Laser Engraving/Shipping

colu41

colu41

Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Messages
1,598
So I will be finishing up my 4th (Sale ready) blade by Wednesday. And I already started my 5th today. I found what looks to be a reputable laser engraving service that offered to do 5 blades with my exact print/logo I want for about $8 a blade. My question is, since I'm using 1084 and just had trouble the other day with strange oxidation/surface rusting going from a warm house to a freezing cold garage, how am I going to package these and ship them a few states away and have them come back free of rust or oxidation?
The bigger thing I'm afraid of is having that happen after they laser it because then if I use the ultra fine brillo to get it off again, it will more than likely scuff up the black engraving....

Any tips?

If thats not an option maybe other suggestions for a makers mark? I'd love to do it myself but its a lot more materials I'd have to buy and setup, and I just don't feel I could get as clean of markings as I'd like....
 
Hey Colu,

You may already know this but you can search BF and get stencils made and build an etcher for well under $100. If you have stencils made I have to plug Patricia at IMG, she was a pleasure to work with and did exactly what I wanted.

I'm going to play around with the laser etching also. There is a maker shop here in my area that, for about $200, I can get trained and use their laser etcher 24/7. Just because it's there and its one of many large industrial machines they have that I'd like to get hands on with, I'm going to give it a shot. Might check and see if there's something like that in your neck of the woods.

As far as shipping off to get it laser etched, I'd try to find someone local myself. If not maybe someone on here knows of a place that has experience laser etching knives you can send it off to and how to package it. Maybe light oil coating wrapped in wax paper before you package them.
 
Thanks Augus. Ive looked up and researched a lot of DIY etchers and its just not something I really want to get into Myself. I realize in the long run it will definitely save some money but, I also will have many opportunities to screw up a blade.
Ill look into local shops
 
I have a friend from work that bought a laser etcher as a side business. He offered to do a couple of blades for me to show that his etcher could do my logo. He said that if I liked it he would charge $5 a blade. I gave him some scrap steel, and the etch looked great, but came right off with a Scotch brite pad. I'm sure there are more durable laser etches out there, just make sure you know what you are getting.
 
Spray a little oil on your blades and wipe them lightly with a paper towel. That should take care of the rust problems. Who is doing the laser engraving for you? I haven't found anyone local who is willing to do knives because of the liability of damaging a custom knife.

Charles
 
I had a knife engraved by a local jeweler. They had a machine that does it. It turned out well. It was $25 for 20 characters. Price is higher than the company you are sending to but this is relatively deep. It's not going to sand off. An etcher and stencils are a better long term solution which is what I'm going to do. Mine was a buddy's name for a wedding present. It would have cost more than $25 to have a stencil made that I was only going to use once.
 
I have all my blade Laser marked to a depth of about .007". It comes out really clean and sharp with very little heat put into the blade. Now you have to make sure it is the right laser tho. Most co2 laser will leave a mark but it doesn't last to long (no depth). Some places use a ink type material to leave a better mark but it feels raised, at least the ones that I found. The guy I use has a fiber type laser I believe. I had a problem finding someone who could do this I guess because the cost of the laser is much higher (50k+). Now he does have a $100 min so I try to send he at least 20 at a time. If I can get get 66 or more blades to him he can do it for $1.50 per but you know that goes.

As for the rust issue maybe ask them to spray the blades with wd40 or some similar type oil. If you are sending finished blade think about wrapping them or protecting them in someway. The first blade I had tested got scratch up and they cleaned the mark with scotch brite after marking, which then gave me the opportunity to improve the finish on my blade by redoing it... Fun...

Here is a picture of my mark
097_Large_1024x1024.jpg
 
Most engraving companies use CO2 lasers. These will not mark steel unless they use a special paint and then laser the blade. The marking is not durable at all.
Fiber lasers will actually etch the steel, but they cost $20K plus. Make sure the company you send your knives to is using a fiber laser.
Pantograph engraving machines use a diamond stylus to cut a shiny mark into the steel. These machines are adequate for marking blades-even hardened ones.
 
After a good 2 hours last night of researching a way of doing it myself, I decided to hell with it. Too much materials, time, and possible screw ups. So this morning I called one of my local knife shops Rapid River Knife, and they said to bring in the blades and they'll see what they can do. Their site labels "FREE" engraving, with possible setup fee. I'm expecting to pay something but, even so, I'm glad someplace local is willing to do it. Bark River Knife is closer but, I don't think they offer the service.
 
We use a fiber laser. The unit was in excess of 40k but can fit a sewer grate in it if I needed to.
The fiber laser, as Bill said, mark steels and engineered polymers much better than CO2 lasers.
Generally when we handle etching and engraving jobs the fiber laser we use is a clean process and doesn't disturb any coatings or finishes.
I generally repackage blades by vacuum sealing them in a bag so they are sealed from humidity and anything that might disturb a finish on a blade during shipping and/or mishandling
of the package.
Fiber lasers are specifically designed for metals. When they etch a surface, that surface generally becomes sealed on a microscopic level. You shouldn't get any corrosion or rust issues.
Depending on the metal, voltages can be changed as well on the fiber lasers and you can achieve different finishes of the etching, as well as colors...from light to dark, polished or satin.

Hope that helped everyone that's interested out regarding lasers.
I am new to the site and located in NJ.
If anyone has any questions regarding lasers please feel free to message me.

Jim
 
Also if anyone has any questions regarding materials or finishes on materials and compatibility with laser systems, please feel free to contact me.
We do a lot of materials testing for Epilog Laser Systems.
 
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