Small flames

[onur cakir]

Hi everyone !

These days i'm busy with glass etching ( black painted ).

I need glazed look and fast etching time, so i'm using S100 P100 in 300DPI

What i want to ask is, while etching i get small flames, 1/2" high on glass. Ae those harmfull to lenses ?

I can activate air assist on raster but i'm working untill late in the evening and compressor doesnt sounds great at 00:30 at home :cool:

[Joe Pelonio]

Flames 1/2" high with the closest lens 2" away is not a problem, but where there are 1/2" flames there may be 2" flames later. Also, smoke will leave residue and you will have to clean more often. Maybe an air storage tank that can be filled during the day, or relocate the compressor outside? I use an airbrush pump that's quiet enough to run all night while the others sleep.

[Dan Hintz]

Maybe an air storage tank that can be filled during the day...
Using my 33-gallon tank at 10psi gives me an hour or so of air before it needs to refill. I wish it was more, and the next time around I'll be buying a bigger floor unit.

[Frank Corker]

Onur with the air assist on the lens is unlikely to sustain any damage, it generally blows it just out of harms way. Just clean it last thing when you finish and it should not be a problem.

[Dave Johnson29]

I can activate air assist on raster but i'm working untill late in the evening and compressor doesnt sounds great at 00:30 at home :cool:

Onur,

Try to find something like this...
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34843

It is a diaphragm pump and is very very quiet. Available at airbrush supply places. If it is still too noisy, make a small wooden box to put it in.

[Rodne Gold]

Use air assist - flames are NOT good in any way , the fact there are flames means that the zone you DONT want to laser HAS to be heat affected and will reduce the quality of your engraving...thats apart from risking lens damage , smoke on the lens and starting a fire inside your machine

[Chuck Burke]

Hi Onur,

At the risk of sounding like an idiot ( which I do well) how can you be getting flames on GLASS?

Chuck

[Rodne Gold]

He has painted the glass, most likely the paint burnng

[Frank Corker]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot ( which I do well) how can you be getting flames on GLASS? Chuck

LOL it appears we both aren't reading his post properly. He also says that he isn't using air assist because the pump is noisy for the neighbours. Onur, make a box for the compressor which is not secured to the floorboards and soundproof it!

[onur cakir]

Hi everyone ! Thanks for ideas.

There are 2 types of paints for glass. One is called RAL here in Turkey and second one is standart cellulose paint. RAL is much more expensive because its very durable and can cover glass in one pass. But you need multiple passes with cellulose paint and that makes paint thicker. That causes flames.

I borrowed my wife's Felix airbrush compressor and bought her new one. So i solved my problem with noise&air assist.

Actually i also have a home recording studio at home so my neighbours are used to my noise. I record heavy metal and for them there is no difference between compressor noise and heavy metal :cool: But i ll built a soundproof box anyway for compressor.

About fire risk...i worry much about lens damage. For leather, fire chance might be %70 but for paint on glass i think its a poor chance.

The problem with airbrush compressors is they work for 1 hour and than they stop 'cause of high operating temparature in them.

But from now on i'll activate air assist for paint on glass etching.

Here you can watch video for flames. I think its too fast for fire danger

www.decodepo.com/depo/Resim003.flv

[Dave Johnson29]

The problem with airbrush compressors is they work for 1 hour and than they stop 'cause of high operating temparature in them.


Hi Onur,

Use a small computer fan of the same voltage.
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/220/Fans/1.html

I have them on a lot of my motors. In Summer here it can be 110F and the motor load on top of that makes for some high operating temperatures.

I have one motor where I used the air-dry blower out of an old dishwasher and it works great.

Another one I mounted across the rear opening to force air between the armature and rotor. Ain't pretty but it runs cool all day. The motor had no openings at the front and with the fan mounted on the rotor axis, it got very little air flow through the motor. I then mounted it off to the side and that band saw can run all day in Summer.

Both fans are wired into the motor so they come on with the motor.

[onur cakir]

Thanks Dan. This is what we call "experience" ! Looks like i'll have to build a new work place with cooling system for comp. and prefilter.