Cal 393 Posted September 26, 2016 I hate it when this happens... The wife calls Friday night and asks if I can etch a couple Yeti type mugs if she picks them up. Need them Monday AM for a conference she says... Is there a vector file for the requested image, no - just a jpeg... Well, the image was much too complex to simply cut out. The company allowed me to do whatever I could without restriction. The mugs are to be raffled off or given out as door prizes or some such. Oh yes, the black mug was an experiment. It came from Wally world with the black surface. I am not sure what it is. I am pretty sure it is not powder coat as it came off pretty easily... Cal 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andygeekboy 62 Posted September 26, 2016 The black one turned out great! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mfatty500 454 Posted September 26, 2016 Needs a stroke around the text 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 393 Posted September 27, 2016 Yes, in retrospect I would make a couple changes & additions. with the time I had, I felt lucky to get them done. They were delivered today and the folks said they were thrilled with them. cal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mfatty500 454 Posted September 27, 2016 Get the loot and scoot.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted September 27, 2016 on the silver ones you can use rub and buff black to make the etching Pop! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DNA_Vinyl 262 Posted September 29, 2016 On 9/27/2016 at 1:12 PM, xpaperman said: on the silver ones you can use rub and buff black to make the etching Pop! man I gotta try that stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vitaman 27 Posted September 30, 2016 +1 for Rub n' Buff. Works great on glass too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joker 618 Posted September 30, 2016 Nice work CLHYER... I picked up one of those black mossy oak ones and had to personalize it to my liking 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 393 Posted October 1, 2016 Been gone all week... I have used the Rub n Buff on some glassware. Looked good when done, but faded quite a bit after some few washings. Joker, what did you use to get such vibrant colors? Cal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted October 1, 2016 probably vinyl 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joker 618 Posted October 2, 2016 CLHyer i did use vinyl..and plus got a new cell phone that takes great pictures 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted October 2, 2016 Here's how I do cups. This is 30 cups out of a 60 cup order. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GTP30 7 Posted October 3, 2016 Usually after everything I do I'll look at it and think "I should of done such and such" but those turned out good. The black 1 looks the best to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 393 Posted October 3, 2016 Go-C Are those engraved? I sure would not want to be sandblasting all those letters! Cal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted October 3, 2016 1 hour ago, clhyer said: Go-C Are those engraved? I sure would not want to be sandblasting all those letters! Cal I do orders like this all the time! The trick is to cut your stencils! Then you just blast them. You don't engrave each individual letter! Then, dust off and rub and buff, let set for a few minutes, peel off stencil rinse and dry! When done in larger quantities it actually goes pretty smooth! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andygeekboy 62 Posted October 3, 2016 1 hour ago, xpaperman said: The trick is to cut your stencils! Then you just blast them. You don't engrave each individual letter! Then, dust off and rub and buff, let set for a few minutes, peel off stencil rinse and dry! When done in larger quantities it actually goes pretty smooth! You should make a video of your process, those are some nice mugs! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted October 3, 2016 5 hours ago, clhyer said: Go-C Are those engraved? I sure would not want to be sandblasting all those letters! Cal Yes they are laser engraved. Quick wipe with DA Quick spray with cermark Let it dry about 15 min. Place in laser Hit go 5 min later it's done Wash off the extra cermark. I can average about 12 cups an hour. It pretty easy and lots of web surfing during the 5min. of engraving. I can clean and spray 15 cups during the first 10 mins of engraving so that leaves 50 mins of nothing while I'm swapping cups out every 5 mins. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted October 4, 2016 12 hours ago, Go-C Graphics said: Yes they are laser engraved. Quick wipe with DA Quick spray with cermark Let it dry about 15 min. Place in laser Hit go 5 min later it's done Wash off the extra cermark. I can average about 12 cups an hour. It pretty easy and lots of web surfing during the 5min. of engraving. I can clean and spray 15 cups during the first 10 mins of engraving so that leaves 50 mins of nothing while I'm swapping cups out every 5 mins. What Laser do you have? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted October 4, 2016 11 hours ago, xpaperman said: What Laser do you have? Well it started life out as a crappy ebay 50W white and blue laser. Which by the way these can peak at 50w but are really only about 35-40w After thousands of dollars and tons of time I've pretty much had to upgrade everything. Things I've modified and upgraded Mirror and lenses Exhaust system 2 replacement tubes Cutting bed Amp meter Air Assist Active chiller Water cooling system Power supply replacement rotary And the list goes on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andygeekboy 62 Posted October 4, 2016 13 minutes ago, Go-C Graphics said: After thousands of dollars and tons of time I've pretty much had to upgrade everything. out of curiosity, do you think you've made your money back on it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted October 4, 2016 1 minute ago, andygeekboy said: out of curiosity, do you think you've made your money back on it? Nope, I haven't come close yet. The expenses seem to add up just as fast as the incoming revenue. Still searching for my niche. That's really the only way you're going to make it with a laser. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andygeekboy 62 Posted October 4, 2016 Thanks, hope you find it soon and the $$$ come rolling in! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted October 4, 2016 I stayed away from that laser for fear of just that. Hate to hear you had to go through all that. The ones I have been looking at that look like the right way to go are so expensive. I don't feel like I would make my money back in the end. At least not fast enough for me. I guess I will keep doing them by hand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted October 4, 2016 1 hour ago, Go-C Graphics said: Nope, I haven't come close yet. The expenses seem to add up just as fast as the incoming revenue. Still searching for my niche. That's really the only way you're going to make it with a laser. there is a guy on a crafters fb page that sells laser cut acrylic planks to the crafters to bling out or put vinyl on and makes a killing but then again he started the group making it look like just a crafters site but it only has about 3 authorized vendors that can be mentioned without the post being removed - I sent samples and told I was approved but never showed up as approved lol - one of the big 3 is a vinyl printer for crafters. long point being there is evidently a large market for laser cut blanks for adding vinyl to - in lots of shapes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
