Least Favorite Material to cut or engrave and Why

[Bert Kemp]

Since we have a Favorite material I think its only fair to have a least favorite and why. I think I'll learn more from this.
So far on all the materials I've worked with and there's not to many Acyclic is my least Favorite. For one it stinks really bad Another I find it very hard to get good results on. I'm sure its just me and my settings but I don't have the time or money to buy it and experiment with it.
I'm sure there's a lot of other things that are harder to work with and that's why I started the thread to find out what to stay away from.

[Walt Langhans]

My finger :P

[Chris DeGerolamo]

Red over white Rowmark.

[Joe Pelonio]

That has to be Lexan/Polycarbonate. Nasty smell, yellow smoke, and rough edges. I'll do 1/16" or less but if someone asks for 1/8" or thicker I try to put them onto another material (or laser shop).

[Gary Hair]

I hate leather! It's stinky, smelly, nasty, and creates a mess. On the good side, the one customer I do a lot of leather engraving pays really well.

I also hate sandblast stencil. It's a love-hate relationship. Like leather, it's stinky, smelly, nasty and creates a mess - both inside the laser and everywhere thereafter. The "love" part is that, like leather, it brings in a ton of money.

Funny, the two things I hate lasering the most are my biggest co2 moneymakers...

[Scott Shepherd]

Rubber is top of my list.

[Graham Taylor]

wood (MDF) - its dirty and filthy (and not in a good way )

[Walt Langhans]

wood (MDF) - its dirty and filthy (and not in a good way )

Yeah... that's what I cut... all day every day... *sigh*

[Keith Winter]

+1 lexan/polycarbonate
glass is also a pain
ceramark (cheating a bit , I know it's not a material but a spray for material) I know many people on here use, but I dislike the stuff. It's messy, expensive, and doesn't always adhere as well as I would like.

[Bert Kemp]

WHY??? I was just at Laser Bits and bought some gold over black.

Red over white Rowmark.

[Bert Kemp]

Yeah... that's what I cut... all day every day... *sigh*

thought you did fingers

[Ernie Balch]

I dislike one of a kind rush items. Someone shows up with a pen or a bat or a turned wood bowl. They want it instantly, there is only one piece and it can't be screwed up. I am much happier cutting and engraving 50 canoe decks or 25 cutting boards or 100 olive oil sixpacks.

[Keith Outten]

Rubber is also my least favorite, the oder is as bad as a skunk and its dirty.

Bert, contact your local picture frame shops and ask about purchasing their acrylic drops. I get a truck load of acrylic drops from my local frame shop for ten bucks and lots of the pieces are pretty large. I rarely need to cut large sheets down when I need small pieces for a job, I just go to my drops pile.

[Bert Kemp]

I'll check into that Keith ty

Rubber is also my least favorite, the oder is as bad as a skunk and its dirty.

Bert, contact your local picture frame shops and ask about purchasing their acrylic drops. I get a truck load of acrylic drops from my local frame shop for ten bucks and lots of the pieces are pretty large. I rarely need to cut large sheets down when I need small pieces for a job, I just go to my drops pile.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Laserlights. It never seems to lay flat enough no matter how much suction or using a sticky mat. I find my engravings to be consistently inconsistent with that stuff. While it might be just me, it seems as if the top coat is thinner and thicker in some spots.