I may have asked this question before, but I can’t find it. One of the hardest steps for me in making jewelry is marking it. In addition to my initials and a sterling or 14K mark, I add a serial number and size stamp as long as it doesn’t deform the piece or make it unstable. I spend more time marking some pieces than I do polishing them. This is partially because my hands cramp up and I can never get the number sequence right (dysgraphia). I am curious if anyone has experience using the new laser markers that I see in my FB feed to do this type of marking. I could also see it being useful to transfer a design to metal that will later be engraved, chased or in some other way applied to the metal. I work mainly in silver and I know that silver is a challenge for lasers. Thoughts appreciated. Thanks…Rob
I’m curious if you mark your pieces before forming them or do you prefer to mark them after they have been formed into a band?
You’re really looking at an IR laser (1064nm) rather than the blue laser style. The blue lasers can mark stainless steel easily but for other metals it needs a very high amount of power to do it.
The xtool F1 with the infrared diode and paired with the rotary tool would be quite complete for marking silver and gold.
I’m saving for the D1 40W and an IR add on as I want to use it for multiple purposes.
I mark after polishing, but before shaping, so they are flat…Rob
What would I need to also be able to mark and cut heavy paper for roll printing? Thanks, I don’t know much about lasers…Rob
Hi,
here is an interesting review article…i think i was more curious about the XTool F-1 in the pop up ads!
julie
Rob, some years ago I got curious and bought a kit laser from Darkly Labs in Australia.
It was a 4 watt laser, reasonably powerful at the time, and was able to burn designs on paper.
However, it used long rubber belts to drive the head, and I was never able to get the tension on the two belts adjusted properly for accurate tracking.
You will need a lot more power than 4 watts unless all you do is work on paper, and whatever you buy, be sure the stepper motors drive worm gears, not rubber belts.
I believe Darkly Labs corrected that issue in later versions. That did me no good, but they are a reliable company.
Good luck with it and if you find something that works please let us know.
Neil A
P.S. If you buy something and it does not come with good software, Cut2D Laser by Vectric is good. Vectric is a great company and produces astoundingly good software.
They are Australian as well.
Neil…Thanks!..Rob
Anything above 5W should do the job - 10W visible blue would do the trick - not 100% if the IR can cut paper but I believe it should be able to - the physics says it should (in my understanding at least)
