Great video and helpful, cant waiting to get my laser and try it

@MonkeyWoodworks

Ай бұрын

Thank you!

Thank you for all your videos. I am new to laser and have learned so much the last couple of days watching your videos. Easy to understand. Thank you !!!!

@MonkeyWoodworks

8 ай бұрын

You are so welcome! I am glad to hear they were useful to you.

Absolutely love learning from watching your videos. I've learned so much. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos so well. You are awesome!

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

Thank you! I have tried several other techniques for acrylic engraving. Yours works way better than the others.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it worked for you!

Finally, Thank you ever so much for the Special video. What a Nice way to End the 2022. Thank you once again

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

You are welcome. Thank you for the kind words.

I think that's a great ornament and very lovely with making it completely from scratch. Thank you for the awesome tutorial- I was gifted a diode laser for Christmas and can't wait to nail this technique. 💚🧜‍♀️💜

@MonkeyWoodworks

6 ай бұрын

Awesome! Lasers are so much fun to work with. Remember to never let it run unattended and happy lasering!

Another GREAT video. Thanks Michael and Merry Christmas.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Merry Christmas to you too!

Thank you Mike for the info I learned alot from your videos on fb and KZread

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear the information was helpful!

Just made one like this but by air brushing the layers of black paint instead of brush. Worked sooooo much better. Got a beautiful engraving.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Nice!! I need to find a cheap one to try out.

Thanks so much for that spreadsheet! I was just saying I needed to start a notebook!

@MonkeyWoodworks

8 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Nice video. Waiting to try out this technique

@MonkeyWoodworks

14 сағат бұрын

Good luck!

Great video! Thank you 🙏

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

LOVE IT!

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great video sir. Expertly described. Subbed, Bob in the UK

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the support!

Awesome

@MonkeyWoodworks

7 ай бұрын

Glad you found it useful!

Very nice.... 😍

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Would love to do my sister's this coming Xmas.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Let me know how it goes if you do!

Great video. I have been working with clear acrylic also. I didn’t think of putting multiple layers of the tempera pain and thinning the paint. I will have to try your method.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Let me know how it works out! It is all about keeping the paint smooth and free of bubbles. What method do you use for your clear acrylic?

@charlesm.1638

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks i did a single coat of the tempera black paint, and painted both sides of the clear acrylic. I also was using the clear acrylic that is 3 mm thick and cut in the shape of a Christmas ornament. I did cut in 15% power 45 mm/s to give it depth so it was easy to see. Engraving it was so light it was hard to see after washing out the paint. I had realized from your video why the acrylic was burning or popping when I used to much power. I also was using the honey comb. I am also using the xTool M1.

@charlesm.1638

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks oh, it was the acrylic ornament shapes where I can buy a large number say for example 32 pieces for about $10 on Amazon

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Nice! I will have to look into that for next year.

Thank you for all of your help. Is there a reason why it wouldn't be helpful to increase the power and speedso it gets done faster? Just thinking of making multiples... Thanks again for the material list.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

It's all about balance. It's possible as long as you find the right combination.

Michael, I absolutely love all of your videos on the M1. I'm new to lasering and have now run into a problem attempting to cut acrylic. I used the recommended settings based on XTools material list (opaque green, shiny, 3mm) According to the recommended settings Power=100, Speed=3 and Passes=3. When I use this configuration it doesn't cut and barely scratches the surface. Any recommendations? Thanks!! 🤞

@MonkeyWoodworks

6 ай бұрын

Hmm. I honestly didn't have much luck cutting anything other than black. I was able to CT other colors however I never liked the edges. I suggest you join the Official xTool Facebook group dedicated to your machine and use the search tool. Lots of posts and settings shared by others there.

Good job on this video - Clear and concise. 3 Questions... Did you focus on the top or bottom of the acrylic? What type of acrylic & thickness?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Top - I manually entered the information. You can also put a sheet of paper on top of the material to help with automatic focus. I used xTool's 3mm clear acrylic for this project.

hi can I just check does the painted surface go on top or the bottom thanks your videos are very good thank you for sharing your knowledge

@MonkeyWoodworks

7 ай бұрын

It can go on either side i believe.

🎉

@MonkeyWoodworks

4 ай бұрын

You are welcome :)

Thanks @MonkeyWoodworks for the video and the great ideas. I was just about to throw away the idea of getting a diode laser for my Genmitsu 4040 because I want to engrave text on white acyrlic and everyone said it can't be done!! But looking at what you have done, proves that is not the case. Now, the Tempura paint allows it to be easily removed post lasering. But can you confirm or at least offer a possibility that if you don't want the paint to be removed post laser, then aerosol spray can paint would work? What I am doing is building a flight simulator and I need to create the grey panels and etch the white text on them. Many of the other cockpit builders out there are using the CO2 laser but it's just a bit rich for my blood so I was looking for a more economic solution. So I was wondering, if I should adopt your technique but modified to use a medium grey matt (aircraft panel colour) spray paint and then laser etch on top of that? The paint doesn't have to be removed afterward , in fact it would be rather super if it never came off at all!! If you think this is a possibility, then I might reconsider getting a diode laser module. Thanks in advance👍👍 Terry, Auckland, New Zealand

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I am not 100% sure if that will work or not. The diode is using the tempera paint to etch the acrylic. It is hitting the paint and melting just the top layer of the acrylic to achieve the look you see in the video. I will see if I can try what you are asking on a test piece to see what happens and find out how it looks at the etch location and around it.

@terryhay2029

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks Thank you Michael that is most helpful of you. As you say, there may be a difference between the actual paint properties that makes the tempura paint more suitable to this process beyond the fact that it is also easily removable. Perhaps the thickness of the tempura is the also a key to this process since aerosol paint is rather thin. Anyway, I look forward to hearing what you discover whenever you are next in the shed with some idle time to try this. Fingers crossed. Thanks again Michael.👍 Cheers, Terry

Does the paint have to be watered down? Can you put the full thickness of the paint

@MonkeyWoodworks

8 ай бұрын

Thinning it down and using thin coats ensures a nice even layer, so your engraving will be even

Would clear acrylic work with the use adhesive vinyl instead of paint?

@MonkeyWoodworks

6 ай бұрын

I am not sure. I think lasering vinyl is dangerous due to the fumes unless it is laser-able vinyl.

Just a note, the acrylic paint works well at a 50/50 mix with a cheap air gun

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Good to know! I need to try that out once I get an air gun. We have plenty of acrylic paint around the house.

Hi would you use the same settings on the Ortur LM3

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I believe so since they are basically the same 10watt diode lasers. I would test it on a test piece first.

Hi Michael, can you use the black tempera paint on the clear acrylic and be able to cut it?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I have not tried that yet. I am thinking once it makes it past the layer of paint, it will just pass right through and not cut it. Although, it would be interesting to try!

@linachabot1949

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks i thought if it works on glass or even painting both side of the acrylic…on glass I use black chalk paint much thicker one coat.

Used to a co2 Lazer doing Boyd's gun stocks feels limited

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

The size of the M1 is a bit limiting. You can also place the M1 on top of an object to engrave/score thanks to how far down the laser head can go.

Dumb question. Is the painted side up or down when engraving?

@MonkeyWoodworks

9 ай бұрын

Paint side up. No question is a dumb question. We are all learning here.

Do try any other coating such as dry moly on the clear acrylic?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I have not. xTools marking paper, and tempera paint are the only ones I have tried so far.

@nicolemarden3697

Жыл бұрын

dry moly did not work. i tried

During framing the laser outlines the green lines on the project so make sure they are inside the boarder of what you are going to laser.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I have done that method a few different ways. On the edge of the object or just inside the edge of the object. Framing the object itself is definitely the best way to make sure your centered on what you will be engraving. I just wish the framing feature could frame like light burn where it will follow a circle/oval/misc shape.

@arizonaheatwave4080

Жыл бұрын

Yeah it just gives you a basic frame to show the position, nothing detailed or precise.

Every time I try to use this same tempra paint, it just beads up on the acrylic and does not stay where I try to paint it. What am I doing wrong?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I find that it is a pain in the neck on the first 2 to 3 coats. Especially on the edges. Make sure you water down the paint, use a soft bristle brush, brush in one direction only, and do not push down on the brush, use the weight of it instead. You can change directions of the brush stroke between coats but not on a wet coat, it seems to pull it up more that way.

Where do you buy the sheets of acrylic? Thanks

@MonkeyWoodworks

11 ай бұрын

I purchased these directly from xTool. I have a link to their materials page in the description of this video.

Newbie question lol - does anyone know if you can use painters tape on acrylic to engrave it? Thanks :)

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I have not tried that method personally. If I do, I will be sure to come back and let you know how it went!

@LisaOliverauthor

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks thank you - I don't want to start a fire in my M1, so I am hopeful someone else will try it first. Have a great day and thank you for your really helpful content.

@MauiSoundsCarAudio

Жыл бұрын

Hello, do you think it's possible to engrave / etch polycarbonate for a led lit sign with a 5watt diode laser ?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I am not sure. I see on another site that it is a poor material to laser cut due to the material.

Could this method work with other colors like yellow or orange? I know the diode has issues with blues also.

@MonkeyWoodworks

10 ай бұрын

Yes, I believe this will work with them. The outcome is OK but not as good as it looks on glass imo.

@nikkitts628

10 ай бұрын

What about to cut thr colors? Would the paint allow the cut? Like for earrings

@MonkeyWoodworks

10 ай бұрын

@nikkitts628 no, the paint does not help cutting. However check out the Official xTool Facebook group. There are a few people that have been experimenting with various colors and have shared their results in the group.

Another question will this work for dithering.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I am not sure. I have never tried.

I wonder if acrylic spray paint would work, it’s highly pigmented, and dries quick.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I am not sure. I am guessing if it can be taken off without scratching the acrylic, it is worth a shot!

@eclecticlight.design

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks maybe black vinyl to peel off?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Maybe but I dont think you can engrave on top of it. Might just make a melty mess?

@blueskyjax

Жыл бұрын

@@eclecticlight.design just FYI vinyl is listed as a no on the xtool, you shouldn't cut pvc materials it can ruin your laser. Cheers!

Can i do this settings with a 20 watt diode laser?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

I suspect it will be too hot. I would test it out. May have to speed it up, lower power, or a combination of the two

I had no idea you could turn off the output for design elements. I’ve been putting them on a separate canvas 😅

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

It's really handy. It came out about 2-3 versions ago I believe.

whats the benefit of the paint? it kinda looks the same to me if you didn't use any paint. the glass def looks better with the paint but not sure if this works as well for acrylic

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

A diode laser (like the M1) can not mark on clear items (glass, acrylic, etc). The laser just shoots through it like a flashlight. Adding the paint gives the laser something to "hit" and allows it to mark the top of the material.

@tubbycustard8866

Жыл бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks would this also be effective with a C02 laser?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

No. There is no need for the coating on a C02 laser. That type of laser is a different wavelength allowing it to etch directly on clear glass or acrylic and can cut clear acrylic like butter.

Did you order your acrylic from xtool?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Yes. The clear i got from xTool. I have ordered black from amazon with good luck (see my other video). Red from amazon was not so great. Red from xtool was much better.

Did I miss why you put aluminum underneath?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

The aluminum layer simply protects your base plate and keeps it clean. Doing so allows the cutting mat to stick to the base plate when you are using the blade. If you use foil, I suggest you put the shiny side down to reduce reflection and a few pieces of painters tape to keep it from ligting up due to the exhaust fan.

There are two Michaels!

@MonkeyWoodworks

11 ай бұрын

haha! This town ain't big enough for the two of us....or is it?

@gigabitdrew2459

11 ай бұрын

I am sure that there are days that you wish there were two Michaels!!

Please explain how to make tempera stick to acrylic - especially after watering it down.

@MonkeyWoodworks

10 ай бұрын

Soft brush + a light touch + multiple layers.

@arcxjo

10 ай бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks but how does it stick? It has no adhesion

@MonkeyWoodworks

10 ай бұрын

@@arcxjo I find that it is a pain in the neck on the first 2 to 3 coats. Especially on the edges. Make sure you water down the paint, use a soft bristle brush, brush in one direction only, and do not push down on the brush, use the weight of it instead. You can change directions of the brush stroke between coats but not on a wet coat, it seems to pull it up more that way. This part of the video explains exactly how i paint it. kzread.info/dash/bejne/mpaAlqp-Ydido6w.html You can also SPRAY a watered-down mixture of tempera paint using a fine sprayer. You may have to water it down a bit more for it to spray but i have seen people use it with great success on acrylic, glass, etc. amzn.to/3PzpMek

@arcxjo

10 ай бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks are you pretreating the acrylic with something? Temperature DOES NOT STICK TO ACRYLIC, and even less so if I intentionally water it down

@MonkeyWoodworks

10 ай бұрын

@@arcxjo I am not. It is clean acrylic with no treatment.

I can do this with smoke from a candle at a fraction of the cost, are you being sponsored by Tempura?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

Does this method allow the laser to etch clear acrylic?

How do I connect to your settings please

@MonkeyWoodworks

10 ай бұрын

View the description of any of my videos and look for the Material Settings link

What I just found out that works a dry erase marker.

@MonkeyWoodworks

7 ай бұрын

I think i read that somewhere. Have you tried it?

@xtrememaproductions

7 ай бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks yep I tested it on a few pieces works well and got some good results. Plus afterwards you can wiped off with very little mess.

@MonkeyWoodworks

7 ай бұрын

Awesome to hear!

Can you airbrush it on?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

You can definitely airbrush it on as long as it is watered down enough. I bet it would be smoother than mine.

do you engrave on the painted or non painted side?

@MonkeyWoodworks

Ай бұрын

I did it on the painted side. You can always experiment and find out which way works best. Let me know the results if you do!

@liquidlightning101

Ай бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks I did do it on non painted side and didn't have much detail show up. And I've tried, chalk paint in a spray can and brush on with a piece of wood underneath to give the laser something to reflect back. But I am also using a snapmaker machine which I really don't care for. But can't quite afford an xtool at the moment.

@MonkeyWoodworks

Ай бұрын

@liquidlightning101 All diodes will have a similar result due to the laser type. Honestly, a CO2 is the best way to engrave acrylic (especially acrylic). Unfortunately, they are $$ as you nay know.

@liquidlightning101

Ай бұрын

@@MonkeyWoodworks ya my wife bought me a K40 and after I had to replace the laser tube and the new one not lasting as long. I wasn't too happy with it. But still have it, may need to get another tube for it and use both

@MonkeyWoodworks

Ай бұрын

@liquidlightning101 Ah. That's too bad. I wonder if the tube quality matters on it?

why the use of aluminum paper? 🙌

@MonkeyWoodworks

Жыл бұрын

That is used to protect the black base plate from getting lasered to keep it clean. When you use the blade feature of the M1, you stick the cutting mat directly to the base plate then your material on top of that cutting mat. Keeping the base plate clean when lasering will allow the cutting mat to stick better to the base plate. If you do use aluminum, make sure you insert it with the dull side facing up. Also, check out my M1 material settings google sheet where it has a picture describing the use of the aluminum sheet as well.

Yes, you're right, if people are getting money OR work to promote a laser company, then he may not be a creative person. Are you the sales person or your double?

@MonkeyWoodworks

6 ай бұрын

I am just a dude making videos of a hobby I enjoy and enjoy helping others learn along with me. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment.