First time engraving a mirror - need help

[natasha robbins]

Hey all,
This is my first time engraving on a mirror so i'm not sure what i might doing wrong.
I have a Gravograph LS 100 engraver
I have my Power @ 90% Speed @ 41% and DPI 600
I'm only getting through to the mirror just a little bit. part will be clear but the other part still has the "gold type" covering on it....am i missing a step or could it just be the type of mirror i have? I bought it at Lowes.

Thanks in advance for all your help

[Dan Hintz]

Natasha,

It will help everyone in the future if you provide machine details (including power) in your signature.

I see no reason why you would lase at anything other than 100% power if you're going slower than 100% speed. You could make two passes, or try 100P at the same speed (41%). The problem you're running into is a non-uniform coating thickness (assuming your machine is aligned properly), and there's not a lot you can do other than multiple passes or beat it into submission with more power.

The cheaper mirrors (Lowe's would be included in that most of the time) are better due to their relatively thin coating.

[Lee DeRaud]

I've got a 25W (nominal, seems to run a little hotter than that) ULS, just got done doing some tests: cheap Stanley mirror tiles from Home Depot, even cheaper mirror tiles from Ikea, and some samples of mirrored acrylic I've had laying around forever. The coating on all three seemed very uniform.

All worked fine at 100% power, 50% speed, image density set to 5 (one notch higher than default, no clue what that works out to in DPI). It's not a fast process though: about 50 minutes per 12"x12" tile, partly due to the higher-than-normal density setting. :eek:

[Dan Hintz]

Lee,

1-6 = 75, 125, 250, 333, 500, 1000 dpi (if memory serves, need to verify when I get home)

[Lee DeRaud]

1-6 = 75, 125, 250, 333, 500, 1000 dpi (if memory serves, need to verify when I get home)Thanks, I don't recall seeing that in any of the docs I got with the machine. (It's an early-'05 VL200.)

[Dan Hintz]

Thanks, I don't recall seeing that in any of the docs I got with the machine. (It's an early-'05 VL200.)
It's not in the docs I have with the machine I received earlier this year... just another notch in the ULS "poor documentation" rung.

[Bill Cunningham]

I usually buy my mirror cut to size from a local glass company that does wholesale as well. The coating on the back is a gray colour, and when etching it smells EXACTLY like gunpowder.. This is the only mirror I have used that has that very distinctive odour, and it etches flawlessly.
There's NOTHING like the smell of gunpowder in the morning :D

[Lee DeRaud]

I usually buy my mirror cut to size from a local glass company that does wholesale as well. The coating on the back is a gray colour, and when etching it smells EXACTLY like gunpowder.. This is the only mirror I have used that has that very distinctive odour, and it etches flawlessly.
There's NOTHING like the smell of gunpowder in the morning :DReally? I'll have to go outside where the blower vents next time I do some...can't smell it at all inside.

[Bill Cunningham]

Really? I'll have to go outside where the blower vents next time I do some...can't smell it at all inside.

I probably could smell it because of the restricted airflow I was getting from the clogged grid on the blower intake. My legs get cold now when I stand in front of the machine :D Quite a difference.. And I LOVE the smell of burning gunpowder too..:p

[Duane Parcells]

Hi Natasha

The gold covering may be ok. It depends on what you are doing. For a photograph on a mirror you want to be able to see the metal plating. The parts that are stripped away to bare glass will be the showing as black or what ever color you repaint. The laser will take off all the paint and parts of the plating when your settings are right. If your putting a graphic or vector drawing on a mirror then you want all the plating stripped away.
I run photographs on the cherry setting in Photograv at 300 dpi. Higher dpi showed poorer quality in photgraphs (on mirrors). Try 100% power and adjust your speed. Every machine is different, for my 75 watt I run 100 power and 50 speed for Stanley mirrors.
The mirrors can vary in quality. Some of the cheaper ones available at Home Depot or Lowes have fine ridges in the coating on the back which prevents even burning. They are also thinner than most. I've had nothing but trouble with those. The one brand that I found consistency and quality in is sold under the Stanley tool company label. Keep at it. You can get amazing results with mirrors.
Duane

[Lee DeRaud]

The mirrors can vary in quality. Some of the cheaper ones available at Home Depot or Lowes have fine ridges in the coating on the back which prevents even burning. They are also thinner than most. I've had nothing but trouble with those. The one brand that I found consistency and quality in is sold under the Stanley tool company label.Hmmm...the cheap ones at my Home Depot are Stanley...mixed in with something called "Basics" brand, which has the exact same printing on the back of the box. No ridges, engrave fine. That's the good news: all six in the pack I bought have one bad edge, where the mirror is visibly discolored (from the front) for about the first 1/8". They're 3mm glass, which seems to be standard for the plain-edge ones.

If you have an Ikea nearby, their "Lots" mirror tiles are much better: 30cm square, with nicely polished edges. But they're not available on the website.

[Dan Hintz]

If you have an Ikea nearby, their "Lots" mirror tiles are much better: 30cm square, with nicely polished edges. But they're not available on the website.
I second that... we have an Ikea relatively close to us just north of D.C., so Amy and I take a visit there every few months to pick up engravable toys and doodads.

[Niklas Bjornestal]

Ikea also has some wall tiles called "fastbo" (at least in sweden) that engraves well... i just have to figure out a good way to cut them :D

[Lee DeRaud]

Ikea also has some wall tiles called "fastbo" (at least in sweden) that engraves well... i just have to figure out a good way to cut them :DYou mean these (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10140585)? Looks like they're just white melamine...how thick are they?

[Dan Hintz]

You mean these (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10140585)? Looks like they're just white melamine...how thick are they?
The package is 1/8", so if two come in it...

"High-pressure melamine laminate" and "stainless steel color"

Interesting...

[Lee DeRaud]

The package is 1/8", so if two come in it...I think it's one per package. The picture makes it look like there's two, but usually if there's more than one in a package, it says so. E.g. look at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/39151700. That's how they normally label multi-pack stuff. (Maybe the picture is supposed to be the front and back, since they make a big deal out of it being reversable.)

Although $20 each is a bit pricey IMHO.

[Linda Butterfield]

I've picked up 3 & 4" square and round mirrors at the dollar stores or Big Lots. I have a ULS M360 50W and I engrave at 60%power, 60 speed and 300 DPI with a 5 or 6 density. These mirrors have a thin gray coating on the back and they come out really nice.

[Matt Barinholtz]

Had some luck with ikea tiles - my first time as well - here' s a long boring video - includes one of their mirror frames as well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SWMh1taOjE

My video skills are lame, but mom decided to leave a comment. You got to love moms.

[Lee DeRaud]

Had some luck with ikea tiles - my first time as well - here' s a long boring video - includes one of their mirror frames as well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SWMh1taOjE

My video skills are lame, but mom decided to leave a comment. You got to love moms.Hang on a minute...you're engraving the glass on the front of the mirror? Whole different thing from what (I thought) most of us were talking about.

Pretty cool though, especially the one where the design covers the mirror and the frame...although I would have guessed the odds of the focus and settings working out for both was very low.

[Matt Barinholtz]

sorry - didn't mean to go off thread...here's a photo of engraving on reverse of ikea mirror, and on face of frame. Bad, bad photography. The pieces, once assembled, are backlit with led's. Nothing spectacular. Yes, it is balanced on top of a bicycle rack water bottle. Yes, i have blurred out the background, because the desk is ...well...covered with stuff.

Those mirror frames are about $3 a pop (on sale) - http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30150818 - , and the backs raster like butter. on my uls it was 100%pwr, 40%spd, one pass. Some of the same variety of mirrors that I've played with have been glass, some have been acrylic - seems they changed materials depending on the frame color... possibly resulting in the low / sale price. Your guess is as good as mine. Have seen a slew of these "enhanced" frames on etsy.

[Lee DeRaud]

sorry - didn't mean to go off thread...here's a photo of engraving on reverse of ikea mirror, and on face of frame.Oh, no problem, just took me a second to realize what I was seeing in your video.

The thing I hate worst about this process is that it's absolutely impossible to get a photo of the finished piece that gives any idea how cool they look in person.