I'll order up some Ti power and give that a try.

[@CNCATHome]

@@bigfranksworld - 80 watts!! Must be a CO2 laser. I don't know how well this process works with a CO2 laser as I do not have one, yet. ;-) I have done this with 5.5 watt and 10 watt, blue diode laser with great results. I don't know how the frequency of the light affects the process. The TiO2 process has worked great and is very bullet proof. The only issue I have had with this method was when my lens was clouded and I hadn't caught it. After cleaning, all was good again. The magic is the TiO2 reacts to the laser and crystalizes which causes it to turn black and stick to ceramics. I don't know if that is due to the heat, light frequency, or some combination of both.

[@bigfranksworld]

@@CNCATHome Yes, people are doing it with Co2 lasers and getting good results. I just have something I'm not doing or getting right. I'll try the Ti and see if that works better for me. I tried the paint process as I was able to gt the paint in town, but just ordered some Ti powder online, which will be here in a few days. Thanks again.

[@CNCATHome]

@@bigfranksworld - Thank you for the information on CO2 lasers. I have a few videos out there about how I use the TiO2 for tiles and glass. Some people use isopropyl alcohol, I use denatured alcohol. Other people have used water and even added in some white school glue and food coloring. The coloring helps to see what has been applied. TiO2 is VERY white. The application can be with a brush, pouring it on, and I have started using an airbrush with great results. Many great options and all seems to work well. Have fun figuring out which method works best for you.

[@morningstar5177]

You must cover tile whit glass water sodium silicate.

[@cw4608]

Are you using a USB microscope? If so what brand/model do you recommend?

[@CNCATHome]

I am using a USB microscope. It can use a WiFi connection too. The one I use is from Ninyoon: amzn.to/3XrrEIC. Right now, it goes for $39.99 on Amazon. I purchased a different stand that works much better than the default one: amzn.to/430ee7J. I like it. The software I use for this is xploview. Seems to work OK. A few hiccups here and there but over all, works well. For free software, it is well worth the price. www.xploview.com

[@frostheave1960]

Hi, Thanks for the great info. I'm wondering, at 4:47 of the video you show the etching of the CGC and it looks like there isn't any paint on the tile. Why does it look so much different than when you painted it earlier in the video? Thanks again! I will definitely try the CGC.

[@frostheave1960]

Also if I may. In Lightburn, if you did not use Dither or Grayscale for the Image Mode, which other mode did you use? Jarvis maybe? Thanks Again!

[@CNCATHome]

I agree, that does kind of look white. It is grey though. Without a white tile right next to it, it kind of does look white. Most likely the lighting. I painted the CGC onto the tiles outside where there was great natural light. At 4:47, that is using an LED task light.

[@CNCATHome]

@@frostheave1960 - I almost always use the Jarvis setting within LightBurn as I have found that to work well for what I have done. It is a type of dithering. I would love to use the Grayscale setting as I would think it would look nice but in reality, it is very difficult to get working.

[@frostheave1960]

@@CNCATHome Great, that's what I figured. I Tried some engraving this weekend using your helpful guidance and the tiles came out great! Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

[@frostheave1960]

@@CNCATHome I got some identical paint this weekend and now see what you mean. Thanks for the help!

[@raffiem]

where can i get the grid test file if you dont mind me asking

[@CNCATHome]

Good questions. The power and speed test that I used in this video is a feature within LightBurn (see this video for a simple tutorial on how to use it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIGxq52BadCpe7M). You set the parameters for what you want to test and it generates it for you.

[@raffiem]

@@CNCATHome thank you for the fast reply you are doing an awesome work cheers

[@CNCATHome]

@@raffiem - I hope it helps. 🙂 Before LightBurn had the material test feature, I basically created an array of squares and set the burn parameters on each one. It worked but was time consuming when you wanted to try other speeds or power settings.

[@cluek9780]

So this is just burned paint *adhering to the tile, rather than etched tiles with paint, right? Think I’d rather etch with the laser and wipe with paint into the etch -in an intaglio manner….

[@CNCATHome]

Great comment! It is just burning the paint. You do only end up with black using this method. When the paint melts under the laser, it sticks to the tile very strongly so it doesn't scrape off. The method you are talking about is another way to do something similar. The advantage to your method is that you can apply colored ink or paint to the tile.

[@CNCATHome]

@@jimniki6856 - It is just easier to say that you are burning the paint. In a way you are as other components of the paint are burned away while the Titanium Oxide is quickly melted and then sticks to the material. Thank you for providing a more accurate explanation of what is going on.

[@aaronstanley6914]

Can you share the dfx or SVG files you used for this test?

[@CNCATHome]

There isn't a dfx or SVG for this. The material test is a function within LightBurn. You can set numerous parameters for how you want the test to be performed from power and speed to size and number of boxed to be tested. I have video that talks about this functionality within light burn: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIGxq52BadCpe7Msi=svtVJVw7g1Fh-2OG. Sorry for the confusion on this. I should have quickly shown the Material Test feature and how I set it for this project.

[@aaronstanley6914]

@@CNCATHome that's a shame I'm stuck with LaserCut 5.3 for the laser I have access to. It's UI is from the early 200s and has no quality of life features only bugs. Anyways thanks for the quick reply I'm going try and make a version of that for my setup.

[@CNCATHome]

@@aaronstanley6914 - Sorry to hear that. You can use LightBurn free for 30 days. It is the full version too. After that, you have to buy it. Once purchased, you get a year of updates and upgrades included in the purchase price. After the year is up, you can either pay an annual subscription to keep getting updates and bug fixes or you can not pay any more and use the last version you got before you year was up. Something to think about. 🙂

[@HWoodCreations]

what happens if you use no paint at all when engraving tile?

[@CNCATHome]

That is a great question. There is a method where you do not paint the tile and after you make your burn, you apply ink to the tile. It will soak into the cracks in the glazing and reveal your burn. I messed with this method a while back without good results. The ink I used was from a Sharpie marker. A better way would be to use Indian ink. The cool thing about this method would be the color choices of different inks. I should re-visit this method to see if I can get it to work better. I have watched videos where people have used this method and achieved some great results.

[@HWoodCreations]

@@CNCATHome Yeah I've seen those videos and they are pretty cool. I think I need to rephrase my question. What does the paint do for the engraving?

[@CNCATHome]

@@HWoodCreations - I see what you are asking. This method relies on a reaction within the paint to the heat of the laser. Mainly it would be something like titanium dioxide (TiO2) found in many white paints. The TiO2 will turn molten and black when enough laser energy is absorbed. The molten TiO2 will quickly cool down and stick to the surface of the tile. The rest of the stuff in the paint will burn off in this process. After you are done burning, and you clean away the un-burned paint, the black part remains and is permanently stuck to the tile. Without this reaction from the TiO2, all you would do would be to burn away the paint. I have some videos on the channel where I do this with one or more colors layered on the tile. You can get some interesting results. The issue there is the paint can easily be scrapped off the tile so I end up putting a couple coats of a water based polyurethane on those to help protect that from happening.

[@23names13]

CERAMIC TILES AND METALS ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT TO ENGRAVE

[@CNCATHome]

I have had much better luck with tile than metals. But then I haven't done much with engraving metal. And with tile, I have had some really good results and some abysmal.

[@neilrowley1804]

@@CNCATHome 😢ccvv love 😂

[@raffiem]

sorry to bother you one thing I'm having hard time understanding is in this video when you talk about the power percentage is that the percentage of 20 watt or 10 watt laser the reason I'm asking is I have a 20 watt and if I go over 22 percent it digs in to the tile at the speed of 600mm/min can you please help me out with this issue this is my 3rd day my machine is the Xtool D1 Pro 20W thanks in advance

[@CNCATHome]

Great question. I didn't provide any information about the laser I was using. I will update the description with that information. This was the 5.5 watt laser. With your 20 watt laser, you will need to bring the power down and the speed up. A basic calculation would say that my 80% would be your 20%. In reality that isn't accurate but it is a good starting point. I hope that helps. Good luck with your Xtool D1 Pro. Sounds like a fun machine.

[@raffiem]

@@CNCATHome the reason that came in mind and been thinking about since last night because of my 3d printing when i prepare the Gcode on the slicer i set the speed but to tune it while on the machine you are only tuning the percentage of the set speed/power thanks for your help i wanted to confirm before i spend another 36 hours lol cheers

[@CNCATHome]

@@raffiem - The current version of LightBurn will let you adjust the power and speed while you are burning something. It too does it in percent. For the most part I don't use it. When I am trying to tune in feed and power settings, I will tweak it sometimes during the burn. ;-)

[@privatebubba8876]

The cold galvanized looks like it wouldn't be to good doing a dithered or grayscale image.

[@CNCATHome]

Grayscale is difficult to do as a general rule. I will have to give the dithering a try with the CGC to see how it turns out.

[@privatebubba8876]

@@CNCATHome That would be an interesting test. CGC is 95% zinc which is the catalyst for etching tiles.

[@CNCATHome]

@@privatebubba8876 - I am guessing it will work well. We will see.