Achieving Stunning Color-Filled Engraving
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- čas přidán 25. 05. 2023
- In this video, I will show you have I produce better results when using powder coat paint to fill laser-engraved images. It is as simple as using the right tools at the right time. I've seen so many videos where people try to use a laser for everything - even where there are much better, cheaper tools.
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Steve, YOU ARE A LEGEND! Not only did you create a great, simple, informative video, but then you responded to almost all of the comments, many of which were repeats. You even responded to the trolls with kindness. I wanna be like you when I grow up (I’m currently 54 going on 6, so that could happen some day soon…) Just…THANK YOU! Your efforts are not unnoticed and are fully appreciated.
Wow, thanks! I’m just trying to help all makers 😁
Steve, your results are STELLAR! My husband and I have toiled for 8 hours today in search of those perfectly balanced, mystical settings you speak of with poor results. We have at least two heat guns and they’re getting pulled out tomorrow. Your method seems so smart and efficient; thank you for the great safety information too!
Awesome! Give it a try
Steve, you are brilliant! I have avoided this kind of fill because of the requirement with using the laser to heat it up and all the accuracy and pain you have to go through for that. This is AWESOME and I can't wait to try it. Thank you!!!
Hi Jack, Let me know how it works for you.
Love your no nonsense approach.
Thanks!
Can't wait to try this! Thank you Steve.
I hope it helps
I tried the heat gun cure on powered coat today and I was really surprised how nice it came out. I did two samples one with transfer masking and one without. The masked one came out flawless and required zero sanding. The unmasked one did require a good amount of sanding. Thanks for the info I will be using the heat gun for all my paint fills.
The mask will definitely make the sanding job easier. Glad you got value out of this
Thanks for doing any video but especially this one! I have an Atezr p20 and the issue I had with using the laser to heat the powder was the module fan was kicking up the powder. I am glad I don't have to abandon the powder coat method.
Yes, most modern diode lasers make a lot of wind and powder coat is basically colored dust. It’s not a good combination.
Steve, thank you so much for this video, I tried it today with a heatgun and the results were incredible, a hundred times better than my previous attempts using the laser.
Fantastic! Using the right tool is the secret to most projects 😁
Thank you! you now have a new biggest fan! I have been watching these guys try and realign and burn thinking there's got to be an easier way. Thank you sir, I cant wait to check out the rest of your channel!
Welcome aboard! I did the same thing when I started, but I’m not content unless I actually find the better way 😁
*Okay Steve, I'm going to have to try this method!* Great video and idea! I've done a lot of color fill projects, but this looks amazing! The colors really pop!
Enjoy Rich. It really makes white pop compared to using a laser
Hope to see your video on this 😉
Curious if you ever tried this and what your results were?
The paint idea is fantastical. Thank you.
Give it a try
Hugely informative. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I like the information in this to open up the options
It easier than most processes for powder coat
Just started out with my laser engraver and so glad I came across your channel! You have another sub! Thank you for all the tips & tricks!
Awesome! Thank you and welcome aboard.
Thanks I've done epoxy a little bit. But man the clean up and dry time is so long. This was killer and crazy easy. I wish we could share pictures in CZcams turned out great. Thanks Steve
Glad it was helpful
Wow You are AWESOME finding this method. I was worry about my laser all the time when I was trying to do colour engraving. Lucky me I hav't done much. Thank you so much.
Hope it helps
I'm new to this, saw a lot of videos, your is without a doubt the simpler and the best. Going to try. Subscribed. 👍
Welcome aboard!
Definitely going to try it. Thanks
I hope it helps you out
Stunningggg! Thank you so much for sharing!
You are so welcome!
Got to say a big thanks , i also tested for a full day and did not get the results i was looking for . After using this method , well pleased . 👍👍
Glad it helped
Awesome thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try it
You’re welcome 😊
Absolutely top tricks. Thankyou for the upload!!!!
No problem!
Thank you. Great process for Laser!!!
Do something cool with this 😁
beautiful result!, thanks for the tip!
Thanks for watching!
Great video Steve. I believe you said this was your first time trying that method but I may be wrong. Great job, makes total sense too!
I’ve been doing this method for a while. It just didn’t make sense to me to use a laser to heat powder coat.
Wow thanks for sharing!
Happy to help
Some great advice, thank you ☺
Hope it helps
You have great presentation skills as well as paint filling. Thanks
Thank you very much!
I was VERY glad to see that you did NOT say to simply disable the air-assist and re-engrave the painted areas to melt the paint. I watched a different video before this where that was suggested, and I DID NOT want to merely cut off the air-assist completely.
Yes this was exactly the point of this video. I think using a laser as a heat gun is pointless
Saw this the other night. amazon delivered earlier this evening. As soon as I finished The Witcher I was back in the shop.... THIS IS SO COOL!! SO easy! i got a couple of different colors right away, too! Real sanding happens in the morning. Wish i knew what grit you were using... Thanks for this, Steve!
For plywood I use 320 or even 600 grit depending on how much I have to clean up. You can’t go too hard on plywood or you will sand through layers
@@SteveMakesEverything THANK YOU, SIR!
Really great, and now going to watch the painted tile video 😀
Hope you enjoy it!
Great video! Can’t wait to give this a go.
Have fun!
Yeah Steve we go to Da Tube for everything...but only certain creators cut through the BS to give clear and concise info. Yours is one! Thnx for these videos I am just getting going on Lasers. Been a CNC Machinist/ Programmer forever so getting Lightburn isn't too hard, but expanding my brain with what these machines can do is why I'm here. Great stuff!
Wow, I appreciate this. I try to get to the point as much as possible.
@SteveMakesEverything Job well done, sir. I'm making aluminum business cards off of your other video, n they're sweet!
@@glockasauruswrex6362Excellent. If you want to see videos on other things, just let me know (email in the description of every video)
Great video and thankyou for making it. I personally have never had an issue with getting the project re-aligned in the laser. Not sure why others have. I simply use a couple of big bar magnets to use as a guide to align my project too. They dont move at all because they have strong magnetic energy to stick to the bed of the laser. I form an "L" shape with them an align my project up to both the side and bottom of the bar magnet each time I place the project in the laser. Works perfect every time. I will say though that I do not like the texture the laser gives the powder coating after it melts it. It looks all lava like. Your method is great as long as you have a heat gun that doesnt blow very hard or else you will blow your powder coating away. Mine blows a little too hard but I have learned to hold it far enough away until the powder coat starts to melt some then I can move in closer. Thanks for this idea.
Yes. I will either use magnets on an acrylic square or make an actual jig
Thank you for the informative video !!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the great info... I like the way you explained using the heat gun..
I will try this tomorrow in the shop..
I hope it works
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you!
STEVE!!! I wondered where you had gone! Starting to look at the videos, love the channel so far!
Hey Joe! Nice to hear from you again. Shoot me an email if you need anything
Wonderful video! Great process.
Thank you! Cheers!
Goodness, thank you for putting this out there. I tried the Powder Coat method and the stuff gets everywhere, even without using the air assist. I like the idea of using a heat gun to do this so much faster. Still not a huge fan of Powder Coat process since it does stain the surrounding wood, thanks for the video regardless!
Light sanding will definitely be required regardless of the method you choose.
Seal the material before you laser
@@johnagorman Yes this is a good option to make clean up easier
I like this method, very simple, I have a scene that has the red truck with a Christmas tree in the back and I want to color them. Great video as usual.
Glad it was useful
That’s so funny. I use to make cards via stamps. Embossing the design to add dimension. I just told a coworker today that I should use the embossing powder and my heat gun to add colors to the engraved item. lol cheers to you!
When you are inspired by an idea give it a try. You might learn something new 😁
Thanks for the video, i have not attemped colour engraving.
You should! It’s fairly easy and impactful.
@@SteveMakesEverything thank you
Great job
Wow so cool ty for sharing
You are so welcome
This is fantastic! Good safety tips too. As suggested, use a weeding tool to help get that tape off. Do you not find the tape leaves lines at the joins? Looks good on yours but I always find it distracting and my eyes are drawn to the lines left at the joins. I need to find some bigger tape to avoid that.
I use a dental pick to remove the tape, and off camera, I did some of that on this project. Definitely get 2" tape if you can find it, but 1.5 to 1.75" for sure. It minimizes the places where engraving might be weaker, but with a 90W laser, the blue tape doesn't stand a chance 😉. Note that you can also get 12" wide transfer tape. I use this: amzn.to/3f9bu1S
This great video thanks for sharing 🙏🏾💙👏🏾
Glad you enjoyed it
As a fellow Steve, you my friend are genius! subscribed!!
Thanks, but I’m just a guy who likes to help people😁
Thank YOU!
You're welcome!
Great improvement of this method! Although I still don't understand why not use good quality liquid paint instead.
You certainly can use paint, though it dries thinner. In this scenario, we are using powder coat as a filler - you can apply a couple of coats and essentially get a similar appearance to resin-filled engraving, except much easier to apply.
Good comment on using the best tool for the job. I have seen so many videos of people using fusion 360 and 3d printers for hours to create something you could make with a drill press in about 20 minutes.
😀 I have the same concern with high powered diode lasers claiming to be able to cut lumber - just use a saw. It's faster and cleaner.
My desire for innovation is driven by my own laziness. If what I'm doing seems too hard, then I'll find an easier way.
That's Awesome thanks from New Zealand
Glad you enjoyed it
Good stuff! Thanks Steve! Subbed
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks for the tip.
Happy to help
hey man, I don't know how I come across your channel but happy I did - you've got a really interesting process there then I was thinking, if I was to use powder coat color, that's the exact process I would do, it seems logical to me. Anything else seems too time consuming......
Welcome aboard! I'm very happy that this process is logical. It means those other processes involving running the laser back over the powder are just crazy. I'm glad it's not just me that thinks this.😉
Great, informative video! Very helpful. I've owned a heat gun for a while, just waiting on my first laser engraver to arrive in a few days to try out your method, which does seem easier and less tedious than other methods I've seen in other videos. Can this method be applied to leather in addition to wood? Thanks again!
I think the problem you will run into with leather is that it flexes. Powder coat would break out in this kind of scenario.
Wow, this is a great lesson, about engraving for sure, but above all it's a lesson in using your own head and doing your own thinking. It's almost become a rarity like people have generally developed some kind of aversion to thinking, and it's almost in inverse proportion to the development of technology. Great improvement of the process, and simple to boot...
Well I do try to turn my neurons on as much as possible ;-)
I should’ve watch this video first, cause I just asked another CZcamsr if you could do this method instead, thanks for the tips and keep up the great work that you do 🤘
Glad I could help
This is a great video! Thank you! Would love to know if there's a similar but alternative method that wouldn't require sanding the surface after the heat gun and the paint is dried. I'm thinking for projects on wood that is already aged and in a state that sanding would take away from of the vintage look.
Well you could mask the material before engraving and then remove the masking after heating. Your masking would have to be able to handle the heat though
I would post-cure the image with the powder coat in it, the heat gun won't bring it to full cure (assuming polyester resins) unless you sit there for 10-15 minutes after the powder itself has come to 400°F.
Love the very cool simplified method though!
It may not be necessary to go the temp up to 400F. I believe that’s the bonding temperature to make it stick to metal. It seems to bond pretty well. The powder coat in the video is used for painting fishing lures so it may have a lower melting point anyway
Thanks 👍
Hope it helps
Wow Steve! Amazing results. Just wondering, if you taped off the wood, laser, then did the paint that may not require the sanding? Just a thought for the single colour. Again..fantastic video and a great take on the idea..
You can certainly try this, though it's inevitable that this very fine powder will get on things. Masking will greatly reduce it though.
if you have a toaster oven, or old cheap used oven you can batch melt.
Yes, any sufficient heat source will work fine
Thanks for the very informative video. I would definitely try your method if I were doing wood. Any thoughts on using this with glass, more specifically wine glasses or bottles? I understand you can't powder coat the entire design at once because the paint will fall off the curved design, but maybe a little at a time? Just trying to figure out how to color glass. Thanks!
I doubt this would work on glass. You need a good, fairly deep engraving or the powder coat won’t have enough material to grip on without chipping off
So pretty....Thank you for sharing this! I just bought Borax and it really didn't do much for my wood engravings. (HAHA) I will make sure to give this a try. I use a lot of basswood for my projects. Was considering using this method after engraving plus staining. Was a little leary about fumes if used before. AND...is it a good idea to seal the project after the sanding's been done? THANK YOU for your awesome presentation!!!
Hopefully this one works for you, though borax on basswood should be pretty dramatic too. There shouldn’t be any real fumes from powder coat since you won’t be getting it hot enough to burn - only melt a bit.
Thanks for this video Steve! You’ve earned another subscriber. Do you have any suggestions for sealing this product afterwards? I intend to try this out on hardwoods and like to use Rubio Monocoat, not sure if you have any experience with Rubio but I’m curious if it will still bond well to the hardened powder coat. Thanks again!
Since powder coat is essentially plastic you can cover it with just about anything
Thank you for this method, I was just about to give up on using powder coat paint. I do have a question, when would you use powder coat vs color epoxy?
You would definitely not want to use powder coat in project that will come into contact with food. Finding food-safe epoxy is pretty easy by contrast. However powder coat cures I
Instantly.
Like a Boss. Thank you sir.
You're welcome!
Great way to do it.
It makes the job very easy
Fabulous video as always..its give me a thought thought that im going to try...im a crafter have have multiple colours of embossing powders and wondered if those could be used ? And can i ask how did you get the image linned up correctly once you removed it to coat it
Yes give this a try. It works best with 1/4" material since you want to engrave a bit deeper than normal.
As far as alignment, I tend to use jigs to allow for reproducible positioning., though in this case there isn't really anything to align
Awesome!! Thank you! You got a sub
Awesome, thank you!
informative! I liked and subscribed
Welcome aboard!
Thanks for describing this technique! I am mostly interested in etching painted aluminum which I can do with good results using my 20 watt diode laser. Do you think a layer of paint would be thick enough to retain the powder? With full power and slower speed it will roughen the surface a bit that might improve adhesion. Thanks again.
Good question but no. Powder coat need a pretty deep engrave because it needs something to hang onto
Ok I'm subscribing you made this simpler.
Awesome. Welcome aboard!
Brilliant! Use a "weeding" tool (for embroidery) to remove tape
Yes. I ended up using a dental pick off camera to remove a few of the smaller bits
Thank you for making this. Thoughts on when you can apply stain and poly? Can you do this over the powder coat?
You probably should stain after powder coat but you can apply poly before or after
Nice work
Thanks
I'm not sure I ever made a comment before. I have to say this is absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much!
Glad you liked it!
Can’t wait to try this out, I’ve been filling all mine with epoxy. What’s the name of the rubber scraper tool that you use to remove excess powder?
I think I was using a metal business card, but I'd need t go back and look at the video
great video!
Glad you liked it!
I have had it in my mind that powder needs 400 degrees of heat for a period of time but I am anxious to try this. I saw one video where the fellow laser heated the filled part and said it turned out perfect, but not according to my lying eyes!
The advantage of using a heat gun is that alignment with a laser isn’t required. So if you don’t get as much powder as you need, you can always apply more and reheat
thank you
You're welcome
Hi, Steve, I love your videos! I just tried the method you showed for my cutting board and it failed, unfortunately. I may have the wrong settings on my commercial heat gun. Would you kindly confirm the time and temperature, as my cutting board ended up with black powder over the surface, not just the laser image. Any help would be appreciated!
There’s no real time per se. After a bit of time with a heat gun you should see the powder coat liquify. I use the lowest setting on my heat gun an within 10-15 seconds, I the liquid state.
I don’t know if I would use this on a cutting board though. Powder coat may not be food safe and when heated it can bubble giving the opportunity for bacteria to hide
That's a good technique and thanks for sharing your experience. Two quick questions: 1) would you be able to skip the sanding if you masked everything from the start (or what would the challenges be)? Is there a recommended "mask" that would peel off easily but still not melt with the heating of the powder?
You could try to mask but the heat is likely to lift it. But give it a try - there should be no downside to making. I typically use this transfer tape: amzn.to/3V6wdbO
Hey, Steve. Great video. Does the heat gun method work for acrylic projects?
Well as always, I’d say try it. The temperature would be critical to avoid melting the acrylic.
Hmmmn. I'm hoping to do something similar to this since I quite like the result, but I'd like to try doing this with metal instead. I suspect just using some sort of enamel paint or airbrushing might be more appropriate though.
Powder coat was originally designed for painting metals. Of course for this technique to work you need to engrave it, which would require a CNC rather than a laser
Hi Steve, thanks for this video. Haven't tried it yet, but going to. Q: Does lightburn work with our FSL machines? Did you convert from RE3?
FSL lasers don’t support Lightburn. I’ve been toying with the idea of replacing the controller in my Muse 3D so it becomes a 45W Lightburn laser, but I haven’t had time.
Hi Steve, your videos have helped me to learn laser engravering and but am bit confused in the tiger engravering. If you fill the first outline with orange then wouldn't the whiskers come out orange than black?
There are a couple ways you can select color for a particular area. You could just make off place where you don’t want a particular color, or you could re-engrave after the first color to allow for new space to get the second color in place. Both will have their pros and cons, so you’ll have to play around to see which one works best for you.
I wouldn’t normally use multiple colors because it’s pretty laborious, but I did it here just to show you the art of the possible.
Hi, this looks amazing. Were you engraving each step at a slightly deeper depth for each color?
No, the same settings for everything
That's way better than using the laser for melting the paint. Was just looking into melting powder coating with a heat gun for other things and ran into a laser video too! Great process!
Thanks. Give it a try.
What sandpaper grit did u use after burning the black powder paint on the lion
It would have been either 400 or 600 grit. You really can’t do much sanding on plywood.
How does he get the wood back in the proper position todo a second engraving? I do this and the imag is "blurred" or offset.
Make a jig and lock it down on your workspace. If your material can be removed/replaced accurately, you will have no problems.
What grit would you recommend for sanding? I'd probably be doing it by hand, not an orbital like you, and I was just curious. Thanks!
400 or even 600.
Steve I am fairly new to using the laser. I really like this video but I have a question - once you have done the first engraving how do you realign the board so the second and third engravings are in proper place. I have an A20Pro and I'm slowly learning.
Any suggestions you pass along will be greatly appreciated
My laser honeycomb has a frame around it that makes a slight ridge, so I can use that as a guide to get reproducible positioning. But you could also create a simple jig that you can fix to the work area so you can reposition into the jig. It could be something as simple as an L-shaped piece you cut out, or it could be a complete rectangle the size of the item you are engraving. As long as it can't move when you remove or replace your piece, then it will work.
"I think it better" but you still cocked it up
Yeah that was totally my fault rather than the process. Just needed to wait a minute and it would have been fine
What grit sand paper did you use? I can’t seem to get the wood cleaned up after I heat the paint. Help!!!
Depending on the wood, you can go with 320-480 just don’t sand through to first layer. You could also spray clearcoat or poly on the wood before engraving. This will prevent powder from sticking to the surface
This would look amazing on cutting board or cheese board. Any idea if food safe or how it would hold up when cleaning it?
As far as food safety, it would depend very much on the brand of powder coat you chose. For a cutting board this probably wouldn’t be the best choice for wear and tear. Resin would be a much better choice.
Will the powder paint and heat work on other materials? I’m wondering about real or synthetic leather and harder materials like stone or slate. Thanks
Yes, it will work on any material that powder coat sticks to. However you need a fairly deep engraving for this.
Question: What about spraying a clearcoat layer to seal between engravings?
Sure, as long as the sealer doesn't contain anything that emits harmful fumes when you hit it with a laser. I use this technique often in my own business to engrave something onto a finished item and paint-fill the engraving.
Would masking with aluminium duct tape help with the multilayered jobs like the tiger do you think? I would think it would reflect excess heat. The only problem with that approach is the adhesive of those tapes tends to be pretty strong.
Not sure and heat really isn’t a problem, but impatience is 😀
I was thinking you could put it under the broiler or in a toaster oven. It would melt long before the wood would burn. Kudos for showing your mistake. That's a lot for the paint.😉
Mistakes happen and I’m not afraid to show them - I make many I can choose from 😁
If I wasn’t using a heat gun, I would probably choose an old toaster oven. Both will work better than rerunning a laser over the paint