I use Borax because the crystaline structure that forms on the surface of the wood gives me a more consistent and better overall burn when I am doing images, When I am doing lettering for things like cutting boards, then I tend to avoid it and rely on the settings of the laser. I usually finish the project with compressed air, then, a brush, then air again, followed by wiping it off with a microfiber cloth that has denatured alcohol on it. Seems to work great for me.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

I will have to give this a try!

I don't laser engrave cutting boards, but I do a lot of personalized military and law enforcement plaques. I builds the plaque, stain it and let dry for a day or so. Then i put a table spoon of borax in a cup of warm water and sponge brush it on with 50% over lap. I let it dry over night and then laser engrave it. It comes our beautifully; crisp and dark. I put several coats of poly on it then do a final sand and recoat. Perfect every time. I have a low wattage laser (2.8w) so it speeds things up and gives me a good image without a deep engrave. Thanks for the video!

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@mrbulp

2 жыл бұрын

any chances you share you brand laser 2.8W ?

Thank you for this video. I am new to my engraving and I was having this same issue and I wasn't sure what to do. I would love to see how others do this without the smearing it. I'm not sure for me it is worth it for a cutting board but maybe for something like Christmas ornaments that won't have food on it. I love these machine but it is a lot of trail and error but still worth it! I hope you do more like this. thanks

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for leaving a comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I don't have any laser videos planned at the moment so if there is any topics you'd like to see let me know!

Stellar video! Thank you, very much.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great Video, Borax can be a life saver on Bamboo. As you get a far more consitent black tone across the board. or should I say black "Toner".

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Try the method in this video on Bamboo and let me know if it works! kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html

In an early wood engraving of a photo that I did (10 W diode), I forgot to turn on the air assist at the beginning. It ran about 20 mm before I turned it on. The bottom of the foreground is noticeably lighter than the rest of the foreground. This is because the beam was losing some power in the smoke rising from the wood. This tells me that air assist does make a difference for engraving. You might not see the difference between two separate pieces, but it showed up within the same project. BTW, I gave up on borax when I first learned about the soot.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! Since this video I have started using air assist on all my laser projects because I started to notice it did make a difference. Basically the same way you did, I started a project and forgot to turn on the air assist. Then after turning it on I could see a difference between the two once it finished. I've found a better method than borax for getting darker engravings and haven't messed with Borax since this video. Here's the video I made about darker engravings without Borax if you haven't seen it yet: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html

I have used a paint brush to brush the soot away before i wipe or seal hope this helps.

I'm about to test this myself in the coming weeks, but I just heard tonight that if you sand and clearcoat the wood before burning then the soot can be more easily removed if it smears.

To remove masking, I prefer Gorilla Tape- much stickier than regular duct tape

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip!

Regarding sealing for wooden food surfaces from "Soot" smear. Prep laser area with original lemon "Mr Sheen" furniture polish. Rub in & wipe off with dry cloth. Now apply Borax/water 1:10 ratio. Allow to dry completely. Engrave using Speed @ 100% Power @ 10-20% depending on. The Watts laser can output. Now the magic sause. Clean the whole surface with White Vinigar gently dabing. Until you stop getting any soot. Finally seal with Food Grade Coconut Oil. Rubbing it in until it maintains slightly wet look. Coconut oil will better handle the hot temperature of dish washers. Although, I would surgest only on the shortest cycle available. I prefer to hand wash any wood.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip! I've stopped using Borax though as I've found an easier way to get darker engravings. kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html

e\Excellent research!

@LetsMakeAThing

10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

So for my cutting boards (bamboo, oak, cherry, maple, black walnut) I lower the CO2 laser bed and take it out of focus roughly 2mm. Turns out much better than the laser at it's proper focus. (my 80watt cuts at 8mm and engraves at 9 to 10MM)

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! I discovered the defocus method a while after I made this and did a video about it.

Hi, what do you call the clear coat used in the video? I'm not from the US and when I search "clear coat", there are many options, top cat, lacquer clear coat, clear coat paint. If you can specify the brand please, it would be very helpful.... thank you... 😅

@LetsMakeAThing

11 ай бұрын

It's been a long time since I made this video so I'm not 100% sure what I used in the video. Currently I'm using Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic coating when I need a clear coat. I haven't tested it on Borax as I don't use Borax on my engravings any more.

That's what I thought as well, that the borax just burns faster than the wood and creates the darker color, still a good technique for non-cutting boards. I just got my ORTUR pro 2 s2 something something laser with the air assist and rotary tool. great vid.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video! I hope you enjoy using your new laser!

+1 for the compressed air approach. Not sure if this has been spoken about already - there is similar technique with amonium chloride (NH4Cl) solution. It generally chemically burns the wood upon temperature rise. Basically - you paint something on the wood with clear solution, heat it up with heat gun and it comes up darkening (chemically burning) the surface.... One of things on my to do list (along engraving borax treated peaces) is giving this solution a try as all lasers engrave with heat, right? 😁

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! I found a way to get darker engravings without the need for chemicals and without changing the speed or power on the laser. Check it out here if you're interested: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html I'd also not recommend using harsher chemicals on a laser as the laser will release compounds into the air while engraving. If you don't have top notch ventilation you will end up with them floating around in your workspace.

@ddoherty5956

Жыл бұрын

You shouldn't laser anything with chloride it, it releases chlorine which eats the metal parts of your laser and will potentially kill you. This is why you don't laser cut PVC.

How long are you allowing the solution to dry? This may not even be an issue, I didn't hear you say anything about how wet/dry it is, this may even be mentioned in a previous video...

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

I make sure it's completely dry before engraving. I think I mentioned it in the previous video, but it's been so long since I made that video I honestly can't remember.

I am new to lasers in general and borax specifically, I discovered spray Poly seems to work well, and on hard woods my 5.5 w laser burns well on these softs woods the color is a problem

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Welcome to the wonderful world of laser engraving! I don't recommend using borax anymore after I found a better method to get darker engravings. You can check out my video on the method here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html

That's a mighty fine Ortur enclosure you have there. I'd have one too if they would ever get off their dead asses and actually ship it to me. They took my money right away. So in the meantime, I made a cardboard one with a couple clear windows hot glued in. I used the inside lenses from a Nova air fed sandblasting helmet, and it serves it's purpose. Oh and I'm using an 80mm computer fan with 3" exhaust flexible hose. No smoke is let into the room but it looks kinda unprofessional. Anyway, I tried the borax thing and it does make it black, and it does smear. Lol Thanks and take care.

@LetsMakeAThing

9 ай бұрын

I'd recommend upgrading your exhaust fan and ducting to a 4 inch inline or centrifugal fan. You want to get the smoke out as quickly as possible, not only to keep it out of your workshop but also to keep it off of the material you're engraving. The 80mm fan you have is probably pushing 30-50 CFM max and you want to be 150 CFM+ with your exhaust.

@onestopfabshop3224

9 ай бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing Ok, thank you for the advice, much appreciated. Oh, and their Chinese ears must have been ringing because my wife got the email from UPS that's it's being delivered TOMORROW! Now I don't even want to go to my customers tomorrow at all because all I wanna do is PLAY! LOL Take care.

What do you use as your sealer? Have you tested different ones or Danish oil? Thanks for the videos.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

The only other sealer I used beside the clear coat was mineral oil which didn't do any good. In the video I used Rustoleum Universal Advanced Formula Clear Durable Topcoat Dead Flat.

I use artist's charcoal fixatif spray and it works pretty well on Borax. Give it two or three coats.

@LetsMakeAThing

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@pblais404

11 ай бұрын

but can you use that on a cutting board

@echocheck

11 ай бұрын

No idea. I don't do cutting boards only decorative objects. I will have to try it out.@@pblais404

@LetsMakeAThing

11 ай бұрын

@@pblais404 No, you don't want to use borax or any other chemicals on food prep surfaces like cutting boards or serving trays!

@mishomishev3520

3 ай бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing you can, if you seal it with thin layer food save epoxy.

Borax is just allowed for jewelers in Germany. If you order it, you have to identify as a ringmaster or something like that. It’s because of the chemical law here.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the information!

@corinanitakwapisz3029

11 ай бұрын

Same in uk

@breaknstuff

11 ай бұрын

borax is not toxic

@voldem273

11 ай бұрын

@@breaknstuff yes Mike you are right. It’s just on the chemical index 🥲

Did you use the same magnets from original shield ? a friend printed me one with air assist and magnets werent strong enough to keep shield on

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

I didn't reuse the magnets from the original shield. I designed the new air assist shield to use magnets I had laying around. They just happened to be about the same size as the magnets on the laser module.

@stevemooney7244

Жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing ok thanks , the printed one must be heavier than the original that melted😬

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

It probably is heavier. Plus it's also dragging around an air tube too so that adds weight and stress that the original magnets weren't specced for. I looked but couldn't find where I got my magnets from. But shouldn't be too hard to find neodymium magnets about the same size as the originals.

@stevemooney7244

Жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing Thanks

One solution can be defocusing the laser beam little bit.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! I discovered the method for defocusing the laser after I made this video. Then I made a video about defocusing the laser for a darker engraving. kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html

Update - I found a different method for getting darker engravings WITHOUT using Borax. You can check the video out here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html I made this video as a follow up to a previous video about why I'm not using Borax on laser engravings. I received many comments and suggestions on the previous video and tested most of them out in this video. You can view the original video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/f5WTz9mclJaXlbQ.html

Use masking tape or even clear coat (shellac or lacquer) plus masking tape for pieces that will be finished. After you engrave the piece blow it off with 100+ psi from your air compressor and remove the transfer tape. Your laser is burning the wood...that's what lasers do. Your goal should be how to remove the excess soot from the lasered areas and keep the color of the charing.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the advice!

@ClintonCaraway-CNC

2 жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing I have also used defocusing for darkening engravings. I have absolutely no idea if that would work with a diode laser but it did a really nice job with my co2.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

@@ClintonCaraway-CNC That's a great idea to test out. I'll give it a try and see what happens!

Borax seems to yellow my wood. anything i can do?

@LetsMakeAThing

2 ай бұрын

It won't be as black as using Borax but you can try this method: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZX2lrK6rm8LMZsY.html

😆 I thought this was a new trick - clear coat sealing is an old fix. Ps. Borax isn’t available in some countries / states because it’s deemed a cancerous substance. It definitely should not be used on chopping boards or food related products unless you want to get sick 😅

what kind of clear coat, please?

@LetsMakeAThing

5 ай бұрын

I used matte clear coat from a rattle can. I can't remember what brand it was though.

What I do sometimes if it’s a little bit light, is just to engrave a second or even a third time.

@LetsMakeAThing

6 ай бұрын

Definitely!

Im on a 100w co2 and I just for the life of me can't get proper results with borax. Sealing it in for something that's got a photo and going to hang on the wall its probably plausible. But on a cutting board? I don't think so.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, if it won't be handled and it doesn't need to be food safe sealing is fine. I don't use borax on my cutting boards because you can't seal it in and I don't want a bunch of soot coming off on someone's food!

I have a question is it also possible with baking soda instead of borax

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

I have heard of other people having success with baking soda, but I haven't tried it.

@mlijst

Жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing thank you my friend

it looked like it smeared from the left side onto the right side(air asst) you should have also wiped separately

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

You're right, I should have wiped them separately. Some of the soot smeared from theft onto the right. Despite the single wipe during my test I am still confident in saying the air assist made little to no difference. It still creating soot that wipes off and not a darker engraving.

Not just Germany the whole EU, it was banned over possible harm to health.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info!

Use vinegar to wipe after your engraving.

I use 2 coats of sanding sealer 😁

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Great idea!

Vacuum the surface?

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the idea! Sadly, that would remove the soot which is what makes the engraving darker. I've stopped testing Borax as I've found a better method to get darker engravings with no chemicals. You can find the link in the pinned comment.

First use triple thick Glaze from rustoleum , after aplying borax solution. Then engrave the coating wont allow the smear.

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@DougKing4416

7 ай бұрын

does that work ??? @@LetsMakeAThing

1 tsp per 6 oz of water is his solution

@LetsMakeAThing

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info! That's about the same as I used in my testing.

@karadanvers6136

Жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing I did it for ppl who don’t have time to watch the whole video :) thanks for your testing I will watch at a later time :)

You can buy Borax in Germany. No problem at all.

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for letting me know! Not sure why a couple of my other viewers said they couldn't get Borax in Germany.

@kochstead

2 жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing just bought one kilo yesterday. On ebay.

@cindyvancroonenborgh3982

2 жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing I am from the Netherlands and just like Germany we can not buy it here because it is on the toxic list and there for they can't sell it here but we can order it in another country and let it deliver

@LetsMakeAThing

2 жыл бұрын

@@cindyvancroonenborgh3982 That makes sense. Thanks so much for letting me know!

@cindyvancroonenborgh3982

2 жыл бұрын

@@LetsMakeAThing you are welcome and thank you for the videos. I am still saving to buy a laser cutter