Cleaning Your Vector Table

[Ed Lang]

Since 99% of my laser use is cutting 1/8" wood I use the vector table from Universal Lasers all the time. After several days of cutting 10 to 12 house each day the grid is quite sticky and black. this goo will transfer to the back of the fresh wood and you will get the honey comb pattern on the new item even before you start to cut.

Now with all that said, here is how I have fixed the problem for good!

I built a box our of wood and used Tightbond III glue. Varnish the inside several times and use Krud Kutter to soak the box.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Ed,

Keep in mind that you can flip the honeycomb over and use the back side (flip horizontally) then you can flip vertically then rotate and repeat. Use every square inch of the honeycomb before you take the step to replace it.

The cleaning process is good but eventually you will need to use a different area of the honeycomb.

[Orval Schroeder]

First time posting// Ed your idea on cleaning your vector grid sounds great. The way I clean mine is by using spray on oven cleaner and rinse, all the deposites come right off. I cut wood, acrylic and what ever else comes my way and engrave marble, granite, solid surface mat. and wood.

[Ed Lang]

Orval, Welcome to SMC! Thanks for the oven cleaner tip.

Mike, I cut 12x24" sheets all day long so I have the entire table black with goo. I will have to take the table apart to get the honey comb out but that is a great idea to turn it over and use that side before buying another one. I expect I will find a source for the honey comb before I need to buy another one from Universal.

There is a member here that makes a vector table so I will look into that as well.

Better go get my vector table out of its bath now so I can get back to work.

Take care,

[Barbara Sample]

Hello Everyone,
I used a power washer to clean it, and bent a lot of the honeycomb. Don't use a power washer.
I like the oven cleaner idea.
Thanks
Barb

[Lee DeRaud]

Keep in mind that you can flip the honeycomb over and use the back side (flip horizontally) then you can flip vertically then rotate and repeat. Use every square inch of the honeycomb before you take the step to replace it.Ok, I'll bite: how do you get the frame apart to free up the honeycomb? Mine appears to be held together with four pop-rivets: I could drill them out, but I'm a bit uncertain how (or whether) I'd be able to reassemble it.

[Lee DeRaud]

Don't some types of oven cleaner chew up aluminum?

[Jerry Allen]

Don't some types of oven cleaner chew up aluminum?

Yep! I wouldn't use it. Bug and tar remover or Krud Kutter is better.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Lee,

Yours comes apart from the bottom, I think 4 screws, the tables that ed has you just have to remove the right side bar and the bottom bar and the honeycomb will come out.

And I will second or third about the use of oven cleaner it will eat away at the aluminum honeycomb.

Also Ed there is a company in Texas that sells the honeycomb material I don't have there name and number right here in front of me but I will try to find it and post it for everyone.

[Joe Pelonio]

I've never tried to clean my vector grid. Lee, on the Epilog there are screws and it comes apart easily. Most of my work is 12x24 1/4" acrylic
engraved and cut. I have no problems with discoloring because I always leave the bottom layer of protective paper on the acrylic. If there's something that will discolor I'll put transfer tape on it.

I did turn mine over after it was getting worn and then after about two years replaced it, was surprised it was only $30 from Epilog.

[Mike McDaniels]

I know of someone who uses the light grids from fluorescent commercial lights. They can be found at a home improvement store for about 6 bucks. They are plastic so they won't last as long as aluminum but for the price it makes you think.

[Lee DeRaud]

Yours comes apart from the bottom, I think 4 screws...Just took another look at it: yup, what look like pop-rivets are actually allen-head screws...with the smallest socket I've ever seen, much less tried to find a wrench for. Oy.

[Dennis Perry]

I use a commercial cleaner (Jolt) on my USL works great the vector table looks new after each cleanning. Of course the rulers are an other story. I think I'll just call them stops the coating that was engraved is gone, put they are clean :eek:

Dennis

[Joe Pelonio]

On the rulers I have had good luck using a product called "Rapid Remover" which I get from my sign supply. It's $30/gallon or $12/quart though, but I always have it here because I use it to remove adhesive left when peeling off vinyl lettering, especially from vehicles. It's citrus based and makes the rulers look like new. Also works great to remove the stickiness from the edges of Rowmark laminates.

[Mike Null]

Joe
Have you tried naptha for that? Seems like it should work. It's very good for removing adhesives.

[Orval Schroeder]

hello all.. Thanks for the response to using oven cleaner on the vector grid. I have used it one time and I never thought about it attacking the aluminum, I guess that is why I have always come here for information on lasering and wood working. This is a great place and I have spent many hours over the past year reading and absorbing knowledge. I know from now on I will ask here for feed back before trying something. Thanks again..

[Tom Majewski]

I must have a different type of table than most. All steel, 20-some pounds with 1/8" pins every inch. Like a flat porcupine. Oven cleaner, scrub brush, or power wash no problem. The only thing I wish was for a denser pin spacing. Sometimes small parts will fall through before the second pass is done.

Tom

[Jerry Allen]

Tom,
I think that table is still aluminum. But it's thick and anodized and so is not affected by oven cleaner like honeycomb is. I have the same one. Still I'd use bug and tar remover for cars over oven cleaner.

I understand the problem with that spacing. It's really intended for larger stuff. I have a 12x12 piece of MDF with holes drilled for small nails on .4 centers that I use for small stuff. I can use neodymium magnets for thin and warped stuff on this. I left the points on the nails but should probably make one with the tips ground flat because on some materials it can leave marks.

[Gary Hair]

I know of someone who uses the light grids from fluorescent commercial lights. They can be found at a home improvement store for about 6 bucks. They are plastic so they won't last as long as aluminum but for the price it makes you think.

I use them and they work pretty well. Out of a 24x48 piece I cut one 20x35 to fit my table and then use the scraps to use for smaller projects

[Rob Bosworth]

OK, I'll bite. I've been reading about people using light diffusers as a vector support grid for years. I have tried maybe a dozen different plastic light diffusers over the years. Here's my question, don't they burn awfully black? The ones I have used put off a nasty black soot that gets all over everything. Then, when they catch on fire, it just soots everything up.

[John Esberg]

Hey guys,

I'm curious, has anyone tried Goo Gone? I know model railroaders swear by it all the time.

DAK

[Lee DeRaud]

I'm curious, has anyone tried Goo Gone? I know model railroaders swear by it all the time.I haven't tried it (for that), but it's ridiculously expensive compared to something like Krud Kutter.

[Leigh Costello]

I use scrubbing bubles, it clings and cleans up well in the shower and doesn't seem to harm the aluminum. Of course the downside is you have to clean the shower when you are finished.;)

[Ed Lang]

I have found that Greased Lightning in the 5 gallon pail at Lowes is great for cleaning up my table. I made a wooden box to put my Universal Laser vector table in upside down. This way I pour about a half gallon of the cleaner in and then about 3 gallons of hot water. I let it soak for half an hour or till I get back to it. Hose off and let dry. It looks like new now and my projects are much cleaner on the backside.

[Brent Vander Weil]

Ahhhhhh nothing like a nice relaxing shower after a hard day of lasering... just me.. and my vector grid... :-D

I have been using Simple Green... seems to work pretty good... may have to spray twice if the wood tar is too think...