Laser engrave a contrast in wood?

[Shawn Handley]

Greetings to all!!

Say, I was trying out some good ole wood engraving. I found a thicker piece of balsa type wood and tried out the aztec calendar. Although it turned out nice, I was hoping for a bit more.

Before I go on engraving the piece away, I was wondering if someone can tell me....

Where it shows black (filled and lines) in Corel, it engraves away the wood but does not burn in. In other words, it looks routed, not blackened and burned away. Is there a good way to get the contrast I want?

[Chris DeGerolamo]

you need to try a different species of wood...try basswood or cherry to name two.

[Dan Hintz]

What Chris said... and realize black/char generally means longer dwell time at lower powers to really let it cook rather than vaporize.

[Dee Gallo]

Either switch to cherry or just get some dark brown shoe polish and rub it on, buff it off. You'll get a nice dark mark and wax the surface at the same time! It's easy to do and smells nicer than char too.

[Brian Montes]

You can also try adjusting your frequency to produce more of a char. Use 4-500 to cut and try 1-2500 to produce a char but beware of catching on fire.

[Dan Hintz]

You can also try adjusting your frequency to produce more of a char. Use 4-500 to cut and try 1-2500 to produce a char but beware of catching on fire.
Balsa just doesn't char like harder woods... too soft, any increase in power just blows away the material...

[Josiah Gallo]

Alder also comes out with great contrast, similar to cherry.