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Thread: finishing Baltic Birch Plywood prior to engraving

  1. #16
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    thanks to all.

    I ordered the paper from Amazon.
    My plan is to pre-finish with two coats of shellac so I get sort of a natural look but a more pleasing feel.

  2. #17
    If you finish the wood before you engrave you just need to wipe the residue off with a damp cloth . I never mask finished wood waste of time and money
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  3. #18
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    I agree with Bert that there shouldn't be a need to put down the release paper if you put on a finish first. Most likely that would be a waste of your time.

    Besides less effort, I think a wood ornament with a nice subtle bit of finish will look better than raw plywood, but that is just my opinion.

    Release paper doesn't always adhere really well to plywood. Get something with a good strong tack and really roll it well to get it to adhere. Start lasering as soon as you are done applying the release paper to minimize the chance of the paper not sticking for long.
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  4. #19
    With a finish, it depends on the finish, and how you engrave it. It's not that hard to melt or burn the finish at the edges if you're going deep. My BIL lasers 20-50 cedar boxes every day, and every one gets transfer taped-- for 2 reasons- first he does a 50dpi quick low power run to 'brown' the tape to make sure scrolls & stuff are visually aligned, then he does one slow deep pass. When done he wets the paper with a damp rag, pulls off the outside piece, and uses a 'rowmark squeegee' and some compressed air to remove the small pieces, takes only seconds.

    Another neat trick for some wood items, like Xmas ornaments, fight fire with fire-- take a propane torch to it when done and add to the burn
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  5. I have used pledge for 2 years. Spray a lot on before engraving. It catched the smoke and then just wipe off.

  6. #21
    if your spraying pledge on raw wood it absorbs into the wood making it very hard to get and othe finish to adhere
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  7. #22
    I have used transfer tape, but it's not an option for engraving a big plate full of text.
    So the issue is still exist and sanding is used in most cases (

  8. #23
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    The Shellac turned out to be a very, very bad idea. The laser melted the shellac into a dark sticky mass that never really dried. I had to sand it off. The transfer tape that I ordered worked really well unless there was too much detail. I will muddle through this year. I will go ahead and order the TransferRite in advance for next year.

    I wish I could figure out a way to do the ornaments on just one side. then I could do them on clear plexiglass which would look fantastic. The material would cost a bit more but it would save me a lot in aggravation.

  9. #24
    If you're only doing a few hundred then I'd sand and use rattle can lacquer. I make lots of birch pins and ornaments, some from BB ply and some solid birch. I use a HVLP or LVLP gun and Sherwin Williams Hi-Bild Pre-cat lacquer, they call it "hand rubbed finish", thinned 5%, no sealer needed, 2 coats gives a nice finish. Use transfer tape before lasering or clean up laser resin with a damp rag.
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  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Feeley View Post
    The Shellac turned out to be a very, very bad idea. The laser melted the shellac into a dark sticky mass that never really dried. I had to sand it off. The transfer tape that I ordered worked really well unless there was too much detail. I will muddle through this year. I will go ahead and order the TransferRite in advance for next year.

    I wish I could figure out a way to do the ornaments on just one side. then I could do them on clear plexiglass which would look fantastic. The material would cost a bit more but it would save me a lot in aggravation.

    Acrylic ornaments I paint clear cast on one side the reverse engrave . Sometime I paint the engraved side a color sometimes not depends on the look your after.snowball angel 1.jpgThis is this years Ornament I make for the kids going on the snowball express. crappy picture but you get the idea. Spray paint clear cast acrylic then reverse engrave. I painted the engraved side black to help show the engraving.
    Last edited by Bert Kemp; 11-02-2019 at 1:53 AM.
    If the Help and advice you received here was of any VALUE to you PLEASE! Become a Contributor
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  11. #26
    so do them on clear plexiglas anyway- it will depend on what you're engraving, but you can split the image up and engrave half on one side, and half on the other... piece o' cake 3D effect
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


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