Machinery stuff?

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So I was watching this video and the thought dawned on me, "This is me when I finally lose my friggin' mind!"




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_YZX1SgZ5Y

 

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So a while back I had purchased a set of precision angles to use with my milling machine and lathe and when I got them in I was happy to see that they actually were engraved with the angle. I had ordered three other sets a while back and none of them had the engraving on them. Or as one set did, the engraving was on the opposite side of what was visible when in the case.

But darn, the engraving is not all that easy to see. At least not for these tired old eyes of mine.

And that got me to thinking that when I was trying to complete my collection of sockets, I had to buy different brands to complete the sets, and some of them, well, it is darn difficult for me to see the size stamps on them.

Now these are more like what I would like to have on all of them:

So that got me thinking that maybe I should try to enhance the markings, perhaps with either a punch or with an engraver. I thought an engraver might give a better look, so on to Google to look for an engraver of some sort. And lo and behold, the first ones to pop up were LASER engravers. Now THAT got my interest. Always had a fascination with lasers, so this was right up my alley. Tool-a-holic gene kicking in....

Sheesh, not as simple as I had hoped. There are different TYPES of lasers, as well as different power ranges, and different methods of engraving. Some are better for engraving metals (and only some metals) than others. Of course, the more power the better, but like anything else, the best tools for a job are usually the most expensive. Honestly, I don't need this THAT much to spend multiple thousands of dollars on a machine. But there are some that are comparatively modestly priced that MIGHT do what I want.

One I looked at, that I found most intriguing, is called the LaserPecker. Definitely would be the first on my block with something like that. But don't tell the neighbors. I can't see myself wanting to explain that one to anybody.

https://www.laserpecker.net/

 

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Sheesh, not as simple as I had hoped. There are different TYPES of lasers, as well as different power ranges, and different methods of engraving. Some are better for engraving metals (and only some metals) than others. Of course, the more power the better, but like anything else, the best tools for a job are usually the most expensive. Honestly, I don't need this THAT much to spend multiple thousands of dollars on a machine. But there are some that are comparatively modestly priced that MIGHT do what I want.

One I looked at, that I found most intriguing, is called the LaserPecker. Definitely would be the first on my block with something like that. But don't tell the neighbors. I can't see myself wanting to explain that one to anybody.

Well, yeah... Definitely more to this than met the eye initially. Apparently if you want to engrave metal, and not just mark it with a light discoloration caused by the heat, you need a pulsed fiber laser. Not CO2, not diode. Pulsed fiber. Period. Stainless steel can be marked easily with the other laser types, but from what I understand, it is just the "stainless" part of "stainless steel" that is marked, and quite likely makes it no longer "stainless". After all, the laser is actually staining the stainless steel. So there is a good chance that the marking you just did will wind up developing rust on it. Laser marking with rust is just not my idea of being aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

I did wind up buying a LaserPecker and nope, it will not even mark regular steel. Not even a bit. It will mark coatings on steel, such as coatings and paints, but not the steel itself. Does an excellent job on wood and plastics, and is in it's own right quite a bit intriguing. Basically a laser ray gun you use to draw images. Always did want my very own laser gun. Only 5 watts of laser power, but what the heck.

As for the pulsed fiber laser, well damn, it IS a tool isn't it? And what is a tried and true tool-a-holic going to do when some new fanged tool shows itself to him? And besides that, it IS government money I'm spending, is it not? No one says what I HAVE to spend my Social Security money on, do they? At least not yet, anyway. And hell, the money Connie and I are saving just on gasoline by not going ANYWHERE in the last couple of years is quite substantial. So go ahead, twist my arm...

Oh, speaking of which, evidently these pulsed laser systems are quite popular with gun manufacturers and people doing engraving on said items as an aftermarket sideline business.

 

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Some results of my initial puttering around with the LaserPecker.

 

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Well, I found a video of a guy marking carbide milling machine tools with a 20 watt fiber laser, so this certainly appears to be a feasible method of doing this sort of thing.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIHDOXZfoBc

 

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In between every thing else going on around here, I fiddled around with the fiber laser I bought. I actually ordered it before (literally) the sheet hit the fan, healthwise for Connie and I. I was going to cancel the order, but Connie wanted me to go ahead and get it. That was before my heart attack and she figured it would give me something to do on days when she wasn't feeling very good, and there was nothing I could do but sit in the house worrying about her.

So anyway......

Yesterday I set it up to engrave those angle tools I bought. I wound up buying two sets of them, figuring that would make it easier setting up work pieces on the milling machine. I only engraved one side of each set, but might do the other sides if I feel ambitious some day.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LndxJUPPYs4

I still haven't gotten the rotary device for the laser to work properly yet, but once I get that figured out, I may engrave some of the sockets I have that are a bit difficult to read easily. That will probably take a while to do, since each one would have to be set up individually, one at a time. But heck, I'm retired, and a heart attack survivor, so I don't have anything better to do without going outside in the heat, and it is not hard work, neither.

Originally I was going to put the laser in the garage, so all of the tools I had in mind engraving would be handy. But it gets really hot in there during the summer months, and the instructions state to not run the laser in ambient temps over 90 degrees. So that would mean the only time I could run the laser would be early hours in the morning. But I just am not a morning person, so I decided to move the laser into the old reptile building instead, where I can use it any time I get an urge to do so.

As for the LaserPecker, which is suited mostly for engraving wood, I had to send back part of it because the buttons that controlled the height of the laser were really flaky. I got the replacement in a little while ago, but haven't had much incentive to play with it. Engraving on metal just seems like a whole lot more fun to me. Now if I could just make this into some sort of hand held weapon........

 

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Well, I had a problem develop after moving the laser stuff into the old reptile building. The fumes set off the smoke alarm there. I didn't even realize we had one in that building because I don't recall ever hearing it go off before.

And that was just the metal engraver I was using, that doesn't put out all that much in the way of smoke and fumes while using it. That wood engraving LaserPecker will probably REALLY make the smoke detector go nuts. Over in the garage it really put out a lot of smoke from the wood it was burning images on. I probably need to figure out some sort of smoke/fume air cleaner for this stuff. I've seen people using elaborate plumbing with air pumps moving the air outside, but that just wouldn't work very well for me. It is a concrete block building, and was built to be TIGHT and pretty sturdy. So I am not keen about trying to drill a 3 to 4 inch hole through a concrete block wall.

I might have to figure out how to open the smoke alarm up to disable it. Obviously it is tied into the building's power, as a battery would have long given up the ghost in that thing. It's not like we would ever hear it from the house anyway if something started burning in there, so I really don't need it. Matter of fact, Connie was in the front room riding her stationary bike and she didn't even hear it going off.

Of course, maybe my breathing those fumes isn't such a hot idea neither? I don't think the metal engraver throws metal particles very far, and I try not to be standing too close to it anyway. Matter of fact, I just installed a stand so I can get my laptop off of the work table and be above the working surface of the laser. Figured metal particles getting into the laptop is probably not a real good idea.

 

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Had an idea for my fiber laser. I watched videos of people engraving coasters made out of slate, so just for grins, I bought some to see how well that would go. Went through quite a few of them just experimenting, and I had a LOT of trouble finding the right settings to get a deep engraving into that rock. Oddly enough, the laser would just melt the rock, leaving shiny globs all over the design I was trying to engrave. Very unsatisfactory result, as those melted rock globs would leave a very rough and unclean looking finish on the surface.

Not sure exactly what I did differently with the following videoed job, but whatever it is, I am getting exactly the results I was after. I have to take some notes about EVERYTHING about the settings for this job so I don't lose the magic settings for other designs. This is going to be for my niece and her husband who have horses. Kind of long, but I found I am fascinated watching that laser work, and have already watched this through, beginning to end, several times already. Watching via a video is MUCH safer than watching it in real time. I use protective glasses to protect my eyes from the infrared laser beam, and besides running an exhaust fan to pull off the rock dust generated, I also wear an N95 mask too.

Oh, this is in 4K/60fps if you can view it that way.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ4r6aOvx3Q

Only have one more to do, and I will have a set of eight to send to them. Takes about 22 minutes or so per coaster. The noise that sounds similar to music in the background is me plinking around on my arranger keyboard while waiting for the engraving to finish. Fortunately for you, you really can't hear it all that well.

 

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Just some things I have played around with on the fiber laser....

 

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And the most recent project I have been working on has been to take a piece of the Fostoria antique glassware that Connie used to collect, digitize the pattern, then engrave it on some stainless steel coasters.

 

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My metal lathe didn't come with an ID plate on it, and come to find out that the seller can't get them any longer. So I found a pic of what it should look like, and then create an image for my fiber laser to cut. I am using stainless steel in this video, but still have to try mild steel and aluminum to see how they turn out. As you can see, the heat from the laser has actually warped the plate a bit, so I would need to straighten it before I could mount it onto the laser end cover. No big deal, but I might want to try different settings on the laser to reduce the heat and maybe eliminate that warping I am getting.

Been finding that there are lots of settings that even minor changes in them can make a lot of difference in the engraving/marking. So yeah, definitely a learning curve that I am still climbing.....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJle09w_pAk

 

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Wound up trying engraving on an aluminum plate, and not only did it not warp from the heat, but I think I like the effect a lot better than the polished stainless. I first wiped the entire plate down with a high power/fast speed scan from the laser, and then engraved the image using a slower speed to darken the metal in the engraving. This is readable from much better angles than the stainless steel plates.

But still playing around. I usually go play on the laser some nights after Connie goes to bed. Helps occupy my mind.