Deep Stone Craving

[Tim Shoemaker]

I am new to the site. Vytek has a laser engraving product called Deep Stone Carving. You put a mask on the stone, lase it, then etch the lased area with an acid, rinse off the acid and then seal the stone. Has anybody tried this process and have they had any luck with it?

Thanks,
Tim
Custom Image Laser Engraving

[Luke Phillips]

Tim - I've seen the process and the results are good - however, it's limited to a particular kind of softer marble - sold through Vytek, and to learn the process is $5k+. I do the same thing with sandcarving, get better results, can do it on most tile, and don't have to buy the "products" from one vendor - and no messing with acids.

[Robert Rosensteel]

Hey Tim if you want good engraving in stone I would go with sandblasting. I tried acid along time ago and it was to much mess and work.Inotec is on the vendor's list and sells rubber stencil that can be used on stone.(Judy)You will get some good results with a laser on darker stone and polished type stones.It takes time at slow speeds and you may have to do several passes to get it looking right. But I prefer sandblasting because you don't have to use a flat stone. I like to use river rock, and you can get good deep carving look in stone. Thanks Robert

[Steven Smith]

Robert,
What size grit do you use for your deep blasting?
thanks, Steve

[Robert Rosensteel]

Hi Steve I use 150 Grit Silicone caribide

[Tom Bull]

And if you decide to sandblast anything, but especially glass, use proper ventilation and a breathing apparatus. Glass dust can have free silica which will cause silicosis eventually. You don't want to go there.:(

[Bill Cunningham]

Well!!! There we are!!! I just bought a sandblast cabinet, and will be upgrading to a larger compressor to keep up with it, and this thread just answered my most pressing questions.. Particularly grit size.. Thanks guys...
A local supplier had these floor stand models on for $150 bucks so I figured why not..

[Joe Hubbard]

Hello all, - I've been sandcarving for some time now and have a pass through cabinet. It opens a different dimension to what you can do with the laser - the two really do compliment each other. There is a forum on yahoo groups called sandcarving that is much like this one with tons of useful info. The forum is mostly intended for those doing glass but many of the procedures apply to other substrates. Interestingly I didn't start out to make signs but have had lots of interest in making sandblasted wood signs both for indoor and outdoor use. Joe