plaque/laser foil - Help Please

[Jackie McGowan]

What am I doing wrong?

I'm lasering walnut plaques. I thought getting the position right would be the hardest but...

I already wasted a plaque! This is the first time I'm using the laser foil from laserbits & the first time doing walnut. The instructions say to Lightly apply the foil to the project and burnish foil after lasering. I did that on a test pc of wood and some pcs came off so I figured I had put it on too lightly. so when I did the plaque I rubbed it a little with my hand before lasering. After lasering, took the extra pcs off fine and burnished using the paper backing and my hand, so far so good. Then I had to clean the residue of (there is more residue with the walnut plaque than with my test pc which was maple) Now is when My problem starts. I can't get of all of the residue (off the foil parts) and before I even get glose the corners of my foil pc are lifting! and they won't go back down! I was using warm water on a rag, Didn't get it all off so I tryed goo off (works on wood for me) but still can't get it off the foil.

SO...

Did I not burnish enough after lasering?
Is it normal to have the residue on the foil?
(I did not use air assist, should I?)

To give you an idea without posting the file, there is a medical symbol with a rastered out background and in a separate area a few lines of copy with a rastered out background that both get the gold foil.

I need to do 5 of these all together and already need to replace one. Is there anyone with laserfoil experience that can gove advise?

[Margaret Turco]

I have no experience with laserfoil, but can you raster before you apply the foil? Clean the wood of residue if there is any then vector around the foil you want to keep and weed out the rest?

[Jackie McGowan]

Hi Margaret,

According to the directions your supposed to put the foil on first but, since I have a bad plaque now at least I can experiment a little on it so I may try it. Thanks

[Mike Null]

Jackie

Put the foil on with a plastic squeegee of credit card before lasering. Watch your power settings as you can scorch the foil. Clean first then weed. Use a diluted orange type cleaner very carefully with a soft cloth or paper towel.

If you need to raster around the image you may want to draw a white hairline around the image just to add a little protection. Not sure it works but my results are pretty good.

Here's an example in this thread.

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=88786

[Jackie McGowan]

Mike those are really nice. Thanks for the input. I was afraid to burnish the foil too much before lasering (I thought the excess may ruin the finish when being pulled off), so I think that was my first error. I'm trying a test now with the air assist on, so hopefully I will have a little less residue. The goo off stuff is a citrus based oil but I think I have a different citrus one here I will try too. The plaque I'm doing is the same color as the FF one so I'll be using the shoe polish too. Wish me luck ... and thanks again

[Mike Null]

Jackie

I use Fiebings liquid sole dressing from the shoe repair shop. I use that before cleaning the foil.

[Jerry Hay]

last time I used laser foil I put the foil on the wood. I made sure it was all down with no bubbles. Then I applied masking tape over top the foil and lasered through it all. It was great I peeled off the masking tape and didn't have to clean off anything. It was on a plaque from about two years ago and it still looks great. I have also applied the foil and just vector cut it. I peeled away the excess and it left my lettering intact. I used the laser foil from Sign Warehouse that I got when I bought my laser. ( OK Laugh, but I did buy there, I am kind of lucky cause they have helped a little.) You may have to work on the settings of your laser to get it to engrave and cut clean. I would get a cheap piece of wood and play with settings untill you get it to burn away clean.

[Mike Null]

Jerry

I like what you have to say especially about beer.

[Jackie McGowan]

Ok I did a test on the back of the ruined plaque (It has the same finish on back as on front) Since I'm using the shoe polish (I actually have the liquid one for the soles of the shoe here, just a different brand) I thought I could speed up my time. So I did that with the air assist on, and I did get less residue (still some though). and I had burnished the foil this time with the credit card before engraving. I used the sole polish then cleaned the foil with simple green. The simple green seemed to clean it all off very well and easily! the test looks good and at least now I feel confident I can do it! I may raster it twice though because I want it a little deeper.

Jerry the masking tape sounds like it would work on simpler designs and I will keep it in mind. I'd be afraid to do it on this because the medical symbol has some thin lines and I'm afraid I'll pull those off with the tape.

Well I wasted a plaque but I have three things in my favor:
I learned something
I have time to order another blank
and I'm still making out good $ wise on the order

Thanks again!

[Margaret Turco]

Good job Jackie! I'm glad you got it to work!

[Steve Clarkson]

I've used the laser foil twice and I put it on very firmly.....as hard as I can actually......because the first time I used it.....when I "burnished" it (and I couldn't figure out which side of the used paper to do it with....so I used both sides!) a few pieces came off. I didn't get any residue from the rastering, so I can't help you there. Actually, I don't think I helped you at all!!!

[Frank Corker]

.... Actually, I don't think I helped you at all!!!

No, you didn't, but you did make me laugh. First time I used it I had little bits of the stuff stuck on just about everything!

Jackie any polish that you had on the wood could cause the sticky tape to fail on it's own. I've used that stuff a couple of times to great effect but I engraved the wood first, cleaned the wood, then put the foil on after and used very low power (10%) with 100% speed to vector. Afterwards it will accept any polish over the top and it shouldn't peel.

[George Brown]

No, you didn't, but you did make me laugh. First time I used it I had little bits of the stuff stuck on just about everything!

Jackie any polish that you had on the wood could cause the sticky tape to fail on it's own. I've used that stuff a couple of times to great effect but I engraved the wood first, cleaned the wood, then put the foil on after and used very low power (10%) with 100% speed to vector. Afterwards it will accept any polish over the top and it shouldn't peel.

Frank, when you vector at full speed, don't you get wiggly lines. If my vectors are anything but lines and simple curves, the cut shows tiny wiggles in them.

George

[Frank Corker]

Frank, when you vector at full speed, don't you get wiggly lines. If my vectors are anything but lines and simple curves, the cut shows tiny wiggles in them.

George

George I haven't had that problem. If you are getting squiggles I suspect that your vector has the problem in it, perhaps lines that are covered and not visible straight off. That might be whats causing it. All of mine worked out fine.

[Stephen Beckham]

Jackie,

One other thing you can try in the future - I use the orange revitalizing oil from Pledge on my solid wood plaques to brighten them back up after etching.

On one occasion where I was using the foil on Alder, I was talking while working (imagine that - there should be a warning of talking while working and their results posted somewhere). Well, I accidentally put the oil on the plaque before etching first - foil and all. I figured instead of embarassing myself and pointing out I went out of sequence, I continued like I was supposed to do it that way - loaded and continued to talk. When it was done, I wiped off the oil with windex - along with it, all the residue. Then re-oiled around the foil to protect the wood again.

So now when I use the foil, I coat it with a light coat of the oil to keep residue from sticking. Not sure if it will work for you, but I thought I'd mention it for GP....