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David Guyette
02-25-2014, 4:17 PM
Hello all, I am new to the forum, but have a couple questions I think you may be able to help me out with.

My wife would like to start laser engraving glassware and various small items, and would like to tie it into a small home-based business she already has. The problem is.....neither of us have ever done it before.

My main questions are:

How difficult is it to start learning the process? We have been researching everything we can, and from what I see it doesn't seem fairly difficult to start, but I figured I would start asking professionals here for the true answer. I plan on buying a lot of cheap media to practice on, like anodized aluminum plates, thrift store glassware, cheap acrylic templates, etc.

Also,

What kind of laser would one recommend for a new learner?

A little background on this, I would love to get her a good machine that she can expand into once she gets going, I have been looking at the Boss Laser LS 1620, priced at around $7000 for the complete package we would need to start up completely turn-key. Is this a decent choice for both quality and ease of use for a beginner? She wants to do glassware, so I know I would need to get her something with the required depth, as well as a rotary stand (not sure of the differences between chuck and roller, another question...).

Is there a better choice in that price range?


I really appreciate any input or advice as I am ready to do this for her and just want to do it right.

Scott Shepherd
02-25-2014, 4:34 PM
If she wants to get into glassware, you're looking at the wrong machine. You need a sandblaster. The sandblast does a superior job to the laser on glass. Plus, it's a lot less expensive to get into than lasering.

Darryl Hazen
02-25-2014, 4:48 PM
I agree with Scott. Sandblasting does a much better job on glass.

John Bion
02-25-2014, 5:47 PM
Ditto with Scott and Darryl. The quality of finish on glass is chalk and cheese.

David Guyette
02-25-2014, 6:10 PM
Ok, thanks for the replies. She also wants to be able to work with other media such as anodized aluminum and acrylics, so i'm thinking the laser would be the best bet to be able to work with all of them.

David Somers
02-25-2014, 6:29 PM
David,

I don't own a laser yet. Someday hopefully!!! But in the meantime, what I have seen and heard from everyone here is that the sandblaster reallllllly is better for etching glass. A quick search on the forum should net you a bunch of example discussions and photos to show the results. But.....what you may want to do since she is interested in other media as well would be to look at a laser engraver, and a sandblaster. The laser can be used for her other media interests, and it can also be used to cut the resists you will use on your glass when you sandblast it. When they say a sandblaster is less expensive they are not kidding. They are a pittance compared to what you will spend on the laser. Harbor Freight and other sources like that will have simple units that can do what you want.

If you can give folks here an idea as to the volume of glass you want to do perhaps they can suggest some makes and models, since a lot of folks here do this in their businesses as well?

And, if you can give them an idea as to the materials and volumes you would like to do in terms of laser cutting and laser engraving they can help you more with that as well? They may also be able to help you with any misconceptions you may have about a laser and what it can do for you.

Lastly, you might show what country, and if you are in the US what state you are in and folks can use that to be more specific with their suggestions. you can put that in your profile so it shows on all your posts. And of course, once you are the proud owner of a laser and a sand throwing device be sure to list that along with your other major tools. Then when you or your wife ask questions folks know right away what they need to consider for gear. Saves time.

Pretty exciting!!! Hope this works out excellently for you two!!!

Dave

David Guyette
02-25-2014, 6:41 PM
Right, sorry.

I'm in Colorado but subject to change as i'm active duty military.

She wants to engrave anodized aluminum and glassware with unit/military related logos and graphics. Not a huge operation, really just local here and there. I want to get a nice setup for her in case she chooses to expand.

Dan Hintz
02-25-2014, 6:47 PM
She wants to engrave anodized aluminum and glassware with unit/military related logos and graphics.

Make sure she gets the proper permissions for each logo... you don't want to explain to your CO how your wife ran afoul of the law.

Scott Shepherd
02-25-2014, 6:57 PM
Ok, thanks for the replies. She also wants to be able to work with other media such as anodized aluminum and acrylics, so i'm thinking the laser would be the best bet to be able to work with all of them.

While a good theory on paper, that's not a good theory on producing quality products. Glass is not a good material for the lasers, in general (there's always exceptions), and when she gets that order for 100 glass with a logo on it, finds out that they vary from glass to glass, she has to throw about 40% of them in the trash can, and the rotary attachment takes forever to engrave a glass (the larger the logo, the slower it's going to go), you'll be rethinking this conversation.

If you plan to do glass, save up and buy a sandblaster and a laser and do all the non glass stuff on the laser and the glass stuff on the sandblaster. Thinking that a laser is a great tool to do glass work and make money is a flawed theory, in my opinion. At best, it's an okay tool that does a fair job. We try not to deliver "fair" jobs to our customers. I haven't lasered a glass in years now, I don't think, and I don't have any plans to ever do it again.

David Guyette
02-25-2014, 7:03 PM
Make sure she gets the proper permissions for each logo... you don't want to explain to your CO how your wife ran afoul of the law.

Yeah, tracking that. Unit insignia are generally not copywrited, and military branch insignias/badges/etc are open source.


So does anyone have any input on the machine or tips on how to start engraving/etching?

David Somers
02-25-2014, 7:35 PM
David,

A good first step might be to simply do a quick search on Youtube for Sandblasting glass. That will show you the process. Nothing like a video to give you a quick overview.

Basically though, the process involves making a resist. Something that can stand up to the abrasive sand. And normally it has an adhesive back. You cut your design in the resist, with a laser engraver for example, apply it to the glass, put it in the sandblasting cabinet and shoot an abrasive at it that will eat away the exposed glass. The longer you shoot it, the deeper your etching goes until you have a dribble glass. (he he) Depending on the setup the sand is reused, falling into a collection bin to be picked up by the compressor again until its abrasive properties are shot. You can use the cabinet to etch other things as well by using different abrasives. The setup is normally not that large and consists of the cabinet and an air compressor and your supply of abrasives. The laser makes an excellent tool for cutting the resist, plus all the other things you are aware it can do.

The combo would really be quite powerful. For example, your wife may find that along with glasses and mugs she can use stone and other materials that blast nicely and sand blast awards and other displays. It can be used to abrade metal decoratively and remove corrosion. It can be used to blast wood and create a unique effect on pieces by abrading away the soft summer layers of wood leaving a deeply striated surface. Combine that with the ability of the laser to work with wood and acrylic and paper and whatnot and you have quite the combination on hand. Do a fast search on Grizzly or Harbor Freight and you will see the price ranges involved just to get you thinking in the ball park.

you may also be able to find a decent used sand blasting cabinet. You might need to swap out a badly abraded view port and some gaskets, but those generally are inexpensive.

I have helped friends with blasting things before but have never tried to do it myself so I am the wrong person to give advice about brands or models or capacity. Though capacity seems to be based on the dimensions of the things you want to do. You might need just a small to mid sized cabinet for glass work. Midsized would allow you to put a number of pieces in there, and grab each one to be abraded one at a time without having to open the cabinet. Again, someone who has actually done production work like this can help you more than I can.

Matthew Grant
02-25-2014, 8:17 PM
Hi,

I'll answer your original question. It's dead easy. So although your glass results may not be as good as sandblasting, it's essentially a job of connecting the rotary and clicking go. The upside is that you can immediately change your design and cut a new one. For the rotary, I'd say it's a couple hours practicing on old wine bottles or throwaways of the glassware you plan to use, and you're up and running.

Same with flat glass. Get a couple spares to tune power and speed, and within the same evening you'll be dialed in and cutting your final design. If you don't want to put a week into cutting masks and sandblasting, the laser gives you a lot of flexibiity and will give very adequate results for gifts.

Or, you could laser your sandblasting masks. Still get the flexibility of clicking "go", but you can get the nice finish as well.

Just my 2c.

If you're looking at low-cost lasers, at least get one that supports Corel. The Moshidraw units (<1k$) have a crappy control board which gives them their bad name. At least the next step up in control board (2-3k$, can use Corel) gives pretty good results. Next step after that is usually referred to as "DSP" (4-6k$), which basically means you can do engrave, cut, mark operations all in one click by using different colors. Then after that, the higher end devices which will obviously blow the low end devices away.

Dave Sheldrake
02-25-2014, 9:10 PM
+1 to the guys above, volume production on glass just isn't the right job for a laser. Sandblasting produces far superior results.

cheers

Dave

Scott Shepherd
02-26-2014, 8:10 AM
If you don't want to put a week into cutting masks and sandblasting, the laser gives you a lot of flexibiity and will give very adequate results for gifts.



I don't know what that means, but to make a mask and sandblast something, we take the same artwork you'd use for lasers, print it on a film (2 minutes maybe), then take that negative, put the mask on it, expose it to UV light which takes 2 minutes, and then apply it to glass and blast it. On a recent job we did, I timed the sandblasting and it was taking me 10 seconds per glass to blast it. I'm not sure where the "if you don't want to put a week into cutting masks and sandblasting" comment is coming from.

It's very fast.

Matthew Grant
02-26-2014, 8:19 AM
That IS fast!

Ross Moshinsky
02-26-2014, 8:48 AM
I don't know what that means, but to make a mask and sandblast something, we take the same artwork you'd use for lasers, print it on a film (2 minutes maybe), then take that negative, put the mask on it, expose it to UV light which takes 2 minutes, and then apply it to glass and blast it. On a recent job we did, I timed the sandblasting and it was taking me 10 seconds per glass to blast it. I'm not sure where the "if you don't want to put a week into cutting masks and sandblasting" comment is coming from.

It's very fast.

Mask placement is a technique that is perfected over time just like anything else. If you aren't used to doing it, it can make sandblasting very frustrating at times. Laser is a bit easier in actual application.

Scott Shepherd
02-26-2014, 9:06 AM
Mask placement is a technique that is perfected over time just like anything else. If you aren't used to doing it, it can make sandblasting very frustrating at times. Laser is a bit easier in actual application.

I haven't had that issue since I've been cutting and installing vinyl lettering for years now, but even at the worst case, I don't think you can say it takes a week to cut and apply a sandblast mask.

Bill Cunningham
02-27-2014, 9:57 PM
Somethings etch better on a sandblaster, but I do a lot of photos on glass, using a method that took me a long time to develop, and a sandblaster just won't do it. Sometimes a laser 'is' the tool for the job

Jason Hilton
02-28-2014, 12:51 PM
Bill that is great work!

Scott Shepherd
02-28-2014, 1:54 PM
Bill, that could easily be done on the sandblaster.

Also, note that I did say there are exceptions to every rule.

matthew knott
02-28-2014, 2:12 PM
Nice work, on the vase !!
I always find that 'lasered glass' photos well but when looking at the actual product its always slightly disappointing. I'm regularly asked "whats the best laser system for engraving glass" and in my opinion no one makes one that does a really good job, always just and OK job.
Heres a video i found of photo sandblasting, impressive detail that i dont think as laser could get near http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKR2An7YlI

Mike Null
02-28-2014, 2:55 PM
Bill

Very nice work!

Ross Moshinsky
02-28-2014, 4:01 PM
I haven't had that issue since I've been cutting and installing vinyl lettering for years now, but even at the worst case, I don't think you can say it takes a week to cut and apply a sandblast mask.

That's kind of my point. You've been working on placing masks for years. Probably started out doing vinyl on flat objects and did it frequently. Now placing masks is easy for you. Placing sandblast masks isn't much harder in theory, but reality is you're typically putting them on odd shaped items and if you don't have that base skill set, it can be a tricky task to do well.

Scott Shepherd
02-28-2014, 4:17 PM
That's kind of my point. You've been working on placing masks for years. Probably started out doing vinyl on flat objects and did it frequently. Now placing masks is easy for you. Placing sandblast masks isn't much harder in theory, but reality is you're typically putting them on odd shaped items and if you don't have that base skill set, it can be a tricky task to do well.

Oh, I don't know, my 16 year old niece with no sign experience put hundreds of them on not too long ago. Wine glasses at that, so I'm not sure the learning curve is that steep.

David Somers
02-28-2014, 6:14 PM
Steve,

I am curious.....I understand doing blasting for lettering and graphics. The shades exhibited in Bill's photo escape me though in terms of how you would do that by sand blasting. I have never seen that done. A few posts earlier you mentioned that what Bill had done with the photo was a fairly easy task for a sand blaster. What is the process? (my only experience with blasting was help friends with some fairly simple jobs ranging from lettering and basic graphics to removing corrosion.)

Thanks! Your ever curious laserless friend over on the left coast! <grin>

Dave

Scott Shepherd
02-28-2014, 7:45 PM
It's easy Dave, you create a halftone of it and print the negative. Take the negative, put the film on top, expose it for 2 minutes, apply the film, blast, remove the film, done.

Here's an example :

(the photos are small, but you'll see the quality you can achieve)

http://www.rayzist.com/Education/Education-tempered.php

Bill Stearns
03-01-2014, 11:53 AM
Hi All - especially, David G -
Kind' a looks like there is a line "drawn in the sand" (pun intended) 'tween those who laser 'n those who sand-blast glassware, uh? I engrave quite 'bit of glassware (wine, mugs, etc.) - an Epilog 35W. - for me, laser works for "names & date" jobs, 'n basic graphics - but I can sure believe "sand" produces cleaner/clearer results. ('while back, I lost a 300 glass job to someone who sand-blasts; the bank's logo just didn't turn out nice enough using laser.) On the bright-side, my typical customer is more than satisfied. DAVID: maybe, one thing to consider might be: which would the wife find more "fun 'n enjoyable" doing? - which method would give her more flexibility to utilize her creativity with other types of materials? as she learns the business? For me, sand-blasting looked way more "messy" to deal with, when I looked in to it. If you're moving 'round, on active duty - will there always be work-place for the equipment, the process? (started my laser business in the living room, in 2006 - venting out a front window.) Anyway - good luck with your decision. (Oh, BTW - maybe, glance at the JDS catalog (on-line) - see all the opportunities beyond what you presently have 'n mind.)

Bill

Bill Stearns
03-01-2014, 12:07 PM
Bill C - the photo looks great! I do photos 'n scenery on glass periodically - would you mind sharing what you've learned 'bout this over so much time. (as you'll read, I'm up against those who sandblast .... thanks,

Bill

Scott Shepherd
03-01-2014, 12:25 PM
Bill, you can do it, for sure, but for us, there were a number of issues that kept coming up that pointed to getting into sandblasting. We kept getting logos that had large solid filled areas and they refused to let us go to more of a line art look, and the one that broke the camels back was when a customer walked in and wanted lead crystal wine glasses done. He left two of them with us, we put them in the laser and no image showed up as it started, so we started bumping the power up until it marked it. After a few seconds of engraving, the glass shattered. The glasses retailed for about $13 each (just the cost of the glass), and they wanted 180 or something like that. I couldn't see taking the job on and dealing with issues like that, especially knowing that someone would toast someone else and bump their glasses, only to have them shatter because we had created a weak spot by laser engraving it (proven by the fact that we broke several glasses even trying to laser them).

With sand carving, we lost none of them to breakage. I believe (and can demonstrate) that the finish is smoother and more consistent that lasering. We lasered glass for 5 years or so, here and there and it was always a hit and miss thing. Put one in, it engraves great, put the next one in, it looks completely different. It had become more trouble than it was worth for us and we had all but stopped doing it.

John Bion
03-01-2014, 1:36 PM
I found the same as Scott (Steve), the engraving quality was all over the place, from one type/batch of glass to another. You bump the power up to try get a mark on some glass and when you finally do and the finished products looks ‘ok’ you find that little shards keep coming off for the next two weeks (after washes).
We decided not to continue doing glass until we got a sandblaster otherwise we may just develop a bad reputation which would be difficult to shrug off and would affect all our work, not just the glass.
So for us, it just was not worth the hassle and risk of our name.
I have little doubt that a others do a far superior job to myself, but I sure would not run into a business model reliant on lasering glass. If you could tinker and perfect whilst earning from other sources, that may be ok.
Kind Regards, John

Joe Hillmann
03-01-2014, 3:08 PM
If you want a laser get a laser.

But as everyone else says engraving on glass tends to be hit and miss. I have found that engraving on cold glass tends to give better results than on room temperature glass. When I do glass I now mask it, engrave it, then sand blast it. It more than doubles the time it takes for a single glass but for runs of 10 or 12 the blasting doesn't take much longer. I also don't scrap out nearly as many glasses using the blaster. Using just the laser I may go weeks without scrapping a single glass but other times I may end up tossing 3 or 4 to get one good one.

As far as working acrylic, a quality scroll saw and a sand blaster could do similar work to what a laser can do.

On anodized aluminum the laser is probably the way to go although I would bet that the same sandblasting setup for glass would work great on it.

David Somers
03-01-2014, 3:36 PM
Thanks Steve! That makes sense and the article was great. Appreciate it!!

Dave

Bill Cunningham
03-01-2014, 8:20 PM
the one that broke the camels back was when a customer walked in and wanted lead crystal wine glasses done. He left two of them with us, we put them in the laser and no image showed up as it started, so we started bumping the power up until it marked it. After a few seconds of engraving, the glass shattered. The glasses retailed for about $13 each (just the cost of the glass), and they wanted 180 or something like that. I couldn't see taking the job on and dealing with issues like that, especially knowing that someone would toast someone else and bump their glasses, only to have them shatter because we had created a weak spot by laser engraving it (proven by the fact that we broke several glasses even trying to laser them).

With sand carving, we lost none of them to breakage. I believe (and can demonstrate) that the finish is smoother and more consistent that lasering. We lasered glass for 5 years or so, here and there and it was always a hit and miss thing. Put one in, it engraves great, put the next one in, it looks completely different. It had become more trouble than it was worth for us and we had all but stopped doing it.

If 'nothing' showed up when you started lasering them, You were not likely etching lead crystal, but borosilicate glass which will not laser and must be sand blasted. I have run into this stuff on a few occasions. The first time the beam hit it, it looked like extruded plastic and if you run you finger across it you'll get some nasty splinters.


Bill, that could easily be done on the sandblaster.

Hmmm I don't think so.. that image is etched at 600 dpi and it looks just as good in real life from 1" away as it does in the photo.. Below is a small area closeup that Dan asked for last year of the Canadians winning yet another gold medal in Hockey at the previous olympics:D.. And if anyone can sandblast the lizard as clear as this one, I will be truly amazed.. It's not like etching through a halftone mask because your limited by the dot screen, you can't see any dot pattern in the laser photos, it's a true stochastic pattern. When I decide to retire, I'll be happy to show anyone how I did this, and do it consistently, until then it's proprietary and if I told you I'd have to shoot you..:p

Scott Shepherd
03-01-2014, 9:08 PM
If 'nothing' showed up when you started lasering them, You were not likely etching lead crystal, but borosilicate glass which will not laser and must be sand blasted.

They were Riedel Crystal glasses, made in Austria.

I think we're way off on a tangent here. I've repeatedly said there are exceptions to the rules, and Bill's work, in my opinion, would be the exception to the rule. Just because Bill's about to do that doesn't make the laser the right job for 99% of the work that people are running through a laser. I can assure you one thing, if you do the normal stuff sign and award shops do on glass, you'll make a much higher profit margin and have much less waste on the sand blaster. If you're happy making less and wasting more, more power to you. I consider what Bill is showing "Art", and that's a big difference from what most of us are asked to do.

Bill Stearns
03-01-2014, 9:10 PM
Hey All -- Here is one for the experts 'mong you. Not sure - but, think I remember being told, seven years 'go, when I got into laser engraving that "lead content" in glassware, or crystal can somehow harm the machine? - harmful fumes given off, or something? I've done crystal stuff, but only one-ies and two-ies. Maybe, I'm wrong? Would be good to know for sure.

Bill

Dave Sheldrake
03-02-2014, 8:56 AM
Fine glass dust would be more of a danger Bill, the lead content is a danger but you would be dealing with danger levels in the ^- level.

cheers

Dave

Mike Null
03-02-2014, 10:51 AM
I'm a member of the blasting is better camp but those pieces by Bill are remarkable.

Dan Hintz
03-02-2014, 10:54 AM
If 'nothing' showed up when you started lasering them, You were not likely etching lead crystal, but borosilicate glass which will not laser and must be sand blasted. I have run into this stuff on a few occasions. The first time the beam hit it, it looked like extruded plastic and if you run you finger across it you'll get some nasty splinters.



They were Riedel Crystal glasses, made in Austria.

I was going to say the same thing as Bill... luckily, boro isn't often used for glassware, just cookingware (a.k.a., Pyrex).

And the Riedel thing is surprising, Steve... I love doing Riedel glasses. When the wive's tales were going round years ago about leaded glass not being laserable because of the lead content, I took it as a challenge. A Riedel glass was the first leaded piece I did, and I think it turned out beautifully (I even posted pics). Looking back on those pics now, I consider the work mediocre, and my skill level has increased considerably since then... but even so, it was a very acceptable etch.

Scott Shepherd
03-02-2014, 11:05 AM
Riedel makes a lot of glasses, if I recall correctly, these were red wine glasses and they were probably the thinnest glass I've every actually seen. They were very delicate.

Also, let's be clear, there's no way glass is resolving at 600 dpi. Glass won't hold 600 dpi. You might be engraving it at that, but that's not what you are getting. Just like wood won't show 600 dpi, glass won't either. It might give you the best etch at 600 dpi, but it's not resolving at 600 dpi.

Dan Hintz
03-02-2014, 11:31 AM
Riedel makes a lot of glasses, if I recall correctly, these were red wine glasses and they were probably the thinnest glass I've every actually seen. They were very delicate.

Also, let's be clear, there's no way glass is resolving at 600 dpi. Glass won't hold 600 dpi. You might be engraving it at that, but that's not what you are getting. Just like wood won't show 600 dpi, glass won't either. It might give you the best etch at 600 dpi, but it's not resolving at 600 dpi.

I'm at half that for dpi. I just looked it up... the batch I posted the pictures on were their stemless tumblers. Amazingly thin stuff, I'm surprised it survives shipping. A quick mic just now shows them to be 36 mils. Considering how they weren't that expensive, I should probably use them more often, but Amy and I are so hamfisted, we tend to select the cheap glasses we receive every year at the wine festivals. Those "beasts" tend to mic out to around 50-60 mils, plus a thicker lip.

Bill Cunningham
03-02-2014, 8:21 PM
The glasses that I ran into that were boro, were distributed by Avon products, Other than those, the only other boro stuff I have run into were Bongs.. Yes, if all your doing is text and logos, the sandblaster does a very good job. I have one, but probably have not given it the participation in my business I could have. The glass I have posted here is indeed on the 'art' side of things. Simple glassware such as shotglasses, wine glasses and bottles are done using a different method that your welcome to try..For those I use 150 dpi as the working grayscale, and photograv general glass setting. I then etch that file using the 300 dpi setting. This gives acceptable results as small images. I also use a thick coating of dishwashing liquid to dampen the beams impact on the glass and minimize the fracturing because you want the smallest dot you can get. (shotglasses below)The High quality images are etched at a 600 dpi setting, and I know the laser is not really capable of 600 dip, that's just the setting that gives me the smoothest transitions between shades on a photograph.. Thank you for the complements on my work. Glass and granite are my favorite things to work with..
283842283843

Jess Phiz
03-03-2014, 1:35 AM
Myself and my Husband run a laser business in Australia, we find the laser works great to do what we want and need it to. We started doing mainly acrylic, we've since mainly doing Glassware (1000units a month at least) for weddings. I have not looked into Sandblasting as I have found our laser leaves a great finish on every glass we use (we spent about 6 months trying different suppliers for all our glasses to get the one with the best result)

We use a Thunderlaser machine, we have found the machine to be great and customer service is second to none

Jess


Heres a picture of what we etch on 40mm tall shot glasses, the overall image is 30x30mm.
283871

Scott Shepherd
03-03-2014, 8:16 AM
Jess, if you sandblasted those, the letters wouldn't bleed into each other like shown. The letters would be razor sharp and clear.

Mike Null
03-03-2014, 9:20 AM
Jess

Welcome to SMC.

You do seem to have an evenly etched image though I agree with Steve's point. Have you tried reducing your dpi?

Jess Phiz
03-03-2014, 10:23 PM
Jess, if you sandblasted those, the letters wouldn't bleed into each other like shown. The letters would be razor sharp and clear.

Hey Scott, no doubt, the main reason the lettering looks like it has bled is due to the silver coloring we put on to help the etch being able to be seen when it has cold liquid in.

Jess Phiz
03-03-2014, 10:27 PM
Jess

Welcome to SMC.

You do seem to have an evenly etched image though I agree with Steve's point. Have you tried reducing your dpi?

Yeah, that was our first attempt when we we're still learning the "ins and outs" of the machine.
We have since perfected them, but have no pictures due to rushing them out then they go.

I agree with the sandblasting finish is much better but my main concern is that I run full wedding bridal parties (generally 10-20 different glasses) and I imagine that would take alot of setting up for the overall finish.


Thanks for the welcome, have been reading all posts here for a while and its very interesting :D

Jiten Patel
03-04-2014, 6:33 AM
Just my 2 pence here - I have had great success engraving glass with our machine. Took a lot of testing but I think I have found the parameters that work great. I agree that sand blasting is a better technique for consitency and potentially less drama, but is is quicker say engraving 150 small square tealights? I can engrave a full bed in 40 odd minutes with 0 waste (95% of the time!).....would making masks, applying them, sand blasting and cleanup be quicker? I'm not trying to knock sand-blasting at all, just trying to figure out if it would be more efficient?

As most of you know, our work is detailed stuff and it works for us. It's not the sort of detail you get say cutting card or engraving acrylic, but with smart design, it can work great. We are developing our line of glassware, so will post up pics but they are all sorted.

My last question, is Bill, when are you retiring, because your method producing unbelievable results....I NEED SOME OF THAT!

Some images of some test pieces including type which is 2mm high and a solid engraved area to test consistency.
283952
283951
283950

John Bion
03-04-2014, 7:44 AM
Jiten,
Those are really very good. Most impresive.
Regards, John

Bill Cunningham
03-04-2014, 7:39 PM
My last question, is Bill, when are you retiring, because your method producing unbelievable results....I NEED SOME OF THAT!


Well Jit I'm patently waiting for Google to make me an offer I can't refuse on my domain name...hahaha
Then I'll retire. But realistically, I'm 67 now and they'll probably carry me out of here in a box :p

John Saville
03-11-2014, 5:49 AM
Dave,
First let me admit to not reading every response posted , so I you heard this before , Sorry...

I just recently purchased a laser, but have been sand blasting glass for several years. The sand blasting really does produce the best results on glass. That being said, the laser has some positives for glass as well . the laser generally chips the glass producing a rougher finish . in some ways it looks unique and can be attractive. You can also use the laser to create your mask without affecting the glass , then blast over it. There are several masking techniques or products that will help produce a nicer finish, such as lasering through a masking material, like wet paper or masking tape. there are tapes made just for this purpose.

Bottom Line ... The laser provides access to many different mediums. the Sand Blaster does the better job on glass.

I hope this helps.

John S.