Help with a project

[Jeff Belany]

I have a project and need some advice. Doing some beer tap handles, wood, about 9" long. As you can see from the (not very good) photos, they have a curve to them (photo is a prototype, not a lasered one) Enough of a curve that they need to be lasered 4 times, moving and changing the focus. Lots of work and time. Seriously considering some type of sticker and/or decal. They can be finished after application and will need to be to protect from washing and wear. I'm asking if anyone has any ideas on best technique for these? Any vendors who could do this? Quantity will be an issue for stickers as I don't think the customer will be making large quantities sine he has numerous varieties of beer but not a large number of tapper handles for each flavor.

Anyone done anything similar or have any ideas on substrates or techniques? Keep in mind that they not only need to be printed but also cut out to fit.

Hopefully someone in this great group might have some ideas.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

PS -- Had to save the PDF at the lowest res. to fit on this site so I don't know how it will look, hopefully OK.

[Mike Null]

I have turned down similar projects because of the curve. But I'm wondering if a dye sublimated plate might be the answer. You might also consider a domed insert.

[Michael Kowalczyk]

use a 4" lens. I have done several direct laser engraving on handles. it is usually best if they are finished first so they can be cleaned up easier and then finished again after engraving is done. my customer was happy with the results.

[Jeff Belany]

Thought about the 4" lens but I didn't think I could get one for my Helix. Seem to remember asking Epilog about it.

If Dye Sub, would need to be cut out. Could be cut with the laser but pretty tight register.

Jeff

[Bruce Clumpner]

you could sandblast and paint fill... Cut the mask with your laser and find a local sandblast shop to run it through their cabinet...

[Doug Griffith]

Engrave on a veneer while flat and laminate to the base.

[Mike Null]

I cut a pattern from 5/32" wood on the laser then trimmed dye sub metal to it on my router table. Shouldn't take much time and it looks very good.

[Keith Winter]

You can definitely get at least 2/3rd of that with a 4" lens. Maybe not the whole curve though, that's a major curve. Focus in the middle of the curve to get the most tolerance on each side.

[Jeanette Brewer]

Thought about the 4" lens but I didn't think I could get one for my Helix. Seem to remember asking Epilog about it.

Jeff,

There is a 4" lens available for your Helix. If you're still leaning that direction, call your local distributor to get one on the way to you.

I mentioned this project to my Epilog/Corel guru here (aka Roy Brewer) and he said if he was doing the project, he'd put a shallow vector outline around all the text & graphics. This would tend to hide any unevenness as the beam approaches the extremities.

Your distributor and tech support will be valuable resources to you if you need more advice/help on this project. Goodluck!

[Mike Null]

I think your idea of a decal is a good one but I would dome it, both for improved appearance and wear. Another option would be to use the ORD paper from The Magic Touch USA with acrylic.

[Jeff Belany]

Talked with the customer and think he would go with decals. Any suppliers of decals anyone would recommend? I'm going to do some searching today and see what I find.

Thanks for all the help.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

[Dan Hintz]

Won't the Epilog change focus automatically? Your print file would consist of 4 colors, one for each focus level. Hit 'go' once and the machine should move the table as each color is finished.

[Doug Griffith]

Talked with the customer and think he would go with decals. Any suppliers of decals anyone would recommend? I'm going to do some searching today and see what I find.

Thanks for all the help.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

Small quantities are most likely going to leave you with the option of digitally printed decals. In my opinion, this is not the way to go just because I think they look cheap and if your customer is concerned about their brand, they want it to look like money. Halftones will be apparent in the cream color and you still have to deal with the metallic gold trim. Durability for a heavily used item like a handle will need to be printed second surface, clear laminated after printing, or clear coating the entire handle after applying the decal. If one of the first options, I'd worry about it peeling over time. If you are creating the entire handle and there's room in the margin, I'd contemplate building it up with multiple layers using a male/female tool similar to how skateboards are made. The graphics can be generated flat and embedded into the front surface. The esthetics will be different because of the layers visible on the sides but the whole thing can be stained and hand-worked to give a similar look. Resin coat the entire handle to finish. Just my 2 cents.

[Doug Griffith]

Won't the Epilog change focus automatically? Your print file would consist of 4 colors, one for each focus level. Hit 'go' once and the machine should move the table as each color is finished.

I only wish my Epilog did that.

[Dan Hintz]

I only wish my Epilog did that.

Really? I know my old ULS did it, so I just assumed it was a standard level of functionality of machines of this level.