Engraving Rubber Stamps with a K40 Laser
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- čas přidán 9. 03. 2020
- In this video I show you how to make custom rubber stamps using a cheap K40 Laser.
This tutorial uses Inkscape for the graphic design and K40 Whisperer for controlling the laser engraver.
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Project Materials:
Amazon K40 Laser: (I recommend the Original Analog Meter version if you can find it..)
www.amazon.com/shop/geeksmith...
If you are looking to get a Glowforge Laser, you can use my referral code to get:
$600 off a pro, $300 off a plus, or $150 off a basic!
I'll get credit too! Use the link below.
glowforge.us/f/KSXLIFLM
Orange Rubber Stamp Sheet for Laser Engraving:
amzn.to/2W0DICP
3mm Double Sided Adhesive Foam Sheets (if this is unavailable, you can also use double sided tape or even just epozy the runner stamp straight to the base, although with a bit of spongey foam, you get a better stamping experience.
amzn.to/2TDsxyy
Danish Oil:
amzn.to/2W2SF7m
Ink pads:
amzn.to/33cooVw
Metal Drawer Pull was found in a clearance bin in my local hardware store!
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Purchases from All of the Amazon affiliate links above go to helping support this channel and it's continued content! Thanks!
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Software I use:
Adobe Creative Cloud (Includes everything listed below):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe Photoshop (Raster Graphics):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe Illustrator (Vector Graphics):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe Premiere (Video Editing):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
Adobe After Effects (Video Effects):
adobe.prf.hn/click/camref:110...
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Social Links:
Website: geeksmithing.com
Twitch geeksmithing.com/twitch
Instagram geeksmithing.com/instagram
Patreon: geeksmithing.com/patreon
Twitter geeksmithing.com/twitter
Facebook geeksmithing.com/facebook
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Superb !!!.. im planning to buy a cheap chinese laser cutting for my year 2020 project. i was thinking about this and finally u made it !!! Thanks for your vids and tutorial !!! 👍👍👍❤❤❤
Haha, great minds..... :D Happy to help! Thanks for watching!
Do your homework. I bought the Thunder Laser Mini 60. Great machine for $4500 but tje rubber making is very tricky. It takes me 3-4 passes to get a good stamp and that is for east text only.
@@paulsiskin5824 I have a 50w for 1500 what setting issues were you having? and did you have a controller upgrade to the digital interface?
Just in case anyone else is looking for an answer to the digital-to-analog power conversion question?
I would recommend installing a mA meter on your digital K40, the digital percentage is basically a random number generator, so you don't really know what is happening if that's your only readout. With that said, on my K40 (yours will likely be different!!!) the setting of 15% equals 7.5 mA and 20% is 10mA. So to hit 8.5 mA I would need to use 17 or 18%. But there's also going to be a ton of other variables, the strength of your tube, mirror alignment, bed height, rubber material, etc., etc, etc, which is probably why @geeksmithing says you'll need to experiment.
Great tutorial!
I also second the recommendation of installing an amp meter for a bit more control. Great info. Thanks Erik!
thank you just the info i needed! i dont have an mA meter yet
This video was perfect timing for me! Bought a k40 a few weeks ago, and have a project this week that requires a custom stamp. Thanks a bunch!
Excellent! Hit me up if you have any questions! Happy to help!
Thank you for the info, sharing the process, the entertainment, and all of the wonderful ideas! I've been hesitant to try stamp engraving on my Ortur and this sealed the deal!
Hopefully that laser is strong enough!
Very helpful video, thank you sir! My values for the K40 Raster Engrave are 9,5 mA and 85mm/s speed and I get really good results with single pass.
Just started researching K40s. Sooo glad I found this vid, very cool stuff, thanks for the explanations!
Glad it was helpful!!:)
Thank you! I have been trying to figure out how to make custom rubber stamps, and my husband is a laser technician - so with your tutorial we should be able to make it happen!
Woohoo!🥳
Same boat here. Please, if you find more information let me know. I am also wanting to buy a laser printer and a 3d printer to make rubber stamps and 3D cookie/polymer clay cutters. The Glowforge laser printer is very expensive so I'm looking for other not so expensive alternatives to get started
You have made an amazingly informative video, it really means you can have a rubber stamp exactly the pattern and size you want. My husband has a laser printer I'm sure he's up for the challenge of making me one. Thanks for all the information.
Hey thanks a lot! I tried to make it as helpful as possible! I have a glowforge related one that has a couple more tips than this one! Glad you enjoyed it!!
thank you ! needed this as a friend wants me to make her a 'made by hand' stamp for her handy craft when she found out I have a K40. By the way make the backing plate and handle from 3mm MDF cut on your K40 , just layer it up as needed :)
Nice! Sure, you can use anything as a handle as I tried to demonstrate, even Lego!:)
Best video on the topic! Had literally everything I needed to know and I appreciate the links!
Yay! Thanks man! Happy to help! Good luck!!!
Laser is the way to go! 👍🏻👍🏻
Enjoyed watching the process! I have a stamp made by Wes and it is awesome, it has held up great!
Thanks Michael! Yup! You sure do and I'm glad to hear that!!👍🤓
Great Video! I have a 50w 4040 that I got almost 2 years ago and I have used it for everything except stamps. I needed something simple and you did a great job explaining what was needed and the drawer handle for the stop was a fantastic idea!
Hey thanks! It's a super addictive to stamp all the things once you start! 😆😆. You will find so many people will want one too!:) Good luck!
@@Geeksmithing Once people found out I had a laser they started asking for everything. Its been great! I 3d print and we just started building a DIY CNC airbrush currently
@@seckora DIY CNC Airbrush?! Hmm I need the Google that!!:) I 3d print and CNC carve as well!
@@Geeksmithing Yea not very many videos on CZcams of it so I figured Dang! Why Not!? I also am working on a drag knife/fabric cutting wheel, so I can cut out clothing. We are stepping out of the box to find ways to help people in any country, be able to open source a simple CNC program and change the head out to be able to do a plethora of things
@@seckora that's awesome! Please share some progress shots as you make some! That sounds awesome
I make stamps for a craftier that need stamps for air dry clay. I found 3mm MDF or Ply works well for this and is far cheaper than the rubber which is best for ink
Awesome video thanks. Great instruction and tips. I used a large wooden drawer knob as the stamp handle and BOOM. Thx
Awesome! Drawer knobs work perfectly right!?
@@Geeksmithing oh yeah had a spare old round French cabinet drawer wood knob/handle. One of those big old 2” numbers worked perfectly as I gave all my Lego away a few years ago now 😉
Thank you helped me so much i looked at photopolymer.. Cnc cut.. Laser cut. I think ill be making this method stamps.
Happy to help!
You sir are a master woodworker!
The obligatory build montage sure makes it seem that way!
Nice video, well put together, no babble for 10mins at the start. Earned a sub :)
Ha thanks!! I try!:)
Hi, I run a rubber stamp shop and this might interest you: We uses both laser engravers and spindle CNC machines to make our stamps. The CNC mill we use is the Korean brand Magic, and it is equipped with very fine jewelry bits which is used to engrave recess of the stamp image onto a "Bakelite" board, we then uses the board as mold for the "vulcanised" rubber in a heat press---The CNC machine is never used to directly make the relief of the rubber stamp image. Also we seldom use laserable rubbers for clients as it gives way inferior ink absorption compared to vulcanised rubbers :D
Hey that is super cool! Thanks for the additional details there. Looking forward to trying that out!
@avcomth - I have a quick question for you. What machine do you use to make the vulcanized rubber stamps? Is it easy to use? Thanks!
Thank you, very helpful!
Thx for watching!
cinder blocks are so versatile, coupled with hot glue you can make anything.
Absolutely! It's truly a match made in heaven. No other two materials ever worked as well together.
Great video! All of it was great.
Thanks Jose!
This made me smile 🙂
(◠‿◕)
I've gotten some mail with some of those stamps before! Loved the lego/KraGle reference.
Heck yeah you have! Not a piece of Geeksmithing mail leaves here without a stamp! It's such a simple thing to bring additional joy to a package or a letter.
Also, I'm glad someone got it!;)
Some great tips! Thanks for posting.
Happy to help! Thanks for watching!
Great video. I still haven't found the right settings for my K40 to get a good stamp in one pass. Also, if you are making the file specifically for stamps, you can always mirror and invert the file in Inkscape. This way there is no need to remember to change the settings in K40 Whisperer.
Yeah, absolutely true. I started inverting and mirroring the graphic in inkscape, but then I ran into the problem of wanting to use the image for other things (lasering a water bottle for instance) and having to go back in and save it as another file etc etc, and this just felt like a simpler solution to me. 🤷♂️😆. I always have that advanced panel out anyways and I have gotten to where I check it for every job.
The other reason I showed it this way, as it seemed like an easier way to group those often overlooked steps together from an instructional point of view, where as in Inkscape those two functions are not right beside one another. 🥔 / 🥔. 😆
First, the ad I'm seeing before your video is for glowforge. Second, remember how Donovan doesn't care enough about your kind product placement to comment on this? I think this is so cool. I'm a proud owner of a Wes original stamp.
Haha of course it was!:) I was excited to give it to you guys and I'm happy you like it!:)
so its looks like best tek for it.
thank for video
My pleasure!
Great video thanks.
My pleasure! Thx for checking it out!
Great video! Can you please comment on the resolution a bit? How small can letters get for example?
Awesome job sir!
Cheers! 👍🤓
Should consider lasering a tiny copy of the stamp design on the top of the handle... Great video
Nice idea! Not sure if that coating is receptive to that, but it may be worth a look. :)
super helpful thanks!!!!!!!
I watched the first video you made on the K40. Can you engrave other plastics such as polymers and adjust the depth as needed?
One day I'll do this. 👍 Thanks for more ideas dude.
My pleasure. I'll convince you one of these days! 😆
@@Geeksmithing oh I'm convinced! Just need to allocate shop space to my lasers and tinkering on electrical stuff 😂
Thank you for your video, verry verry interesting. Appreciate
Thanks so much!
@@Geeksmithing sir, what will be the speed and power for engraving stamps.
This video was awesome. Patreon subscriber "Your Mom"?? HA! Subbed right then and there.
Ha! Great catch! 😆 Thanks!!
Hi i would like to know how to get rifd of fume. Safe to work indoors. please explain the installation and parts.
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your video and skills, simple explanations and that I laughed so much (at the funny bits). Not sure o can do anything more than the hand-carved type of stamp but it was fun to see what goes into making stamps. (Also, how does someone who works so much with their hands have such smooth ones???😯)
Aww, thanks! I'm glad someone else laughs at my dumb jokes! 😆 You might be surprised how fun hand carving them really is, and cheap to try as well! My hands? Moisturizer. 💦😆
@@Geeksmithing I’ve started handcarving with the speedball tools and soft blocks using my own designs and trying out lino blocks. Very, uh ... primitive and abstracted but kind of fun. But I do admire the breadth of your skills and ability to explain. As for your hands 🤷🏻♀️. So many woodworking and tool working people seem to have rough hands. What do I know? Mine are dried out just from winter 😳.
Have you tried delrin if it can?
Thank you.
Sure thing!
I have made probably 10 stamps on my k40 this way so far, works great! And yes, I've forgotten to mirror the image a couple times...
In Inkscape, did you know CTRL+SHIFT+R will resize the page to your artwork? Saves you from having to go in to the document properties.
Last thing, as a driver of an Element, I appreciated the brief cameos they made in the video.
Awesome man! One of my favorite things to make on it. I didn't know that shortcut actually! Thanks! And hey, I also drive an Element.. 😁 (It shows up in my Autobot emblem video)
Another reason to want a laser. My school and the dept of Ed finally approved the purchase of one of the “approved” lasers for schools here. Should have it in a month or so. My whole faculty is super excited. I better get familiar with the “tools” required like Inkscape etc. ty for the tips Wes.
Hey that's fantastic!! Which one you all getting?
Geeksmithing it’s from LST. I’ll have to double check the exact specs. We got the mid range model that was available. $28k. 50w laser if I remember correctly
@@oojagapivy wow. I'm in the wrong business!
Geeksmithing no, no you’re not 😜 The fact that I HAD to buy this model on contract is what stopped me from buying a laser for the last 5 years. I simply couldn’t afford it. My technology admin used part of her computer budget to buy it for ‘the school’. It’s been frustrating talking to colleagues at ‘better off’ schools about their lasers, or those at private schools that didn’t have the same restrictions. I’m still excited and can’t wait though 😁
@@oojagapivy it's awesome!
Love the tabs you have open. Very curious fella.
😆😉💪
Thanks for noticing!:)
great video! Thanks!
Happy to help!
I've made a stamp with the Router CNC. Its difficult to get great quality from it. Several times I've forgotten to flip the image when making some sort of stamp or mould 😆
Dude. It happens without fail. 😆
Great video. Thank you! Could I ask you a couple of question please? I've got same machine and same rubber(orange one), but my engraving isn't that deep like yours? I tried 3 passes in 90 speed & 20% setting. Do you think this setting would be okay, if so do I have to do anything else? Changing heights or changing any other setting? I use K40 whisperer. Thank you
I would try to increase power. Doing multiple passes on this material can lead to funky results.
Loved the video! It's been a more than year since you posted the video and I was wondering if you've had any problems with the laser; how reliable is the brand?
I haven't had any problems at all. Still use it from time to time. There isn't a brand really though. Sort of a loose standard, made by several factories in China I believe.
Thanks for the Video Wes this is something I've been wanting to do. One thing that has bothered me about inkscape is that you can't set the global defaults to inches.
Believe me, there are lots of things I do not like in Inkscape as well. Haha, don't get me started :D
@@Geeksmithing I guess we can't complain too much about free
@@HammerandNeil fact. But watch me try. 😆
Thanks for the great video. Very helpful. Can you tell me what I need to do to make a deeper cut image in the rubber? I used the same setting as you did but it just isn't quite deep enough. Thanks
Thanks! Use that as a starting point and turn up the power a bit then. It can take a bit of fiddling to get it just right. ( Just make sure to not go over 15mA of Current with Analog/Ampmeter version of the K40).
Alternatively, you can also make your pass speed a bit slower to allow the laser to cut deeper.
If you have air assist installed on your K40, that will also will help a good deal.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
@@Geeksmithing Thank you, I will give it a try.
@@robinclark6072Did that help you resolve the issue? You getting deeper cuts?
That Simpson clip had me rolling
Haha, thanks!! Simpsons make everything better!!:)
Unfortunately the note under the laser printer says,
Currently unavailable
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Awesome! What wood was that?
Getting my laser in 2 weeks!!!
Thanks! I think I used a scrap piece of Paduk for it! :)
Any suggestions on the best rubber sheets? I bought some from Consolidating Markings but maybe a harder rubber would be best.
I have a direct link to the product I used in the video description
@@Geeksmithing Thanks, I have the same sheets. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXCC1VK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Oh! Oh! Oh! I want one!!
;)
I'll get it right out to you!
What? already? How are you so fast?!!
Hi Geek! I love your video! It inspired me to get a K40 and try this. Just a quick question, I'm using the digital version and set the power at about 20% , 85mm/s however it was not deep enough.. Right now I'm going for 35% 85mm/s but two passes instead of two.
You would recommend keep increasing the power? so I can make it in one pass?
Hey Juan! While I don't personally have experience with the digital % version, I wouldn't be surprised if you have to put it at least to 50% to begin to make a dent into it. You are on the right frame of mind to start low and go up from there...as it is entirely possible to crank these guys too high and blow out the laser tube if you operate 90% and above. But I was able to engrave in the one pass, so keep at it! :)
@@Geeksmithing Thank you so much! This pass actually made it look good! it was 3 raster and 5 cut to make it happen!
@@JuanGutierrez-zm9bv What percentage and speed settings did you land at? Thanks!
I know im late to this however if you forgot to invert it could you use it for a wax stamp?
Yeah, I don't see why not!
Where do you purchase your foam that goes between the block & stamp
They were from Amazon but haven't stocked the exact one for a while. They have other similar options if you dig a bit. Here is the product I used for reference:
amzn.to/3t8smgT
The foam pad is not available. What would you recommend using? Thank you for the great video. Want to make one for my wife for Christmas.
Maybe you could use a few of these and trim them to fit?
amzn.to/3mihaaV
Or maybe this?
amzn.to/3qcSXFp
@@Geeksmithing thank you.
I love your video!! Nelson and Kermi. Would you say this stamp is comparable to standard store bought stamps? At the end the lettering looked a bit gray and am wondering if the rubber density has to do with ink saturation/delivery. I found a local library w a engraving machine and want to try this.
It might just not have been inked properly first. In my experience, they are just as good. I have a video coming out within a month that is my latest revision on the techniques here and make them even closer to store bought in terms of rigidity for smaller details.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry without looking up myself, can the K40 laser engrave on metals? Mr. Lazy
Not exactly. It can mark metals if you use Ceramark or another similar compound. It can also remove exterior coatings such as powdercoating and anodization from a metal, which may work for some applications, but it cannot engrave down into any metal at any depth.
Hello! Thanks for the video. Finally found one that helped me understand what was all needed for hopefully my new hobby. :) From my research, it doesn't seem that my MacBok Pro will work with the K40 laser? What do you use? Also, what is the average time it takes to laser a stamp of the size you made? Thanks so much!
I unfortunately have a Windows PC. No experience using Mac stuff. And it takes around 10-15min or so
Thank you! I appreciate the response!
Did you have to invest in more parts for the machine and if so what did you add?
Air assist mostly, and a new exhaust fan.
what kind of rubber are you using in manual engraving and where did you buy the tools.. tnx😁
It's all linked in description. For the hand engraving, that is a separate video on this channel with tools also linked in description. There should be a card you can also click to get to it.
when I try small letters, some part of text not appearing with the ink, when I look at the details theses part seems away or melter on stamp. What can I do, I removed air flow and I have some giant flame at full power, multi-pass produce same problem (maybe vibration corrupt the detail). Any recommendation ?
I believe if you have the power too high, it will do that. Try reducing the power and making the pass slower. There should be a sweet spot where it will not vaporize too much extra rubber. Also, be wary of ever running your machine at "full power" as it can damage your laser tube. Typically, the control board can overblow the tube much like running speakers too loud with an amp.
Extremely helpful. What's that Goo Gone???
It's a cleaner found at department and hardware stores and on Amazon.com
what kind of wood did you use and the dimensions of it?
I think it was paduk and like 1.5"*1.5"*0.3" or so. It honestly was not measured, but just referenced off of the size of the stamp and using what scraps I had around.
can it cut shoulder /gradation?
This laser cannot control the bean intensity thru software, so no, not exactly.
5:09 was the mistake I made the first time I did this. Second. It stinks. Make sure you have great ventilation.
Also a solid tip. This crap does indeed stink.
Hello sir can I do rubber stamps with desktop laser machine have power 10 watt??!
Ehhh doubtful. Probably too weak.
Great video Wes. Especially like the attention given to flipping the image and inverting the colors. That stuff is stinky tho
Stinky indeed.
Good morning, please can K40 laser engraver engrave laser rubber for stamps without air assist?
That is a good question. I have never tried it without.
Would ORTUR Laser Master 2 work for this project or I need a more powerful laser?
I sincerely doubt it.
I'm currently experimenting with the Ortur Laser Maser 2 with stamps and it's totally possible, but I'm not getting the depth I want. I think the issue is the laser focus isn't super tight (could be my fault) so if you have letters or lines in general next to each other, the heat is distributed and pushes down (melts) everything around it, so the height of raised parts of the stamps end up getting lowered throughout the process, thus even though the total cut is getting down a mm or so, the raised part to be inked might only be .7 mm's high when ideally you want 1.1mm's high. Tomorrow I'm going to try a lower power and lower speed. However the results thus far are very promising! I def made some successful stamps they just aren't as deep as I would like so some ink showed up in some areas it shouldn't, but I made some small ones that actually did well so I'm sure it's possible! Just make sure to use 600dpi, which for the Ortur is the highest I believe. My thought is the Ortur won't do super fine detail work or very small letters, but it has tons of potential to make great stamps. On Etsy some of the planning stamps for bullet journals like Goal lists and stuff are like $30 but they're very simple! The Ortur could totally do that well. Also don't underestimate craft foam stamps, you want to use very low power but they work surprisingly well too. I'll also throw in I got the 20W laser model which I recommend over the 15 so you get that little extra boost. I used it a 100% a few times and yeah def never do that lol I burned a hole through the rubber and melted my underpad. The Ortur can actually cut into the rubber pretty good even at 40 or 50% which I was surprised at, I got the same laser rubber as in the vid.
Did you have any trouble with it "gumming up your laser" or hurting your mirrors/lenses?
Nope, I used air assist with it, and it wasn't a problem.
@@Geeksmithing I don’t have air assist yet.. on my list. I really want to try but I’m nervous! I have a small business and am getting super busy with holiday orders. I would hate to damage something during my busy season. A good project for January I think!
Can you get 10w or less to to engrave rubber stamps
Sure if you do like 20 passes. 😆
@@Geeksmithing no i will pay the extra just to finish fast so witch laser power is great for one pass
Quantos mm tem a borracha que usaste para fazer o carimbo?
2.3mm
@@Geeksmithing nice
how long time did it take just to engrave the stamp?
I'd say around 10-15 min
@@Geeksmithing is that laser rubber? or is it common rubber. I'm thinking of buying one of those for rubber stamps
@@geovannydelamaza3748 special rubber for lasers. I have the product linked in the description if you wanted to get some for yourself :)
Hahahaha love the dog clip
😊🐺
Y didn't U laser cut the wood?
I considered it, but it leaves black/charred edges, and this type of wood tends to burn a lot.
Is it possible to engrave metals? Have you ever tried?
No, you cannot engrave metals with this laser. You can work with metals in other ways though, such as marking with Ceramark/Enduramark sprays, or removing a coating such as Anodization or powdercoating.
@@Geeksmithing Thanks for the answer!
@@Geeksmithing Ps: do you know of any laser machine that could also engrave metals?
@@blos90 look up Fiber lasers.
@@Geeksmithing Thanks, i am guessing is going to be expensive... But thinking about what you said i could use markers and then this machine to remove the coating to etch the exposed metal.
Very nice video ,great Teacher but please put more ink in your inkpad as the impressions should be good and black not gray looking.
The ink color was grey thank you very much!
What’s the point of flashing that car image at 1:27?
It's an Element.
Great work BUT...$16 for ONE sheet of the rubber material ??? Sheesh, what do you charge, $50 each just to break even ?
That math doesn't really make sense. 😆 I charged around $30 but a bit variable based on size. The handles were on clearance, and the wood is scrap, so I easily broke even and made a profit just on the first stamp sold. 😉🤑
I’ve paid $60-90 for a custom stamp before. For something that you’re going to use for a few years, it’s worth the investment.
I need a laser engraving machine. You can help me?
Nope.
I do not sell these
LoL, what’s up with that dog?!
😆😆😆
Oil under glue?!!?🤦🏼♂️🤪
Good catch! While I try to avoid that on stamps since, the epoxy doesn't care. I use these stamps every week and they haven't fallen apart yet. 🤪