CerMark, which type, liquid or spray?

[Mike Audleman]

I wanted to get my first batch of CerMark and its not cheap. I am looking at marking on gun parts (slides, grips, frames, triggers, etc), knife blades and other small metal objects. Which would be more economical as far as least waste, the aerosol cans or the liquid that you dilute and brush on?

Gut is telling me to order the liquid as it totally avoids any form of overspray. It also lets me paint it exactly where I want it. But there is that foam brush that can waste a considerable amount of paint cleaning it out. The aerosol can seems much easier to use and appears to be a more uniform coat.

Thoughts?

Are there other marking products out there? I saw TherMark but not impressed with the way it wipes off if you accidentally touch it when placing or moving the coated item.

[Clark Pace]

I have had problems with cermark my self. I just got the spray and so far it for me want the laser to run much slower the get the image etched. On the liquid I could run at aroun 200mm a sec. On this spray which looks just the same I am running at 10mm or less?

Any suggestions out there?

[Mark Sipes]

I use the rattle can. Just more convenient. Price the job accordingly. I've used the mix with an refillable aerosol --- pain. with an airbrush - much better control and least waste. Collect unused film during wash down, let water evaporate then reuse......hardly no waste.

I would start with the can..... collect unused material and then re-mix and brush on/airbursh. now you have tried both methods and can tell us which you like better..

[Mike Audleman]

I use the rattle can. Just more convenient. Price the job accordingly. I've used the mix with an refillable aerosol --- pain. with an airbrush - much better control and least waste. Collect unused film during wash down, let water evaporate then reuse......hardly no waste.

I would start with the can..... collect unused material and then re-mix and brush on/airbursh. now you have tried both methods and can tell us which you like better..

Thats a novel idea sir! I could wash the item in a wash basin and then pour the water through a coffee filter to re-cycle the material. Totally worth the attempt, nothing lost in trying.

Btw, this is a hobby at this point, not a job. If I make a few bucks on the side with the machine cutting/marking/etching, so be it. I got a 9-5 I am reasonably happy with (15y at it).

[Ross Moshinsky]

I hated the spray can. It was wasteful and a bit tricky to get a nice, even, light coat. We don't do a ton of Cermark but the paste with a foam brush hasn't let us down yet. As for collecting it, I just don't see it being required. $70 of Cermark should easily allow you to do thousands in engraving.

[Chris J Anderson]

easy solution for the foam brush.....

just don't wash it each time. Re-wet it each time in the cermark solution, works for me.

cheers,
Chris

[Mike Null]

I do quite a lot of Cermark work. For most I use 1" disposable foam brushes and I dispose of them when finished. If the job calls for spray I use an air brush. I do not try to reclaim any Cermark--my time is worth more than that. I buy 250 gram jars which is enough to do several thousand dollars worth of engraving. In other words if you are operating a business Cermark is one of the most profitable materials you can use.

I agree with Ross--the spray can is wasteful.

[Clark Pace]

Well I have yet to get cermark 6000 to work right for me on aluminum. I have done stainless steel and that worked fine. But billet milled aluminum will not leave a dark mark. Very frustrating.

[Mike Null]

Clark

i had had the same experience.

[Tim Bateson]

Well I have yet to get cermark 6000 to work right for me on aluminum. I have done stainless stell and that worked fine. But billet milled aluminum will not leave a dark mark. Very frustrating.

Try cleaning the aluminum with a kitchen scrubber sponge, then denatured alcohol. I'm guessing anything less than a 35watt would have issues.

Note: You need to add your machine specs to your signature - It helps when asking questions.

[Mike Audleman]

Try cleaning the aluminum with a kitchen scrubber sponge, then denatured alcohol. I'm guessing anything less than a 35watt would have issues.

Note: You need to add your machine specs to your signature - It helps when asking questions.

Well, not to derail my own thread...

I assume you were referring to me, I am not sure what to put there. I don't have a name brand laser like most of yall do. I am not a commercial shop, just a home hobbyist trying to eek out as much information about this as I can and have fun making hobby projects for myself and my family. I am not planning to do this as a commercial venture other than odd jobs on the side.

This is what I bought (I was told that an ebay link is a nono but I can put the item number as a reference)...
Ebay 171046049521

If you would like to offer a suggestion as to what to put in my sig that will fit yall's expectations, I will happily oblige. Though, keep it mod friendly ;)

[Clark Pace]

Sound silly but where to I go to add a signature?

[Mike Audleman]

Sound silly but where to I go to add a signature?

Woohoo! One I can answer!

Look at the very top of the page here. Click "Settings".

Then on the left menu "Edit Signature"

[Jared nemec]

On Airbrushing cermark, would gravity or siphon feed be better ?

[Gary Hair]

On Airbrushing cermark, would gravity or siphon feed be better ?

Siphon feed for me because the gravity feed cup that came with my airbrush doesn't have a lid and you will need to shake your Cermark while you spray otherwise the solids end up settling.

[Mike Null]

If I'm going to use the airbrush the job is big enough to use siphon feed. I usually use the airbrush on large areas or large quantities of plates that I can layout in columns and rows. For most of my work foam brushes do very nicely.

[Kev Williams]

FWIW, I figure by moving from cans to 500gm bottles, what used to cost me $100 in 'usable' product now cost about $40. The last few cans I bought I just ended up spraying into jars and thinning it from there. I still keep cans around for a quick touch-up.

As for brushes-- I love the foam brushes, but they're only good for one or two uses max, regardless if you clean them out or not. By the second use the foam is all floppy and useless. I use them only on LARGE stuff, like the 24" x 30" panels I etch, the whole panel must covered with Cermark, and a 2" foam brush is the ONLY way to go. (and I've found that brushing these panels uses about 1/3 less Cermark than airbrushing them, and I'm done in half the time)...But for smaller items, I've found that the cheapest 1" artists brushes I can find- like a 10-pack for $3.99- work pretty good! They may be terrible for painting but they work great with Cermark! They don't hold near the paint foam does, but I can usually get three 8 to 10" long passes from one 'load', so covering 8" x 8" plates is quick...

I love spraying, but I got tired of the constant adjustments and clogging. I haven't touched my airbrush in about a year now...