Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 61

Thread: Forget Cermark and Plaster of Paris, try this

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Glenelg, MD
    Posts
    12,256
    Blog Entries
    1
    I'll comment on this thread later... but for now, it's been marked...
    Hi-Tec Designs, LLC -- Owner (and self-proclaimed LED guru )

    Trotec 80W Speedy 300 laser w/everything
    CAMaster Stinger CNC (25" x 36" x 5")
    USCutter 24" LaserPoint Vinyl Cutter
    Jet JWBS-18QT-3 18", 3HP bandsaw
    Robust Beauty 25"x52" wood lathe w/everything
    Jet BD-920W 9"x20" metal lathe
    Delta 18-900L 18" drill press

    Flame Polisher (ooooh, FIRE!)
    Freeware: InkScape, Paint.NET, DoubleCAD XT
    Paidware: Wacom Intuos4 (Large), CorelDRAW X5

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Hintz View Post
    but for now, it's been marked...
    My Dog used to do the same thing
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  3. #18
    I was looking at the ingredients to cermark the other day. I wasn't sure where the actual pigment came from, and I was expecting to see some kind of oxide or dioxide. What I found was that most of them were solvents and I am pretty sure one of the only solid ingredients that could mark a pigment was molybedenum. Don't take me to court on it, but I will double check. If it is, why don't you try mixing the molyb with some of the other solvents in the cermark. It would be nice to figure out a little ghetto brew that costs a fraction of the cost.
    Last edited by Russell Ludwick; 04-02-2011 at 10:00 PM.
    Trotec Speedy 30W (firing at about 34W) 29"x17"
    CNC machinist using Mastercam for Mills and Lathes
    Mechanical Engineer using Solidworks and Pro Engineer Wildfire
    Aquariumist Extrodinaire

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Glenelg, MD
    Posts
    12,256
    Blog Entries
    1
    Russell,

    Take a stroll through their patent... the contents are pretty straightforward. Clay to absorb the laser power (wavelength dependent), glass frit to seal it all in, a carrier (e.g., DNA), and a pigment (take your pick, minerals galore).
    Hi-Tec Designs, LLC -- Owner (and self-proclaimed LED guru )

    Trotec 80W Speedy 300 laser w/everything
    CAMaster Stinger CNC (25" x 36" x 5")
    USCutter 24" LaserPoint Vinyl Cutter
    Jet JWBS-18QT-3 18", 3HP bandsaw
    Robust Beauty 25"x52" wood lathe w/everything
    Jet BD-920W 9"x20" metal lathe
    Delta 18-900L 18" drill press

    Flame Polisher (ooooh, FIRE!)
    Freeware: InkScape, Paint.NET, DoubleCAD XT
    Paidware: Wacom Intuos4 (Large), CorelDRAW X5

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Conyers Ga
    Posts
    188
    I just orderd some Because I make some shipping tags then the customer throws away, so I might use it the next time im going to test it first, which will be cheaper for throw away tags

    Thanks
    Dean Fowell

    Support Engineer
    Cad Cam Solutions



    Georgia USA Previously Down Under
    Corel, Inkscape, Solidworks, Solid Edge, Lasercut 5.3, PhotoGrave 3.0 Radan, Tool Shop Cad Cam, AutoCad 2013, Radan Cad Cam , Visiual Macro
    FLC1490 80 watt, Shopbot

  6. #21
    Great find. Now is this stuff available in the UK. I would love to offer metal invitations! Amazing!
    Jit Patel
    London UK

    30w Trotec Speedmarker CL (Galvo) with 400mm & 250mm lens
    80w Trotec Speedy 400 with Rotary, Vacuum Table, Cutting Lamellas, 2" & 1.5" lens, Pass through
    Oki Printing Press
    Abobe Creative Suite - Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign.
    Vector Magic


  7. #22
    Awesome find Greg thanks, I hope thats good Scottish malt thats been harboring in the flask
    Epilog Legend EXT 60w-Corel X4
    Skype me .

    There's a lot more good than evil,
    and there's a lot more joy than pain.

    "Yea, though I walk through the valley
    of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil:
    for thou art with me;
    thy rod and thy staff
    they comfort me."

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Canton, Ohio
    Posts
    259
    Jit, - Rokol sells it online over there called Rocol Dry Moly Spray at - online bearings Dot co Dot uk - It's just one place to begin. I must say your VAT sure drives up the prices! If you don't like online , try to look for a bearing company in your particular area. That's what I did and it worked out OK. BTW - if you let the stuff dry completely, which takes three hours on the particular spray I have mentioned to you, you'll get a better burn. I know it's a long wait. But for short runs or a one off where you don't need a constant supply of Cmark or Tmark, it will work. If I had a production line of X hundreds of units, then obviously I would use Cmark or Tmark and cook the cost of the marking material into the final price. If you factor all these high end solvents, into the price of possession which can sit on your shelf and in some cases go beyond the expiration date, you will loose money.

    The dry Cmark should last a long time. And it's recyclable.

    I like experimenting with different materials, some I see others using on the Net and others which I look at and say " Hmmmm. I wonder what kind of a mark that will leave?"

    Incidentally, I did another flask with the dry moly completely cured at 600DPI - 6 speed 100 power one pass and it left a darker than the first one. So that saved time. If I really wanted to save time, I'd buy an Epilog FiberMark. Talk about the price of possession for ten or twenty odd units a year!! - So I hope you see my point and my methodology.

    I just use the method which I feel will make the most sense to me with all given variable constraints.

    Dave - Single malt Glenfiddich 15 year old is a nice middle of the road brand for me.
    Last edited by Greg Bednar; 04-08-2011 at 1:39 PM.
    Life and death don't bother me. It's that little period of time in between that bothers me.

    Epilog Mini-24 40w with Rotary, Flame Polisher, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6, EngraveSoft, Windows 10 64-bit.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Posts
    83
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Bednar View Post
    This flask, made of stainless chinesium, was sprayed with Dry Moly then rastered at 3% speed and 100% power, air assist and two passes. $7.00 for a spray can. Photo taken with webcam. No weird angles to alter the photo; it's a straight on shot.

    No amount of Glenfiddich Scotch was harmed in the marking of this hip flask.

    I just thought I'd share, since the SC has been so good to me.
    I was just wondering if anybody uses this regularly for marking metal. I've never needed it before, but I'd like to try this instead of the expensive CerMark for a project I'm working on.
    Epilog Helix 45 watt
    Wacom Tablet
    Corel X7 Subscription
    Mac Book Pro running Windows via VMware Fusion


  10. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Posts
    1,843
    A can of Cermark really isn't that expensive. Considering it goes a long, long way & can pay for itself over & over & over. I don't bother recycling it either. Not worth my time.
    Tim
    There are Big Brain people & Small Brain people. I'm one of the Big Brains - with a lot of empty space.- me
    50W Fiber - Raycus/MaxPhotonics - It's a metal eating beast!
    Epilog Fusion M2 50/30 Co2/Fiber - 2015
    Epilog Mini 24 – 35watt - 2006 (Original Tube)
    Ricoh SG3110DN
    - Liberty Laser LLC

  11. #26
    I recycle the dry chunks that form and fall off my bottles. But I go thru a ton of the stuff, spent over $700 on Cermark so far this year. Going thru a ton of DA to mix it with too. I'd love to find a cheaper alternative! One of these days I may remember to buy some plaster and moly!
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  12. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Innisfil Ontario Canada
    Posts
    4,019
    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    I recycle the dry chunks that form and fall off my bottles. But I go thru a ton of the stuff, spent over $700 on Cermark so far this year. Going thru a ton of DA to mix it with too. I'd love to find a cheaper alternative! One of these days I may remember to buy some plaster and moly!
    You don't need DNA ordinary hardware store methylhydrate works fine.. I Recycle the stuff. I'm cheap.. I've used two spray cans in just over 10 years. Even when it's empty, you can cut it open and get enough for dozens more jobs. I charge $3.50 er sq inch with a 5 sq inch minimum charge.
    Epilog 24TT(somewhere between 35-45 watts), CorelX4, Photograv(the old one, it works!), HotStamping, Pantograph, Vulcanizer, PolymerPlatemaker, Sandblasting Cabinet, and a 30 year collection of Assorted 'Junque'

    Every time you make a typo, the errorists win

    I Have to think outside the box.. I don't fit in it anymore


    Experience is a wonderful thing.
    It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.


    Every silver lining has a cloud around it




  13. #28
    Neither HD or Lowes has methanol on their websites. And where I did find it online, it costs more than the $15 a gallon I'm paying HD for DA...?

    And yeah, it's amazing how much Cermark can be in an 'empty' can! I've cut up every can I've ever bought...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  14. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    1,484
    I stopped buying denatured or methanol when the office equipment repair place next
    to me closed shop. He gave me lots and lots of 'duplicator fluid' (aka Ditto fluid) the
    stuff they used to make copies with. (remember smelling the pages in school?)
    I wondered why shellac flakes would melt in about 48 hours with denatured alcohol,
    but be ready to use in about 2 hours with the ditto fluid. Turns out it's around 190 proof.
    (95% ethanol, 5% isopropanol and a little N-propyl acetate)
    Great for cermark leftovers, dries almost instantly.
    And it cleans just about anything.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Milton Keynes, UK
    Posts
    59
    Ok thought I would give this a go as wanted to try metal engraving for the first time since I got my Speedy 300 in March.

    Purchased can of dry moly spray (under £17 here in UK).
    Method... Clean with Isopropol Alcohol, spray with moly until black, wait until dry (about 2 or 3 mins), laser, clean with alcohol.

    Look at this great result on a steel hammer head... Power 100, Speed 10.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Cheers, Steve

    --

    Trotec Speedy 300, Rated at 89.8 watts.
    Atmos Duo, Rotary Attachment, Corel Draw 7

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •