Gold

[David Dustin]

Has anyone had any success in marking/engraving gold with a CO2 laser?

Does Cermark or Thermark work with gold?


I have the high density optics for my system but it wont touch gold...

Thanks,
David

[Frank Corker]

It's one of those things with the good stuff, gold, silver and brass. All of them are a bit troublesome. You can get a good mark if you go high enough power and low speed. Not to sure on how good the result on gold but certainly the others I have mentioned. Now this is a one off offer, send me one bar of gold and I'll do some tests on it. Huh????

[David Dustin]

Well I had been experimenting with different settings before my system quit and couldn't really get it to even dent.

Always the tweaker, I started trying different materials on top of the gold.
Black electrical tape, magic marker, anthing to give the beam something to hit.
With nothing on the gold it will spark periodically but won't leave a mark.

Nobody uses cermark on Gold?

Thanks.
David

[Rodne Gold]

Considering your mirrors are polished steel that is gold plated , you have very little chance of marking it. Gold is one of the best materials for thermal conduction too , so it wicks away heat big time.

[Frank Corker]

Don't go with your experiments, send me the bar and I'll post pictures of the results!

[Joe Pelonio]

I posted the results of using Cermark on gold a couple of years ago, it worked fine.

[David Dustin]

I posted the results of using Cermark on gold a couple of years ago, it worked fine.

Any preference as to LMM 14 or LMM 6000?

Thanks,
David

[Mike Mackenzie]

David,

The 6000 is a high stick solution I would give that a try.

[Joe Pelonio]

Any preference as to LMM 14 or LMM 6000?

Thanks,
David

What I used was LMM6000.

[Jack Harper]

I believe their RD-6038 is the high adhesion version for high polish materials like aluminum.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Jack,

I believe that is THERMARK's P/N the LM6000 is CERDEC's both do the same however one is water based and one in alcohol based.

[Jack Harper]

Jack,

I believe that is THERMARK's P/N the LM6000 is CERDEC's both do the same however one is water based and one in alcohol based.

Actually, according the Ferro's website there is a 6000 version and a 6038. The 6038 is supposed to adhere to high polish/reflective material better than the 6000 version. I did not see anything indicating it would not stick any less on other metals and the price appears to be the same, so I have no idea as to why they would continue to offer the 6000 version. Both are listed as ethanol based as comapred to the Thermark which you correctly indicated as water base.

I have been reviewing thai as I am about to do my largest Cermark project yet, a 4'x12' stainless steel sign for my business. The high expense of the 1/4" thick sheet along with the 17 hours of cutting on the waterjet has motivated be to at least try to get it right.

[Eric Allen]

Cermark works fine on gold, though the advertising for 6038 on their website can lead to a bit of confusion. Sean Wier is the fantastic rep that explained what they meant by that. 6038's advertised use for chrome and such has nothing to do with it's bonded strength to material after lasing, it's strictly adhesion prior to being worked. It doesn't really run or sag on slick materials. It's good stuff, I use it for gold, but be prepared to really work at it. Airbrushing exactly the right amount makes a world of difference. Too heavy or light and it has various problems. As others have said, gold is a great heat sink, it's also soft. Recommend to the client that they not use a harsh polish like MAAS, (yeah, it's harsh, it removes scratches, that's metal removal) anything that takes off metal can potentially take off your mark, it's only as good as the metal it's bonded to. Someone mentioned one of the water based Thermark or Cermark products, can't remember which one, that worked better on Aluminum, they were able to run the laser much faster, meaning it was sucking up more heat. It was a dramatic difference, so it would be worth your time to try and hunt that thread up and consider it. Aluminum is another PITA material for similar reasons. The methanol based stuff takes a lot of time on gold and perfect application was critical, as well as a lot of power. Or, you could just send it to Frank, I'm sure he'll take good care of you

[Frank Corker]

I will I promise. I'll send you photos and to save you money I won't send the bar back, saving on the postage!