Laser Engrave Cricket Ball or Baseball

[Keith Colson]

I have a Universal VLS6.60 and a rotary attachment. I need to laser engrave some cricket balls. Has anyone done this before? I need about 35 degrees of tilt too because the text is not on top.

I guess I need a way to hold the ball and a way to tilt without running out of Z height and not interfering with the gantry.

Also are these best to paint fill once you get the engraving on?

Cheers
Keith

[Gary Hair]

Cricket balls, do you have to anesthetize them? I can't imagine they'd go willingly...

[Bill Carruthers]

I have a Universal VLS6.60 and a rotary attachment. I need to laser engrave some cricket balls. Has anyone done this before? I need about 35 degrees of tilt too because the text is not on top.

I guess I need a way to hold the ball and a way to tilt without running out of Z height and not interfering with the gantry.

Also are these best to paint fill once you get the engraving on?

Cheers
Keith

No Keith you don't paint fill them - you use the Aussie technique and sandpaper them!

[Kev Williams]

I know zilch about Cricket 'the game' balls -- but I engrave Lacrosse balls for a few schools around here a few times a year- they're hard silicone and engrave okay but rough, you'd never want paint near them because you'd never get it off--

Baseballs are leather and would fun to hit with a laser beam--

okay, just googled, and 'they' say Cricket balls are cork covered with leather, 'adult size' are approx. 2.8" diameter, and mfr'd to "1st class standards"-

SO- being leather, you shouldn't paint the engraving, and with luck (always a crap shoot) the lasered color will have a good contrast to the, I'm assuming, red leather.

As to engraving around the circumference, leather is very forgiving as to focus- With a 3" lens and maybe a 2" you should be able to span at least 7/8" to as much as 1-1/4" across the X axis easily- if using a rotary your Y axis is unlimited, so any engraving that will fit within a 1" x 8" rectangle should be doable in one pass with a rotary...
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[Keith Colson]

I made a quick fixture which worked really well. Here are some photo's. I had to run the rotary tool dismantled from the body and drilled and tapped a support hole which is bound to come in handy.

Engraved leather ball

[Mike Null]

That's an impressive adaptation of your rotary device. Good thinking.

[Kev Williams]

Very nice! Love the plex fixture!

Me, I would've cut a tomato sauce can in half