TiO2 Tile Etching - Start to Finish. The entire process.

Other than forgetting to clean my tiles before I put on the TiO2 solution, this video goes through the whole process of etching tiles using the Titanium Dioxide method; including setting up the burn in LightBurn.
UPDATE: After publishing this video, I found out that the lens on my laser had gotten dirty and clouded. This was causing issue with all sorts of burning. After cleaning, many issues went away. I reburned some of this and they turned out great! Lesson learned; do a better job checking my equipment and keeping things clean!

[@kendispoto6871]

Yep, I have learned a great deal from your YT videos. They gave me the courage to mess around with white tile engraving. I did get mixed quality results and was losing interest, but I decided to continue. Anyway, I thought you and your followers might also benefit from a video titled "The COMPLETE Photo Engraving Guide Part 1 | Fiber CO2 UV and Diode", by Laser Everything. This video gets into the importance of resolution. It does get a bit technical but stick with it - it does make a lot of sense.

[@CNCATHome]

Thank you for passing that information along. I will have to check it out to see what I can learn! 🙂

[@spudnickuk]

Thank you for taking the time to video and share It may not be perfect but one thing is that I have learned something new , like using many tiles i think an airbrush would be good to use as can clearly see the streaks from the poly foam brush well before I try an air brush i will try mixture with PVA glue as seen others use it and looks better.

[@CNCATHome]

I have had several people comment on using white glue to help with the suspension. I have not yet tried it. I have been using a thin mixture with a little food coloring in the airbrush and getting good results. I am glad there was something to learn from the video. :-)

[@spudnickuk]

I did finally get to try Tio2 with PVA glue and applied it using a cheap battery air brush It covered and dried perfectly And to say after doing a material test using Light burn I found the correct settings And so I did etch an image and it came out awesome

[@CNCATHome]

@@spudnickuk - That is fantastic! I am so glad that it is working for you. You should be able to make tons of projects with this method. 🙂

[@spudnickuk]

​@@CNCATHome thank you but to say I'm glad I have seen your method and to say I think it just needs to be perfected so don't give up on it and others will also learn on what can be done And try and may get good results Anyway their is much contents that you show that one can learn from

[@scorpianspirit5124]

I personally don't use air assist on TIO2 tiles. It looks like some of the streaking may be due to the air blowing off the TIO2.(Just a thought) ;-)... This method works perfect and I will never use paint. My solution mix is 4 parts IPA and 1 part TIO2 in a fine mist plant spray bottle, and with two light coats they turn out perfect every time. I do use acetone to clean them first for sure. I think you and maybe one or two other guys use TIO2 that I have seen on youtube anyway, and personally I think it's the greatest thing since slice bread for engraving white tile. I think I first picked up on the method from your channel ! Cheers.

[@CNCATHome]

I am with you on TiO2 being the best thing since sliced bread for tile etching and for printing onto glass (future video on that). The streaking is totally due to my thick mixture of DNA and TiO2. I have since added a bunch of DNA to thin it out and it works great as it has enough liquid to self level before it starts to dry. I just etched a tile with an image and it turned out great AND I did have the air assist on. I should try it without to see if it work any differently. The whole reason the white paint method works is because of the TiO2 in the paint so skipping that step and going right to pure TiO2 just made sense. I use lacquer thinner for cleaning the tile as it is a bit more gentle than acetone. Keep having fun with your laser!

[@scorpianspirit5124]

@@CNCATHome Very cool, your response just got you another sub ! I will be interested in seeing how the method works on glass, I'm using a brand new Lasermatic 10 from Roly (with enclosure) for my laser now. I started on the laser journey by adding one to my Genmitsu 6050 machine which I got back in June. I thought my new cnc venture was fun, but having a laser really upped the fun for sure... Anyhow, I like your style and presentation so I just subscribed. See you in your next video, Cheers from Utah !

[@CNCATHome]

@@scorpianspirit5124 - I had looked at getting a laser module for my Genmitsu 3018 Pro. It would have been fun for sure. I did decide to get a standalone laser to avoid switching between laser and router mode AND the biggest reason was the speed and increased working area of a standalone laser. It has been great fun. Utah is one of the few states I have not visited yet. You have some nice parks out there. Cheers back to ya from Minnesota.

[@Martin-ll7jc]

@@CNCATHomedid you try without air assist, I did and it messes the lens up and interferes with part of the engraving, have you found this thanks

[@CNCATHome]

@@Martin-ll7jc - I have tried with and without air assist. I have not seen a difference in the conversion of the TiO2. I have noticed that without the air assist, more stuff tends to get on the lens. For that reason alone, I keep the air assist on. There are things I do where air assist needs to be off and when I do that, I check the lens after I am done.

[@robertarmstrong2323]

Extra tile was brilliant..so many times I ripped my tio2 off

[@CNCATHome]

The work I put into preparing one time vs two is not much different so I almost always have two if not more. They do not store well as the TiO2 will wipe off so easily. I have been known to look at where some has been wiped off and make sure to use it on a project where I can position that spot where I don't have anything burning. ;-)

[@privatebubba8876]

Is the banding caused by the brush strokes. What setting are you using for your image I find the Jarvis works well. I have experienced banding when using the grayscale setting. I do my image adjustment in the tools drop down (adjust image) where you can preview it while you adjust it.

[@CNCATHome]

Great questions. In this case, the banding is caused by brushing strokes. I should have used a thinner mixture to help minimize that. Since this video, I have started using an airbrush to apply the TiO2 and have gotten fantastic results. 🙂 For images, I have found that Jarvis dithering has worked the best. I don't think it would work well with this method as the TiO2 is either white or black, nothing in between. I played with grayscale a little and have not liked the results. From what I have read, it can look fantastic on something such as wood but only after you have gotten it dialed in. I have found Jarvis to provide great results and it is easy to work with. I don't think there is a way to preview the adjustments while you are making them. I do quite a bit of back and forth between setting changes and the preview mode (Alt + p is my friend).

[@Mark-ev8qb]

Hi, thanks. I've done the same process and I had the first too dark, but the next on was good. I used a spray bottle with 90% alcohol and the titanium powder. The results, (both) look like it was snowing or something, (a little blotchy). Although it was done in winter, there was no snow falling. Does the Brush method work better than the spray bottle? I'll try that next. Thanks for a great video.

[@CNCATHome]

I have not tried a spray bottle yet. I have started using an airbrush and that worked great! Nice even coverage. The brush method was just too inconsistent for me.

[@daniellauricellajohansson9791]

Just got my TiO2 and tried this with IPA. Just trying to find the perfect mix. It looks very good🤌

[@CNCATHome]

That is great news! Enjoy the process. 🙂

[@JehuMcSpooran]

So what exactly is happening to the TiO2 here? Is it being deposited on the tile? Is the laser reducing it to Ti metal or another oxide state? Is the resulting markings electrically conductive?

[@CNCATHome]

So many good questions. Here is my understanding of the process. The TiO2 is converted into a crystalline form by the laser. In this form, it appears black and adheres to the smooth ceramic surface. I had not really thought about the conductive properties of this. I did a quick test with my multi-meter and found no conductivity.

[@JehuMcSpooran]

@@CNCATHome Cheers, thanks. It's still given me some ideas for other projects as TiO2 is a great catalyst for other reactions, especially with UV light. Thanks again.

[@HugoHugunin]

Your videos are a classroom for learning how to use our lasers. We "know" that a diode laser cannot engrave glass...right? Your TiO₂ solution has opened the world to me. I bought 2 *_CHEAP_* picture frames and covered the glass in TiO₂ solution. I did 2 passes @70% and 1200 speed. It left the glass with a "sandblasted" effect. Sadly, brush strokes showed throughout. Next time, I'm placing the glass in a baking dish, on a rack. I'll *_POUR_* the solution over the glass and allow it to dry, in situ. Cleaner burn? Results to follow.

[@CNCATHome]

Very cool! I found that thinning my mixture helped eliminate the brush strokes. It gave my solution a little more time to self level. You can also etch glass using black paint. Burning the black paint heats up the glass and etches it. When you clean off the paint, you have etched glass. The best paint I have used for that so far is Tempera paint. It is water based to the cleanup is very easy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6e9ooebqJ6In68si=hbeX6yH8LCD9pdkV

[@LeMortso]

You have to apply the "paint" more smoothly, the brush lines become super visible unless it's a perfectly even coat. This is my biggest issue! It's a pain in the butt!

[@CNCATHome]

You are absolutely spot on with that. Since this video, I have done a couple things that help get a consistent coating. One is to thin my mixture so it can do more self leveling and second was to start using an air brush to apply the mixture. That has been a game changer in a good way.

[@pblais404]

what caused the horizontal streaking.. more prevalent in the first darker set?

[@CNCATHome]

Great question. My TiO2 mixture was too thick and didn't self level very well when it was brushed on. I have thinned it out quite a bit since and it works great. It has more time to self level and it still leave plenty of TiO2 on the tile.

[@higherstandardspc]

How did you mix / ratio & apply the (Ti02) please ; )

[@CNCATHome]

That is a good questions. I wish I knew. This is where I hang my head in shame as I didn't measure my suspension. I started around a 1:1 and that was way too thick. At some point I just dumped more DNA into the mix to thin it out. I did it how I do pancake mix, I add liquid or product based on its consistency. The next time I make some, I am going to be more scientific about it. I will likely go even lighter on the TiO2 as I am starting to use an airbrush to apply and a thinner mix should work better. I would guess that I am around 3:1 DNA to TiO2. Maybe even a little thinner.

[@ReeseThaTazzJohnson]

I have mixed my tio2 with 2 tablespoons of tio2 and about 100 ml of 91 ipa. I can’t get anything to stick to the tile when engraving is there something I’m missing? I’m using lightburn and a ortur laser master 2.

[@CNCATHome]

Your mix sounds good. You are just over 3:1 and that should be a good starting point. When I ran into an issue with the process not sticking to my tile, it was due to a dirty lens on my laser. If your lens is clean, it could be that your power it too low or your speed is too fast. Another thing is that your mixture could be too thick. You don't need much on there for this to work. Since this video, I have started to use an airbrush to apply my TiO2 mixture and it has worked GREAT!

[@ReeseThaTazzJohnson]

@@CNCATHome I have cleaned my lens so I’m good there. I have tried to do a power test on the tile and it will not take either. I am using the brush on method and I have 2 coats on should I switch to the spray bottle method?

[@CNCATHome]

@@ReeseThaTazzJohnson - the brush method should work. Two coats is likely too much. I did a test with two coats and got it to work but one coat was plenty. What settings are you using speed and power (how big is your laser power wise?)?

[@ReeseThaTazzJohnson]

@@CNCATHome I am using a 5w ortur lu2-4 laser speed 9000 power 60

[@CNCATHome]

@@ReeseThaTazzJohnson If your 9000 is mm/min, I would slow that way down. I am away from my CNC computer right now so I can't look up my settings but I know my 10 watt laser I run at 4,000 mm/min. Try a material test with speed ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 and power from 35% to 80% and see if there is a sweet spot in that range.

[@CityWoodDesigns]

did you use AI for the images or did you pull them from on line id like to give them a go myself

[@CNCATHome]

I just did a search on google for ghosts of saltmarsh and found them that way. It turns out I was also at the beginning of having a dirty lens in my laser which likely affected these burns. I really should try them again. 🙂

[@CityWoodDesigns]

​ @CNCATHome iv had some really good results with Ti02, i cant buy it locally so i have to get it from etsy, ran out of it last week so on saturday i tried chalk spray primer was very surprised good results but prefer the ti02 just hard to get it in ireland without waiting 2 or 3 weeks, have tried imagr also but i get better results setting images up in lightburn

[@HugoHugunin]

Excellent video (as usual). I am always thankful that you include the "Oh #@%!" moments (that I will likely do) in your videos.

[@CNCATHome]

@@HugoHugunin - What are you talking about? I "NEVER" makes mistakes. Ha! Ha! Ha! Thank you for the comment. It is important for people to know that it is OK to make mistakes. That is part of the learning process. There is a study that shows people learn from other people's mistakes better than just telling them what not to do or what could happen if... So I try to makes mistakes and tell my children so they won't have to.