Cermark question

[Neil Pabia]

Don't laugh, I'm still a newbie at this.
I have some white tiles and have bought Cermark for glass and tiles and have thinned it out 10-1 and applied it with an airbrush, now my question is...How much Cermark do I need to apply to the tile and what power and speed should I be using to get a black mark on the tile? So far I know that 100 speed and 50 power is not the results I am looking for.

[Dee Gallo]

According to the LMC directions, you should be using 40 power/15 speed/500dpi for a 50w machine. If it turns blue-grey, you either have too much power or need more speed. Since you have a 60w and we never know the exact power, you need to experiment to get the perfect settings for YOUR laser.

If you look at the Ferro video, they show you a guy doing the spraying and what to look for. In general, if it's applied too lightly you will get a light mark, if it's too heavy, it will not stick as well as it should even though it might look really black.

There are some on this forum who swear by super light application, then others who put it on heavily with a brush. Also, I personally never thin it more than I have to as long as it goes through the airbrush without clogging. So that's about the thickness of milk. But whatever the thinning ratio, you want to apply enough coats to cover the tile evenly and completely (no see through). Oh yeah - make sure it's dry before lasering!

Good luck! dee

[Neil Pabia]

Thanks Dee, this one came out much better. I was using way too little Cermark and way too high of a speed and power. The lighting is bad, but the work is okay.
Thanks again for the help,
Neil

[Dee Gallo]

I love it when a plan comes together! Good work solving the problem. And BTW- nobody's laughing, we've all asked that same question before! Just get yourself a notebook and write your settings down for next time.

cheers, dee