Laser Engraver for Makers Mark

JRB Blades

JRB Blades

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
266
Looking around to see if anyone has any leads on a laser engraver for maker's mark that doesn't break the bank. I have seen several online in the $300-$600 range that says they can do metals, but not sure how it would handle hardened knife steel.
 

Desktop laser engraver?

Does anyone use a desktop laser engraver for their makers mark? If so, what specs are important to consider? I currently use a homemade electro chemical etch with a stencil. Any info would be appreciated.
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

In short, no. This has been discussed quite a few times here. Try the search engine and you’ll find tons of information on it.
 
how big is the bank or budget ? most people electro etch rather than laser the makers mark.
 
ChristoDart said:

Desktop laser engraver?

Does anyone use a desktop laser engraver for their makers mark? If so, what specs are important to consider? I currently use a homemade electro chemical etch with a stencil. Any info would be appreciated.
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

In short, no. This has been discussed quite a few times here. Try the search engine and you’ll find tons of information on it.
Click to expand...
I'll do that. Thanks!
 
john april said:
how big is the bank or budget ? most people electro etch rather than laser the makers mark.
Click to expand...
I do use my electroetch machine. Just looking for more consistent results I guess. Don't want to spend thousands if possible.
 
You can buy a used New Hermes pantograph engraver fairly cheaply on Ebay, if you shop.
The diamond drag cutter will easily mark steel.
 
Or if you do batches you can send it out...

i-5h6NFZ9-L.jpg
 
You can get a 20w laser shipped from China for under 2K these days. I would recommend going for the 30w for not that much more money. Right under 2K as well. The place I ordered from has supplied numerous established knifemakers and no one has had a negative thing to say about them.
 
killthelights said:
You can get a 20w laser shipped from China for under 2K these days. I would recommend going for the 30w for not that much more money. Right under 2K as well. The place I ordered from has supplied numerous established knifemakers and no one has had a negative thing to say about them.
Click to expand...

killthelights killthelights Can you share details about the place and what you purchased? Any examples of the output and the things it can do? Thank you!
 
Cliff Carter Knives said:
killthelights killthelights Can you share details about the place and what you purchased? Any examples of the output and the things it can do? Thank you!
Click to expand...
It is a fiber laser from JW Laser. Their Instagram is jwlaser_lucas. Bought from them them through Alibaba about a year ago. Got a 30w to my door for about $2300 and I know the prices have dropped quite a bit since then. The last price he gave me was for two 30w lasers with shipping for $1500 a piece. But you had to buy 2 of them. That was last August. The link has some images of things I've marked/made. I'm limited by my graphic design skills otherwise the laser can do incredible things.
https://imgur.com/a/RQsjXcL
 
Wow. That’s incredibly cool.

killthelights killthelights how was set up and using it? I couldn’t make much sense out of the actual ad on alibaba, is it intuitive or was there good customer service? Are you happy with it? Thanks for the info, it’s super helpful!
 
Cliff Carter Knives said:
Wow. That’s incredibly cool.

killthelights killthelights how was set up and using it? I couldn’t make much sense out of the actual ad on alibaba, is it intuitive or was there good customer service? Are you happy with it? Thanks for the info, it’s super helpful!
Click to expand...
They have great customer service as far as the machine and parts, making sure it works well. As for figuring out the software and how to program it to mark something your better off with a handfull of Facebook groups. Mainly because of the language barrier. It takes some time if you aren't already skilled at graphic design to learn but there's tons of resources online, youtube, ect. and most of the people are pretty friendly and helpful. I'm very happy with it and can't see it becoming obsolete any time soon. You can use it on almost every type of material. Some work better than others but for steel, brass, copper, or aluminum there's nothing better.
 
That's engraving in HT'd SS with a 20 to 30 watt fiber laser? How deep is the etch into the blade above?
 
Ken H> said:
That's engraving in HT'd SS with a 20 to 30 watt fiber laser? How deep is the etch into the blade above?
Click to expand...
With a fiber laser, you can control the depth by the number of passes and output power. You can also get different colors by changing other parameters. Finding the right parameters for a particular steel takes some experimenting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top