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Junior hall
02-07-2015, 10:33 PM
I know the picture quality is not good but it is the only thing i have as for a camera a cell phone 306376
You might want to click on the picture to make it larger

Bruce Page
02-07-2015, 11:23 PM
You might try turning the lights on and filling the glass with a dark colored liquid like coffee.

Junior hall
02-08-2015, 8:29 AM
ive tried putting some thing dark behind the glass and also filling it with tea but i will try to use coffee next thanks I had the lights on in the living room a 75 watt light bulb

Mark Sipes
02-08-2015, 1:58 PM
Not sure what the question is https://shop.sailboatowners.com/fisco_img/821310.jpg

Bernie Fraser
02-08-2015, 3:21 PM
I think you need to invert the image junior.and do some work on the file so you get a good engraving. In the original graphic you posted on the other thread the White parts of the Dog graphic is not what you have etched on the glass here. You have lasered the black so the image appears inverted to anyone looking at it if that makes sense?. For a normal graphic like the sailing boat it is fine because it is the outline of the image. When you do the same to a human or dogs face you need to invert the image to match your substrate. On your wood the same image you engraved here turns black so it will appear correct on the wood.

Dan Hintz
02-08-2015, 3:24 PM
ive tried putting some thing dark behind the glass and also filling it with tea but i will try to use coffee next thanks I had the lights on in the living room a 75 watt light bulb

Try putting the light a foot or two away from the glass rather than across the room. Your images continue to be entirely too dark to make any reasonable suggestions.

Jerome Stanek
02-08-2015, 3:32 PM
Maybe invest in a camera

Junior hall
02-08-2015, 5:38 PM
Bernie Fraser (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?126509-Bernie-Fraser) how do i invert the image i have engravelab 9 with a boss laser

Do i have to revectorize the image or not

This is getting me aggravated as it seems the more i try to learn the more there is and i can never catch up this thing might be a yard ornament . As i do one thing perfect then i go to put it on some thing else such as a drinking glass i am wrong as it has to be inverted gggggggrrrrrrr why me.

So when on the piece of wood it was correct but on the drinking glass it is wrong so i have to invert the image to put it on drinking glass

My next question is how do i know when to invert and when not to invert

Junior hall
02-08-2015, 5:43 PM
Opps sorry i meant for another question

So the white parts of humans and animals of a picture is what needs to be lasered not the black parts correct

Bert Kemp
02-08-2015, 6:31 PM
just remember that anything that looks dark in your software the laser is going to engrave and if it looks white or light colored the laser will leave it alone. Just think about that and what your engraving on. think about what you want the laser to burn and what you don't want burned. Does that help or make sense to you?

Bernie Fraser
02-08-2015, 11:07 PM
Bert has answered it well Junior, if you have a look at the item you are going to engrave and it is a dark item like granite or marble that will engrave to a light colour you need to invert your image. I use photoshop or Coreldraw to invert the image so cannot help you on your software. I do not convert the image to a vector as I find there is no need. I do try and resize the image if it is a low quality image. With the glass I know it is not a dark substrate but your engraving will etch the glass a frosty white.

Junior hall
02-09-2015, 7:51 AM
Bert Kemp (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?96598-Bert-Kemp) Thanks i will try and reverse it so the laser will only engrave the white areas. But wouldn't it look funny looking as with the eyes a dot for the white and then a half circle up under neath the eye ball its self.

So i need to remember any thing dark i do not want lasered any thing white i want lasered correct

Bernie Fraser (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?126509-Bernie-Fraser) thanks i engraved some marble it i think turned out good i will try to get some pictures up on here soon today

Wish some one would make a dvd on engraving step by step as i would buy it Break it down into simple steps as Ive watched several YouTube videos and thought i did it right but wow guess not

I think i need to remember like Bert Kemp said mainly any thing black it is going to laser which i do not want as i want any thing that is white to be lasered

Bert Kemp
02-09-2015, 10:40 AM
It all depends on what your material is as to what you want lasered it isn't the same . You have to visualize what the laser is going to do on the material your doing it on. Think of a girl in a white blouse on glass you would have to invert it so the blouse would laser, Its not all you have to consider but just go with that for now. I'd go to HD and get some cheap glass and try different set ups.

Scott Shepherd
02-09-2015, 12:12 PM
Think of a girl in a white blouse on glass you would have to invert it so the blouse would laser, Its not all you have to consider but just go with that for now.


Ahhh, one of the great things to use lasers for, brides in all white and grooms in all black :)

I had a photo a while back, it was a black gentleman, wearing a black shirt with a black collar, standing in front of a white wall. "Can you engrave this on acrylic, please?".

It actually turned out great, but there was some serious tweaking going on in that photo :)

It's probably one of the few photos I have done in the last two years for money.

Bill Cunningham
02-10-2015, 9:09 PM
Once you tweak the photo etching a good one becomes simple. This one was a cartoonized(?) Photo of a young ladies boyfriend. She wanted it on a mug. Mugs are great for photos..
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Junior hall
02-12-2015, 8:21 AM
Wow Bill Cunningham (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?10045-Bill-Cunningham) That looks awesome you did the invert from the photo I cant wait until i am that good.

Now i see what you all mean by engraving the white parts of the picture only holly cow ( invert the picture ) My stuff looked like you know what i am just in shock that one day i can be able to do some thing like this

I bet that cost a nice pretty penny

Cant wait until i can do some thing like that

I wish i could learn this like i learned how to train dogs simple easy as we were taught ( kiss ) k.i.s.s. keep. it .simple. stupid.

Bill George
02-12-2015, 8:51 AM
Junior you need to realize these guys just did not order a machine and start doing quality work. Most of us had some graphics experience and the basics under our belt before we started. The rest was learned via reading, searching and help from this Forum and others. Most of the folks on here are really good, above average... but it took years to gain those skills. You can't put that experience on a DVD and learn it all in a week or so.

I've had my laser almost a year and getting up to average skill level.

Scott Shepherd
02-12-2015, 9:06 AM
Junior you need to realize these guys just did not order a machine and start doing quality work. Most of us had some graphics experience and the basics under our belt before we started. The rest was learned via reading, searching and help from this Forum and others. Most of the folks on here are really good, above average... but it took years to gain those skills. You can't put that experience on a DVD and learn it all in a week or so.

I've had my laser almost a year and getting up to average skill level.

Great post Bill!

I've run machines for 2-3 years before realizing it had a feature or two that was really important :)

Dan Hintz
02-12-2015, 9:21 AM
I've run machines for 2-3 years before realizing it had a feature or two that was really important :)

Like the 'On' button... it works so much faster with it in the right position.

Jiten Patel
02-12-2015, 10:01 AM
What is this "on" button you speak of and what does it do? :D

Scott Shepherd
02-12-2015, 10:24 AM
What is this "on" button you speak of and what does it do? :D

It prints money :)

Jiten Patel
02-12-2015, 10:25 AM
ahahaha or so the reps say!

Dan Hintz
02-12-2015, 10:59 AM
ahahaha or so the reps say!

Why do you think all of these machines come with a print driver... !

Junior hall
02-13-2015, 10:35 AM
at one time i thought they machine was good for target practice or getting frustrations out with a hammer. Then i got a hold of tech support and they remote access and i learned some things about the machine and how to do some things but other than that i was lost Still trying to learn as reading things i do not comprehend good as watching seeing it done i leaRN better.

Thanks ALL for helping me with millions of questions as they may seem dumb stupid or competitive but i want to learn this as i think these pictures are so beautiful I hope one day i can help the next person that you all have helped me Once again thank you all

Keith Outten
02-13-2015, 1:17 PM
Bill,

Excellent work on the glass mug. I don't think I've ever seen glass work as good as yours, thanks.
.

Chris DeGerolamo
02-13-2015, 2:38 PM
Once you tweak the photo etching a good one becomes simple. This one was a cartoonized(?) Photo of a young ladies boyfriend. She wanted it on a mug. Mugs are great for photos..


I'd be interested in seeing the file you used for engraving on this mug....

Bill Cunningham
02-15-2015, 7:33 PM
The original photo was supplied by the customer. I just tweak it a bit in photo paint until I think it looks good, then run it through the generic glass setting in photograv.(which also inverts the image) I have a coating that I put on glass that allows 'good' photos virtually all the time. I suggested this process here about a year ago. If you search my posts you will find it. It accounts for about 50% and picture tweaking accounts for the other 50% There is a glass etched photo of a housefly (enlarged) along with the actual engraving file. Look it up an give it a try and see how it works for you.

Bill Cunningham
02-16-2015, 7:56 AM
Thanks Keith. Glass is my favorite medium to work with.

chuck shaw
04-24-2015, 2:25 PM
Hey Bill, I just wanted to comment on the awesome work that you post, I hope that one day I'll be that good. two thumbs up!!

Ron Gosnell
04-24-2015, 2:54 PM
Here is a post from Bill and his fly glass (hint: includes his secret coating)

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?215575-A-file-to-try-for-Glass-Etching-Engraving&p=2243029&highlight=#post2243029

Bruce Clumpner
04-27-2015, 4:28 PM
Is that mug the Libby 25oz sports mug? I'm trying to find an economical supplier for 100 of those things. Do they ship OK? Mine have to go cross-country and wondering if I can use the original carton or if I need to enhance it to survive....

Bill Cunningham
04-28-2015, 8:21 PM
Nope ordinary dish soap is not the 'secret' coating.. Keep searching ..Its worth the hunt and it 'does' work.. Hint.. It premixes with hot water...

Bill Cunningham
04-28-2015, 8:33 PM
Bruce; I find when shipping mugs, if you wrap them in some foam, like construction sill gasket before putting them back into their original segmented cartons. I then usually hot glue 1/2" Styrofoam on all sides then over wrap the carton with cardboard glued in place with the hotmelt gun.. Its a lot of work, but my customers don't have to deal with broken glass. If anything breaks, they send me a photo of the broken pieces (never happened yet) and I replace it for free. Glass mugs can be ordered from most restaurant supply houses, the ones I use are not Libby, I think they come from Arcoroc in France, I buy them from a wholesaler. I import all my other glass.

Dan Hintz
04-29-2015, 6:41 AM
Nope ordinary dish soap is not the 'secret' coating.. Keep searching ..Its worth the hunt and it 'does' work.. Hint.. It premixes with hot water...

You coat your glasses in oatmeal?! :p

Chris DeGerolamo
04-29-2015, 9:08 AM
Nope ordinary dish soap is not the 'secret' coating.. Keep searching ..Its worth the hunt and it 'does' work.. Hint.. It premixes with hot water...

Honed my Google-foo on this....



Go to the grocery store and buy some envelopes of gelatin..(not jello..ha..) Mix it with a little hot water, and make it thick(thicker the better as long as it's not lumpy). Paint this on the surface of the glass, and leave it till it drys like a soft coating (usually overnight does it). then hit it a little harder with the laser than you normally would, and use at 600 dpi (or what ever your lasers equiv. is..) Now your etching the glass through a soft coating that keeps the micro fracturing under control and etches without flaking in 99% of the cases. This coating mix also works well on artist canvas. Coating it and letting it dry, surface treats the canvas to allow a ordinary inkjet printer to print sharp photos on ordinary painting canvas.. If you inkjet print on inkjet canvas the canvas your buying (at very high prices) is treated like this..


Thanks Bill, gonna give this a try some time and post my results.

Ron Gosnell
04-29-2015, 10:27 AM
Then use the dish soap to clean it up :)

Bill Cunningham
04-29-2015, 8:41 PM
Then use the dish soap to clean it up :) Actually it will just disolve in water.. You may have to experiment with getting it thick enough. The thicker the dried coating the better, and the more control it has over fracture dot size.

Keith Winter
05-06-2015, 10:48 PM
Once you tweak the photo etching a good one becomes simple. This one was a cartoonized(?) Photo of a young ladies boyfriend. She wanted it on a mug. Mugs are great for photos..
306638

WOW BILL that is STUNNING!