Steve Goes Blank Shopping

[Steve Clarkson]

My laser is scheduled to arrive on Monday and so I figured that I better go get some blanks to practice on.

My first stop was at my local stone supplier to pick up a few absolute black granite tiles....their marble had huge white lines running through it, so I opted to get the marble at my local big box.....their stuff looked pretty good. I paid $10/sq ft for the granite and MAN was that stuff heavy! Anyway, it'll be until atleast Thursday until I've advanced enough to do photos on marble.

My second stop was at my local carpet store to see if I could pick up a few 1'x2' pieces......well THAT didn't work out like I had hoped! In order to make that nice lasered carpet for my mother's front door, it was going to cost me about $1600! I would have to buy two 8'x12' carpets (custom ordered if I wanted to get the colors I wanted), pay them to cut them into small squares, pay them $1.50/linear foot to bind them......and then find 99 buyers for the stuff that was left over after I made my mother's carpet! I think I'll make her the carpet NEXT Christmas.

Then I went to my local strip mall and had a LOT better luck! In two stores I spent about 5 hours and only $300 and came away with over FIFTY different things to laser engrave!

I got matboard, foam, cork, leather, canvas, pottery, felt, mirrors, canvas, denim, glass and.......and if it couldn't walk and looked like it would fit in my laser.....I BOUGHT it! I got tons of wood plaques (from the same company that sells them online for the same price) in all shapes and sizes.

By far the best bargain I think I found was a two bottle wooden wine box with 6 assessories......for $13!!!! Compared to the last online company that wanted me to buy one for $78.....this was a dream come true!!!!

One other cool thing I found, was a set of three wooden nested egg dolls.....I guess I'll have to learn how to use that rotary attachment I bought after all !!!!

I also bought some earring things (the parts that go in the ear).....but they have holes at the end of them......so tonight I'm going to unpack all my booty and try to figure out how to connect the hole on the earring thing to the hole on the earring.........

[Margaret Turco]

Hey Steve! I think you're going to be busy for a while with all that stuff! I don't know if you have such a place near you, but I have a store near here that sells their off-cuts of acrylic by the pound to practice on. They are called Plasticare. Also, many of the suppliers mentioned on this forum will send you samples if you contact them. Have fun!

[Bill Cunningham]

My laser is scheduled to arrive on Monday and so I figured that I better go get some blanks to practice on.

Yup!! I remember this phase well :D Took me about two years to 'almost' get over it.. You know your in trouble when you start looking at the cat...Here kitty kitty kitty !

[Stephen Beckham]

At first - every flat object is fair game...

Then you grow up and out of that phase by realizing - EVERY OBJECT is fair game (minding it's not PVC)...:D

[Frank Corker]

Everywhere I go and everything I look at is a potentially laserable object. It's got to the stage now that my wife won't tell me what she's bought when she has been out shopping, that includes food shopping too.

[Dave Johnson29]

It's got to the stage now that my wife won't tell me what she's bought when she has been out shopping, that includes food shopping too.


Frank, Thank you for that. I thought I may be sick but now I know it is OK to come out of the lasering-closet. :) I recently did a mushroom and some crackers. Ain't nothing safe around here.

So good to know it is not a sickness, just laser fun. :o

[Niklas Bjornestal]

So good to know it is not a sickness, just laser fun. :o
It IS a sickness and its contagious, you get it by hanging around places like sawmillcreek :p

[Cindy Rhoades]

The other day I went into the woods with my brother to help him cut trees down for firewood and ended up making him split part of the logs with me along with cutting down some smaller trees for ornaments and earrings. Niklas is right it is a sickness I have contaminated my brother and father.

[Steve Clarkson]

Is there a local LA group (Lasers Anonymous) in NY?

[Dee Gallo]

Where are you located, maybe we can start one! I'm up by the Canadian border...

Just the other day my husband was taking away a willow tree that got knocked over in the snow storm... I made him save some 3"-4" branches with rough bark around the edges to cut into coasters later, based on an idea I saw here on the Creek.

So join me up, I'm addicted too!

cheers, dee

[Angus Hines]

It's true, since I signed up a year ago I have become very ILL and not only have a bought a bot load of the small stuff. I now have a ShopBot on the way. And I'm trying to find the new toy Frank just got in the US for a reasonable price.......LOL

Don't they make a cream or something for this????


It IS a sickness and its contagious, you get it by hanging around places like sawmillcreek :p

[Jerry Hay]

I just went to a bridal show to show off some granite and gifts and things like that. I laser engraved sugar cookies to give away. They were a hit. And I still look for anything to put into the laser. I have been thinking on how I am going to do some bullets. I will have to ponder that one for a little while longer. Anyone Got any Ideas?

[Dave Johnson29]

Have I gone too far?

Doomed I say, doomed. It's a curse.

Oh it is a spare tank lid by the way. :D

[Bill Cunningham]

I just went to a bridal show to show off some granite and gifts and things like that. I laser engraved sugar cookies to give away. They were a hit. And I still look for anything to put into the laser. I have been thinking on how I am going to do some bullets. I will have to ponder that one for a little while longer. Anyone Got any Ideas? I don't know if you can raster 'bullets', but going really slow and hot, may draw carbon out of the lead and leave a black mark which can then be clear coated to make permanent.. 'THEN' load the bullet into the casing.. Or Try the same thing on the casing before seating the bullet.. DO NOT raster the primer end of completed cartridge, 'that', could ruin your whole day!!:D

[Niklas Bjornestal]

I don't know if you can raster 'bullets', but going really slow and hot, may draw carbon out of the lead and leave a black mark which can then be clear coated to make permanent..
Then you can go tell your costumers that you have bullet with their name on ;)

[Jerry Hay]

I was thinking about just on the brass. Engraving on the lead might work just fine but most of what I have are full metal jacket or hollow point. That does not leave much lead exposed at all. How well does Cermark work on brass?

[Frank Corker]

Cermark will have varying effects on brass. For some it will mark, on others it won't. I have marked solid brass but the speed needs to be slow and power high. Be prepared to try at least once to get a decent mark. When it comes out of the engraver (or in your case, shoots out the engraver, ricochets around the room, almost kills the dog and buries itself in your ass) the piece will be hot to the touch, give it a good wipe with water, often the black will just wipe straight off. So don't be disappointed.

[Lisa Walter]

I went crazy and bought all kinds of stuff. Now a lot of it sits around and doesn't get used because I have slowly found a niche of different things I like to do that are making me some money. I wish I would have saved my money and not bought everything in site that I "thought" I would be lasering and selling..... but it's good for when friends or customers ask "can you laser THIS"? and then I get it out and show them.......

Lisa

[Steve Clarkson]

I went crazy and bought all kinds of stuff. Now a lot of it sits around and doesn't get used because I have slowly found a niche of different things I like to do that are making me some money. I wish I would have saved my money and not bought everything in site that I "thought" I would be lasering and selling..... but it's good for when friends or customers ask "can you laser THIS"? and then I get it out and show them.......

Lisa

Yea, I figure alot of the stuff I bought is to practice on or will be given away as gifts. So what kind of things are you making......that are making you money! Haha!

[Lisa Walter]

Yea, I figure alot of the stuff I bought is to practice on or will be given away as gifts. So what kind of things are you making......that are making you money! Haha!


My biggest money maker right now is 12x12 granite (round or square). I thought I was charging a reasonable price and barely getting any orders. I jacked the price up (almost double in some cases for different sizes) and I have been getting about an order a day for the past two weeks (avg. that is....some people are ordering 2 and 4 granites of each photo for family members). I know this will drop right off once Christmas gets here but HEY I AM NOT COMPLAINING RIGHT NOW!! HAHA! This time last year when I bought the laser I was tearing my hair out and in tears quite often and got a lot of help from Frank Corker. He was a God send. In fact, I have gotten pretty good at it and hadn't asked for his help in so long he actually thought I was mad at him :D I DID ask for his help last week though, so I think he feels better now hee hee.

I've also been doing a lot of glass stuff. I seem to be drawn to marble/granite and glassware. I do a lot of casserole, brownie, and pie dishes. They aren't as big a money maker as granite/marble for me but they are much less time consuming and a quick buck.

Lisa

[Steve Clarkson]

Hehehe....yea, I know Frank.....I'm trying to get him to teach me fllame polishing, but he said that I would have to learn how to run first (obviously, the third step after crawling.....which is where I'm at right now!).

How long does it take for you to do a marble photo from start to finish? And how are you getting your customers for it? Are they mostly family/kid pictures or memorial type stuff (ie. dead people)? I've heard the marble photos are more of a learned art than science....true? I've been reading alot of old posts about doing the marble photos.....so I'm sure the answers to your old questions will benefit me greatly!

Is there a big demand for the cake pans? Where do you get yours from? I was looking at them in Walmart yesterday, and didn't really see anything good.

Thanks!

[Lisa Walter]

Hehehe....yea, I know Frank.....I'm trying to get him to teach me fllame polishing, but he said that I would have to learn how to run first (obviously, the third step after crawling.....which is where I'm at right now!).

How long does it take for you to do a marble photo from start to finish? And how are you getting your customers for it? Are they mostly family/kid pictures or memorial type stuff (ie. dead people)? I've heard the marble photos are more of a learned art than science....true? I've been reading alot of old posts about doing the marble photos.....so I'm sure the answers to your old questions will benefit me greatly!

Is there a big demand for the cake pans? Where do you get yours from? I was looking at them in Walmart yesterday, and didn't really see anything good.

Thanks!

It used to take me HOURS to do a piece of marble or granite. Most of that was because I was unsure of how to make it look nicer and I did a lot of tweaking and stuff that I think I really didn't need to do and of course a lot of tears and pulling out my hair. If you can afford to get the Photograv software, get it. It really does help. I have seen some people's work on here who don't use it and it their stuff looks great too, but I think it saves a lot of headaches if you get it. Now I can scan in the photo, crop it down to where I want it (if it needs it) cut out the background if I need to, run it through photograv and send it to the laser and I'd say an avg. to to have the piece done is less than an hour. That's not including rubbing it in with the white paint if I burned it onto granite....that takes a few minutes and I usually make the hubby do that. He likes feeling like he's part of the process but does not want any part of messing with the computer so he does the measuring some times, the paint rubbing, then sometimes I get a cup of hot tea and shoulder rub (hee hee) when he's just standing around trying to give me orders!! The white paint really makes a difference in your piece let me tell you! You don't need much. A pea size amount goes far. When you are ready to burn granite or marble do a search on this site and really read up on it. Lots of great ideas including using Armor All on the granite before lasering.

The cake pan demand goes in spells. Usually Christmas time is when they like them and Mother's Day. It's a big hit with the ladies for their mothers or vise versa. They like the idea of taking something to a church function or picnic and having their name on it so it comes home. I REALLY want to do the aluminum cake pan toppers. They are colored and when you laser through them the silver comes through. I contacted a company that makes nice ones (that are well known) called NordicWare. They will sell to me, but I had to have a minimum order of like $400 or $500 (this was last year so I am going from memory here which may be a little off haha!). If you bought at least $1000 worth of stuff, you got free shipping. You could choose between certain colors and sizes (brownie pan size and casserole size at the time) but no mixed cases (colors or sizes). I posted a message on here hoping to get like two others to go in on an order with me but got no takers. I'm not even sure how we'd split it when it comes to shipping....but I threw it out there to see who would be interested. Now I believe you can buy the cake pan lid and the cake pan together from them! So you could laser the person's name on the side of the cake pan and then on the lid so they wouldn't ever lose their pans when going to a picnic.

I was getting the glass cake pans at Walmart or Super Walmart. Just recently some of the Walmarts have changed over to Anchor Hocking and have big writing on the bottom :( I did a few of those yesterday and you actually didn't notice the Anchor writing and anchor after lasering it......I mean it's there definately, but not as noticable as I was worried it would be. I buy the set of casserole dish and brownie pan as a set (they have red lids) because it's cheaper. I also found some Pyrex (that is what I WAS getting) and bought what they had and when I opened it yesterday, Pyrex has now made their name much bigger on the bottom like Anchor! Must be they have to keep up with what each other is doing :( So I lasered that and it came out like the Anchor one. I have been searching the net for dishes without a label or with a smaller label and they are out there, BUT by the time they tack on shipping, It's rediculous. To give an example of shipping on glass, two weeks ago I found some glass ashtrays that were great for lasering. I had to buy a case which was 24 of them I believe. They averaged about $2.25 a piece which is more than I wanted to pay, but I figured what the heck since I can't find what I want anywhere! I added them to the cart. It was about $54. Then I went to check out, and the shipping was about $96. Nope I'm not kidding. I guess they were some heavy ashtrays??? I said the heck with that! I just happened to go into a dollar store later in the week that NEVER has ashtrays and guess what? They had a whole shelf of them for $1 a piece (they were NICE clear bottoms too and were 4 inch ones) so I bought the whole shelf! I was getting looks like what the heck?? from the sales girl :) I don't even smoke hahaha! She gave me a magazine that their dollar store puts out (the dollar store is called Dollar Tree and they are on the net). She said if I can find the ashtrays in the magazine, they ship to their store for FREE. The ashtrays aren't in the magazine but she said to call the main number on the magazine and see what they have. Some times things are seasonal. I was just glad to save a lot of money! So there is another place to check out for items. A place to get some nice glass and wood frames for a High School Band that bought awards was Christmas Tree Shops (the girl in charge of the band brought them in). I had never gone in there because I thought it was all Christmas stuff and it's not!! It's a store that has all kinds of neat stuff. A whole section of glassware. She got these wooden type stands that held TWO thick 8x10 (maybe larger) pieces of glass. The glass was easily removable and laserable (lasered very nice!!) and the photo slips in between the two pieces of glass. They were $4 a piece! Very heavy and nicely made. I want to get some more because I think if I play with the two pieces of glass I might be able to get a three dimensional type look out of it by lasering a piece on way on the inside and then the other piece on the outside....not quite sure how to do it but for $4 I can afford to play with one.

One thing I want to get in to and I don't see much about on this site, is lasering on thin pieces of brass. I am a genealogy buff with lots of genealogy friends and contacts, and I want to start putting OLD photos onto pieces of brass. I have seen other people do it and it looks so antique without being antique and I think they'd go over well. So if anyone has any input on that I'd love to hear it.

Thanks!!

Lisa :)

[Steve Clarkson]

Wow Lisa! Thanks for such a detailed response.

Yes, I did by PhotoGrav.....atleast at LOOKS easy to use! When you colorfill the marble/granite.....do you use an oil-based paint or acrylic? I bought both. Not sure if one worked better if the granite was going to outside in the elements.

You're lucky to have such a great husband......I wish I had someone to rub MY shoulders!

I LOVE CTS!!! That's where I went to get those wineboxes....it's almost as good as Michaels! BTW.....I was in Michaels today and the lady told me that they take coupons from their competitors.....and if you have coupons with different percentages off, yyou can use them both (ie. you can use a 50% off and a 40% off, but not two 40% offs). And they have them online too! That little tip saved me about $10 today!

Hey! I'm really into genealogy too! If you come up with something nice or a good market for the brass pics, please share and let me know.

[Lisa Walter]

You have to use an oil based paint. I tried a water based paint last week for the first time on something I knew would stay inside and out of the weather and although it went on.....it started drying right away and kind of clumping up and did not lay in the grooves nicely. People I showed it to couldn't tell, but I could tell! I washed it out with plain water and let it dry and then used the oil based a few days later when I had time to do it.

Michael's just started giving coupons. They did it once in awhile as an experiment, but now if you are signed up through their web site they have been sending them by email weekly. I was taking in competitor coupons which they use (as you mentioned). I did NOT know they will take a 50% off and then a 40% off on another product! Good info to know, thanks!

Photograv can be a little tricky at first to use if you ask me. the old Photograv (when I got it) I spent a lot of time tweaking and stuff, because it lets you :) So I thought I HAD to. Now with the new photograv I just upload the photo and let it do it's magic. I don't mess with the settings at all. The new photograv even allows you to resize a photo which came in handy a few times. If you ever need help when you are ready to use it, feel free to ask me and the many helpful people here. I just love coming here!!




Wow Lisa! Thanks for such a detailed response.

Yes, I did by PhotoGrav.....atleast at LOOKS easy to use! When you colorfill the marble/granite.....do you use an oil-based paint or acrylic? I bought both. Not sure if one worked better if the granite was going to outside in the elements.

You're lucky to have such a great husband......I wish I had someone to rub MY shoulders!

I LOVE CTS!!! That's where I went to get those wineboxes....it's almost as good as Michaels! BTW.....I was in Michaels today and the lady told me that they take coupons from their competitors.....and if you have coupons with different percentages off, yyou can use them both (ie. you can use a 50% off and a 40% off, but not two 40% offs). And they have them online too! That little tip saved me about $10 today!

Hey! I'm really into genealogy too! If you come up with something nice or a good market for the brass pics, please share and let me know.

[Tom Delaney]

I am dangerous in Home Depot. Last night I was wandering around their tile aisle and picked up some frosted glass with white spackeled backs. Reverse engraving shows a clear engraving from the back (I did a christmas tree in the woods) and from the front the same picture with a snowy / frosted appearance. $3.49 a tile.

Then as I was leaving, I noticed a display for cork flooring - and they had 3 x 3.75" samples for a buck. Picked up a few to try - never having done cork before! Put a fire truck on one - took a double wack to get thru the coating they had on the cork but I got myself a nice coaster. Plus the back is cork too... a double for a buck - beat that McDonalds!

[Lisa Walter]

If you are looking for cork (thin like coaster size for a glass of ice tea) check out AC Moore. You can get a roll of cork (not sure of size since it's out in the shop) for $3 something.




I am dangerous in Home Depot. Last night I was wandering around their tile aisle and picked up some frosted glass with white spackeled backs. Reverse engraving shows a clear engraving from the back (I did a christmas tree in the woods) and from the front the same picture with a snowy / frosted appearance. $3.49 a tile.

Then as I was leaving, I noticed a display for cork flooring - and they had 3 x 3.75" samples for a buck. Picked up a few to try - never having done cork before! Put a fire truck on one - took a double wack to get thru the coating they had on the cork but I got myself a nice coaster. Plus the back is cork too... a double for a buck - beat that McDonalds!

[Jack Harper]

Wow Lisa! Thanks for such a detailed response.

Yes, I did by PhotoGrav.....atleast at LOOKS easy to use! When you colorfill the marble/granite.....do you use an oil-based paint or acrylic? I bought both. Not sure if one worked better if the granite was going to outside in the elements.

You're lucky to have such a great husband......I wish I had someone to rub MY shoulders!

I LOVE CTS!!! That's where I went to get those wineboxes....it's almost as good as Michaels! BTW.....I was in Michaels today and the lady told me that they take coupons from their competitors.....and if you have coupons with different percentages off, yyou can use them both (ie. you can use a 50% off and a 40% off, but not two 40% offs). And they have them online too! That little tip saved me about $10 today!

Hey! I'm really into genealogy too! If you come up with something nice or a good market for the brass pics, please share and let me know.

Steve, If you take your oil based paint and thin it about 50/50 with paint thinner, you will get a thin easy to apply paint solution. Put this solution in a flip top bottle and it will be ready at a moments notice. The thinner paint will also allow better control of brightens as you will be able to remove more if needed or just add additional coats. This will take the elbow work out of the process.

[Frank Corker]

You're lucky to have such a great husband......I wish I had someone to rub MY shoulders!


Give Lisa $50 and she might loan him out to you.

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks for the tip Jack.....according to Frank, you just saved me 50 bucks!

[Bill Cunningham]

Then as I was leaving, I noticed a display for cork flooring - and they had 3 x 3.75" samples for a buck. Picked up a few to try - never having done cork before! Put a fire truck on one - took a double wack to get thru the coating they had on the cork but I got myself a nice coaster. Plus the back is cork too... a double for a buck - beat that McDonalds!

I like working with cork.. This is a 12 x 12 " cork tile.. I usually spray a coat of lacquer over it when done, so you don't get dirty fingers..

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=85125&d=1206669848

[Lisa Walter]

I like working with cork.. This is a 12 x 12 " cork tile.. I usually spray a coat of lacquer over it when done, so you don't get dirty fingers..

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=85125&d=1206669848

That looks pretty nice. If you spray laquer over it though, how will the cork be able to soak up the drips of condensation from a glass of ice tea?

I did some cork coasters for a craft show a few weeks ago and put some wild animals on them. I did it to show and not actually sell. A lady came up and asked me what I wanted for them. They were actually a set I bought (part wood and cork) and thought I had paid about $8 for them, so I told her $14 thinking she'd never go for it. She snatched them right up. When I got home I looked at the receipt and saw I paid about $4.99 for them :) I thought that was a pretty good deal since I only lasered them to show and not actually sell :)

Lisa

[Frank Corker]

Great job Bill! Really getting the hang of those graphics now aren't you!

[Lisa Walter]

Give Lisa $50 and she might loan him out to you.

In the mood I am in today, you can come and get him for FREE if you promise not to bring him back too soon. GGRR!! ;)

[Bill Cunningham]

That looks pretty nice. If you spray laquer over it though, how will the cork be able to soak up the drips of condensation from a glass of ice tea?
Lisa

I rarely (read almost never) engrave coasters.. I usually stick to decorative wall stuff..


Great job Bill! Really getting the hang of those graphics now aren't you! Frank

Yup.. After having this thing for 6 years now, it kinda rubs off on me..ha.. (thats why I coat it with lacquer..Maybe I should try Liquor?:rolleyes:)

[John W. Love]

(thats why I coat it with lacquer..Maybe I should try Liquor?:rolleyes:)


It's been my experience that Liquor seems to make things look much better untill the next morning. ;) A lot of hard lessons before I actually figured that out during my dating years!

[stephanie janssen]

what do you do with sugar cookies exactly?????????
We are in the newbie phase and playing with stuff as well........ this would be a cheap way to give something away at the shows we decide to set up a booth at.
Thanks!!
PS... I can't even really navigate this site yet, so I have a lot of work ahead of me!!

[David Darnell]

Everywhere I go and everything I look at is a potentially laserable object. It's got to the stage now that my wife won't tell me what she's bought when she has been out shopping, that includes food shopping too.



Hmmmmm, lasered ribeye.................................... the mind boggles at the thought

[Angus Hines]

It's been my experience that Liquor seems to make things look much better untill the next morning. ;) A lot of hard lessons before I actually figured that out during my dating years!

So then your the man with NO arms ? :eek:

[Jerry Hay]

I put my business name address and phone number on them for a show I went to. They were a hit as a give away, but I have never gotten an order for them yet. I did sugar cookies I made (I used to own a bakery) I just didn't sprinkle them with sanding sugar. I think those ones that you get in a tube store bought may be better and more even on the surface. I played with the settings a bit and I think I went with 100% power and 30 % speed I need my notes to tell for sure. They were great for a business card. You can do the back of a pop tart too. I put some clip art pictures on those. The best thing to do is experiment and see what you can do.

[Randy Walker]

Gives a whole new meaning to target market.

[Wolf Nitsch]

Whew I now feel relief. Thanks all.

[Phil Garcia]

Yeah, the oranges I did the other day were a real hit at my sister's New Year's Party.:D

[Phil Garcia]

Frank, what happen...did you and Dave J. switch your forum's member picture. I was use to seeing those eyes on your post and now....well...:D:D

[Steve Clarkson]

Nate, can't you just tell everyone? We'd love to see a picture too if you have one.

[tom casey]

Then you can go tell your costumers that you have bullet with their name on ;)

that is funny. I think ytou might lose customers saying things like that :)