Engraving on Black Marble

[Shawna Flikkema]

Hello,

I am new to lasering on marble and I am having some difficulties getting the look that I would like for photos.

Does anyone have a suggestion for getting the lasering to "pop" or be white as opposed
to the light gray that I am coming up with?

I am using a 50 watt Universal and Lasersketch's absolute black marble.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

[Larry Bratton]

Shawna
First of all, welcome to the forum. You will find lots of information and helpful people here.
I hate to break it to ya, but Lasersketch's absolute black marble ain't marble. That product is best treated as if it were granite. (If you doubt it, then do a quick test. Take some regular vinegar and put some on a place where it won't be seen. If it's marble, the vinegar will mar it). I usually run that product at about 40p/100s at 300dpi. To get it to "pop", get a tube of Winton's Artist Oil paint and rub it into the engraving when finished. Real marble won't require filling as it will laser white with the a properly prepared photo and the right settings. Marble settings are pretty much opposite of granite, high power, low speed. Do a search on here and you will find tons of info on this subject. Good luck with it and have fun!

[Ron Thompson]

Shawna,

Also Welcome to the Creek

You might want to view all the information at http://www.engrave.ca/

And watch the video's They are great.

[Tom Bull]

Ditto on the paint with granite.
There is good info here:
http://www.coreldrawpro.com/Library/CP-607.pdf
page 14, and there is a companion article in another issue on marble.

[John Frazee]

I can't remember who to give credit to but I learned from someone here to wipe the black marble with WD40 before you run it.

[Dan Hintz]

I can't remember who to give credit to but I learned from someone here to wipe the black marble with WD40 before you run it.

Are you sure you didn't mean wiping it with Armor All?

[Larry Bratton]

Hehehe...wipe on some WD40, tape er down with some duct tape and yur ready to run!
(Keith Outten is a great believer in Armor All, however, I'm not sure I could ever tell a lot of difference, other than it makes the black shiny)

[Dan Hintz]

Larry,

I've tried the Armor All on a number of substrates (granite, marble, different colors) and so far have been unable to tell the difference in a blind test.

[Joe De Medeiros]

Larry,

I've tried the Armor All on a number of substrates (granite, marble, different colors) and so far have been unable to tell the difference in a blind test.

I think it helps with clean up if you are paint filling, I personally use car wax.

[Larry Bratton]

Larry,

I've tried the Armor All on a number of substrates (granite, marble, different colors) and so far have been unable to tell the difference in a blind test.

Yes Dan, I think what happens is that the Armor All increases the contrast because it makes the black become more shiny. I personally haven't found anything other than Winton's that makes the white brighter and that of course is added color in lieu of something that supposedly enhances as engraving takes place. It would be nice if there were a product that would truly do that job.