Bill Stearns
06-17-2017, 10:42 AM
Hey all:
I am, mostly, writing to give you a heads-up on a product called LAMA2-silver.
Engraving photographs is one of my specialties: mostly on wood, or AlumiMark. A walk-in customer spotted a photo I had engraved, some time ago, on a product called LAMA1-gold. (Purchasable thru Johnson Plastics: a laser engravable anodized mirrored aluminum material.) As their catalog states: “... results produce a frosty white text/image ...” What I’ve come to call a “ghostly mirrored” image; kinda neat, kinda different.
My customer wanted her photo engraved on their LAMA2-silver, which I had never used. So, I ordered three sheets.Try as I did, using umpteen different speed/power settings, 600 dpi, even repeated runs, I couldn’t even get a mark on the silver! - nothing showed! - zip! I even took the material to a local shop that uses an Epilogo “fiber” laser; they couldn’t engrave on it either. (If you’ve had success with this product, please let me know how?)
A very helpful rep from Johnson later admitted they, apparently, had experienced issues with the LAMA2-silver. I took this to mean: it being unengravable. (He okayed my returning two of the three sheets.) Got my customer to OK my using LAMA-gold ‘stead: turned out “ghostly faint” as I figured it would; similar to the sample she had seen. After all my time ‘n efforts, she didn’t care for the “look”!
So, at this point, I’ve got my Photoshop time, material & shipping costs, test engraving time, plus time running round town, and NO SALE to show for it! Ever take on a project you wish you hadn’t? (Still, I’m not all that upset with myself ‘cause the photo was of the lady’s young son who had recently died in an accident; hence my efforts! - I’m thinkin’ some issues, in life, are simply greater than others, uh?) - Bill
I am, mostly, writing to give you a heads-up on a product called LAMA2-silver.
Engraving photographs is one of my specialties: mostly on wood, or AlumiMark. A walk-in customer spotted a photo I had engraved, some time ago, on a product called LAMA1-gold. (Purchasable thru Johnson Plastics: a laser engravable anodized mirrored aluminum material.) As their catalog states: “... results produce a frosty white text/image ...” What I’ve come to call a “ghostly mirrored” image; kinda neat, kinda different.
My customer wanted her photo engraved on their LAMA2-silver, which I had never used. So, I ordered three sheets.Try as I did, using umpteen different speed/power settings, 600 dpi, even repeated runs, I couldn’t even get a mark on the silver! - nothing showed! - zip! I even took the material to a local shop that uses an Epilogo “fiber” laser; they couldn’t engrave on it either. (If you’ve had success with this product, please let me know how?)
A very helpful rep from Johnson later admitted they, apparently, had experienced issues with the LAMA2-silver. I took this to mean: it being unengravable. (He okayed my returning two of the three sheets.) Got my customer to OK my using LAMA-gold ‘stead: turned out “ghostly faint” as I figured it would; similar to the sample she had seen. After all my time ‘n efforts, she didn’t care for the “look”!
So, at this point, I’ve got my Photoshop time, material & shipping costs, test engraving time, plus time running round town, and NO SALE to show for it! Ever take on a project you wish you hadn’t? (Still, I’m not all that upset with myself ‘cause the photo was of the lady’s young son who had recently died in an accident; hence my efforts! - I’m thinkin’ some issues, in life, are simply greater than others, uh?) - Bill