Interesting. I wonder, if the glaze is selectively burnt off, if the resulting tile would absorb a stain or dye (like an alcohol based dye, for instance). That would not only highlight the burned areas, but also allow you to colorize them.
I use the black stone dye from JPPLUS…depends on how how thorough you get the glaze off obviously. I also use the dye on the tiles at times when I use the white paint method. Especially if I have some areas that might seem a bit…less black…works great for that.
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I am a new laser engraver and I must ask …
I am assuming that the white surface of the tile is to reflective for the laser to burn.
Is that the reason for the spray?
Those tiles look awsome!
No. The white paint has titanium dioxide in it. The laser vaporizes the Ti02 and the glaze and the Ti02 is embedded into the glaze giving a dark gray permanent color where it is engraved.
You can do it without the paint but it takes a lot more power and the results are not as good. See the picture I posted above and then compare it to the picture that ! am posting with this: image|510x499
The ones on the left are done with Rust-Oleum flat white spray paint and ones on the right were done with Zinsser Bull’s Eye Water-Base prime & Seale Interior painted with a paint brush. This primer can be removed with hot soapy water as apposed to the spray paint that needs a solvent to remove it…
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After seeing you use the brush on water based I went and picked up a can to try verses the spray version. Will be real happy to not have to use lacquer thinner anymore…hate that stuff more than other spirit
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So how did it work for you?
Giving it a try this week…
So I tried a few small tiles……ehh so far not great….looks brown not black but I will have to test some more. Might need a thicker coat. Sort of touchy brushing on slick white tile and not leaving thin spots. Will give it another try tomorrow. Might have to run it through a sprayer
SO after trying several tiles I will say IMHO the water based brush is no Bueno. Several issues…one it is not the deep black of the spray…it is more dark brown. Second is what I expected and that is varying thickness in brush strokes can be seen when engraving. Last is once dry, as I expected, it does not dissolve in water…still takes a solvent which would be expected. Water will loosen it a tad but you need thinner to get it out of the engraving.
I would like to not have to use a solvent to remove the paint after engraving.
Anyway the streaks and more so the lack of deep black is no go for me.
That’s odd it comes out quite black for me and washes off with hot soapy water.
Granted it doesn’t actually “dissolve” in hot soapy water but does comes off very easily in stringy clumps.
I used a cheap foam brush and could see no variations with brush strokes.
My pictures show black and no paint streaks at all…
I don’t doubt it. I never get a real dark black using the standard rustoleum paint that is popular for so long…but for me the spray 1.2.3. works awesome. So not surprised you get a great result or different than myself. Wish it worked for me and I may fiddle at some future point again. Maybe better on my diode laser than the CO2
Every tool has a purpose, same as with my CO2 and diode so far. I’m finding slate and stone works better with my diode, with the CO2 doing great on images, fast cork coaster batches, and the like.
I’ve tried the Rust-oleum 2x Primer+Paint and standard Rust-oleum flat white and by far the 2x Primer+Paint give more contrast. I will have to see if that water based stuff compares. thx.
Painting first with Rust-Oleum XX flat white spray paint and then with Zinsser Bull’s Eye Water-Base prime & Seale Interior paint seems to work best of all for me. Notice the nice contrast on Clooney…
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I apologize for the last pictures bad lighting and focus. Here’s same tiles plus one more.
[quote=“BSImages, post:38, topic:48997, full:true”]
Painting first with Rust-Oleum XX flat white spray paint and then with Zinsser Bull’s Eye Water-Base prime & Seale Interior paint seems to work best of all for me. Notice the nice contrast on Clooney…
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These are fantastic, real look of depth to them
