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Junior hall
04-05-2015, 12:05 PM
I am wanting to laser engrave some license plates and then paint where i engrave at a different color White license plate paint black where i engrave at. What does one use to protect the other area not to paint other than airbrush I am wanting to spray paint the area i engrave What does one use to protect the other areas not to be spray painted thanks

John Noell
04-05-2015, 1:50 PM
I typically use perspex/plexiglass and engrave those from the back. First, paint the back completely white. (I use a thick house paint so it is completely opaque.) Then engrave your letters/numbers/design, and end by spray painting the back with black. From the front, the only place you see the black is where you engraved away the white. To get nicer looking engraved parts, do two passes, the 2nd one slightly out of focus.

Gary Hair
04-05-2015, 3:05 PM
It might be easier to just use black/white rowmark.

Junior hall
04-05-2015, 3:19 PM
John Noell (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?33038-John-Noell)

this is for blank license plates

Thanks Gary ill look rowmark to see what it is and how to use it

Junior hall
04-05-2015, 3:50 PM
Ok i looked up romark very interesting They got a supplier here in North Carolina called JDS Industries. Pardon my ignorance as i am still learning laser engraving. My question is this on this page link with the lady and the baby on the beach see link http://www.drjds.com/flipbooks/COLOR2N/ Is that romark lazered onto some thing If so can i do this personally or do i have to let them do this Just wanting to make sure i can do this if so holly cow unlimited things If so i just thought i could laser engrave wood metal dog tags license plates glass mugs but if i can do this also holly cow omg Thanks Please let me know if this is possible

Scott Shepherd
04-05-2015, 4:44 PM
Ok i looked up romark very interesting They got a supplier here in North Carolina called JDS Industries. Pardon my ignorance as i am still learning laser engraving. My question is this on this page link with the lady and the baby on the beach see link http://www.drjds.com/flipbooks/COLOR2N/ Is that romark lazered onto some thing If so can i do this personally or do i have to let them do this Just wanting to make sure i can do this if so holly cow unlimited things If so i just thought i could laser engrave wood metal dog tags license plates glass mugs but if i can do this also holly cow omg Thanks Please let me know if this is possible

That's a sublimation catalog, you can't do a single thing in there on your laser. Completely different thing than lasering.

Gary Hair
04-05-2015, 5:17 PM
Ok i looked up romark very interesting They got a supplier here in North Carolina called JDS Industries. Pardon my ignorance as i am still learning laser engraving. My question is this on this page link with the lady and the baby on the beach see link http://www.drjds.com/flipbooks/COLOR2N/ Is that romark lazered onto some thing If so can i do this personally or do i have to let them do this Just wanting to make sure i can do this if so holly cow unlimited things If so i just thought i could laser engrave wood metal dog tags license plates glass mugs but if i can do this also holly cow omg Thanks Please let me know if this is possible

Try here instead:
http://www.rowmark.com/MARK/laser_guide/pages/Gallery.asp

Junior hall
04-05-2015, 6:44 PM
Thanks Gary Hair So am i understanding this correctly. I can use my laser engraver to laser engrave there i guess want to call it vinyl on to items that you chose.

Also i can laser engrave there product onto coffee mugs, mouse pads, plastic drinking straw bottles. Is this what i am understanding. Please bare with me on this as not quit sure if i am understanding this correctly still learning this engraver laser.

I just thought the laser engraver engraves leather metal wood glass plexiglass didnt know other things a laser engraver can do

Scott Shepherd
04-05-2015, 7:38 PM
Stop by JDS since they are so close to you and pickup a catalog. Tell them you are laser engraving and they'll give you the right catalog. In their catalog, it shows a little laser symbol next to the material if it's laserable. Get that catalog and you'll have a ton of new ideas.

Bill George
04-05-2015, 8:01 PM
Thanks Gary Hair So am i understanding this correctly. I can use my laser engraver to laser engrave there i guess want to call it vinyl on to items that you chose.

Also i can laser engrave there product onto coffee mugs, mouse pads, plastic drinking straw bottles. Is this what i am understanding. Please bare with me on this as not quit sure if i am understanding this correctly still learning this engraver laser.

I just thought the laser engraver engraves leather metal wood glass plexiglass didnt know other things a laser engraver can do
Junior the Search function is a wonderful tool on here. Also take Scotts advice and do some research on the Rowmark product line.

Gary Hair
04-05-2015, 9:04 PM
Thanks Gary Hair So am i understanding this correctly. I can use my laser engraver to laser engrave there i guess want to call it vinyl on to items that you chose.

Also i can laser engrave there product onto coffee mugs, mouse pads, plastic drinking straw bottles. Is this what i am understanding. Please bare with me on this as not quit sure if i am understanding this correctly still learning this engraver laser.

I just thought the laser engraver engraves leather metal wood glass plexiglass didnt know other things a laser engraver can do

Rowmark is an acrylic based product that has various colored cap and back layers. You laser through the cap to reveal the back. If wanted black text on a white background then you'd buy the appropriate color combination - white cap on a black background, for example. It's mainly used for signs, plaques, plates and name badges, it's not really meant to wrap around something like a mug or a glass, although you could heat form it I suppose - not something I'd recommend though. Do like Steve/Scott said and go visit JDS, they are great people and will be very helpful! Their catalogs will give you lots of ideas. Also search here for rowmark and you'll probably find answers to questions you didn't even know you had!

Bert Kemp
04-06-2015, 11:14 AM
Junior Hall "I just thought the laser engraver engraves leather metal wood glass plexiglass didnt know other things a laser engraver can do"

Junior the co2 does not engrave metal it will mark metal with cermark but it does not leave etch into the metal at least not the low power lasers like we have.
Also I think its been mentioned before that your over whelming yourself with what the laser can do, your trying to do it all in one step and that's not going to happen. Baby Steps Junior learn one or 2 things really well then move on to something else.You keep saying I'm trying to learn ,the only way to do it is one thing at a time.
Whats your goal with the laser? Is it just to make a bunch of cool stuff to have laying around the house, and give away to friends, or is your intention to make money with it?

Guy Hilliard
04-06-2015, 1:27 PM
If you want to paint them a contrasting colour you do not need to engrave them.

Step 1, cover the license blank with masking tape (transfer tape)

Step 2, vector cut the graphics in the tape with the laser

Step 3, weed the masking - remove tape from where you want the paint to stay.

Step 4, paint

Step 5, remove masking

Bob's yer uncle. The paint gets in the right place, no overspray, and it's faster than engraving (which is sort of pointless as you are going to paint it anyways).

Junior hall
04-06-2015, 1:31 PM
Bert Kemp i seen some thing on a web site not sure which web site AND thought wow they can do that wounder if my laser engraver can do that just was curious. I am only doing things on wood mirror drinking glass and thats it Like said i seen some thing and thought wonder if my engraver can do that.

I am only going to play with it to make cool things and to give away as presents and things not good enough like you all to make money with it so i am just practicing giving away things

THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR HELP Just interesting that laser engravers can do way out of my thought process

Rich Harman
04-06-2015, 4:32 PM
Junior the co2 does not engrave metal it will mark metal with cermark but it does not leave etch into the metal at least not the low power lasers like we have.

CO2 lasers do mark some metals. Anodized aluminum marks very well as do some steels - no Cermark required.

Junior hall
04-06-2015, 7:27 PM
Thanks Guy Hillard that is what i seen some one doing on YouTube and this was why i was asking because it didnt show every thing

Mike Null
04-07-2015, 7:36 AM
Junior

There are a number of metals that you can engrave (mark) with your laser. Get a copy of the JDS catalog and study it. You can do a lot of things with various metals and JDS has most of them on hand.

Junior hall
04-07-2015, 9:37 AM
thanks Mike Null I am waiting on the catalog right now

Thanks to every one for your help I hope some day i can contribute to others like you all have done in the past for others

Bert Kemp
04-07-2015, 12:39 PM
Rich you seem to single me out as being wrong, if you read my post you will see it clearly it says MARK and not engrave or etch.


CO2 lasers do mark some metals. Anodized aluminum marks very well as do some steels - no Cermark required.

Rich Harman
04-07-2015, 3:59 PM
Rich you seem to single me out as being wrong, if you read my post you will see it clearly it says MARK and not engrave or etch.

You said "the co2 does not engrave metal it will mark metal with cermark...". I interpreted that as you saying that Cermark was required in order to mark metals. So I said that a CO2 will mark some metals without needing Cermark. I made no argument regarding engraving or etching.