Making money with Slate tiles

This is 1 & 2 of 6 orders for 8 custom slate name coasters. Took all of 4 hours on Marketplace to to get the 6 customers before I had to take the ad down. I’m out of rounds now.

First picture is raw, right off the laser. Next two is finished with Glaze 'n Seal.
https://amzn.to/2USAqnf

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LM2, 20W
Speed, 2000
Power, 75
Font, Cabin Sketch
Cost, $15.40 w/clear & stand
Time, 52 min using a 9 spot template
Price, $80.00 + $5.00 local delivery fee
Profit, $69.60 - laser consumption - gas = $65.60 x 6 orders = $393.60
3 hours total time. $393.60/3 = $131.20 per hr.

I run these Facebook Marketplace ads about once a week and always have to take them down in 4-5 hours based on supplies.

if you want to learn how to do these without framing, up to 9 at a time, here’s my video on making a template with 3 free Lightburn template files:

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nice job :+1:

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Nice work Rich! Thanks for sharing!

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Where do you get your slate blanks at such a low price?

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I get them on Amazon
https://amzn.to/3ldD1CN

Round peg in a square hole :smiley_cat:

Very good job, easily understood.

Thanks :slight_smile:

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I for one would like to see your marketplace ads!

I just tried slate for the first time a few days ago.
These are amazon tiles similar to the ones Richard is using and got a coat of mineral oil (butcher block oil).

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One problem I have experienced is that mineral oil looks great when you apply it but it gets washed off to some extent after the coaster is used a few times with sweaty glasses that leave a lot of water on the coasters. They look very blotchy at that point. Does the acrylic solution work better in this regard? Thanks.

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I personally use Glaze & Seal, sealer for slate.
Someone recommended the wax, so I just got this in today:

They said is makes the slate look wet, but also provides a non-slip surface for the glass.

I’ve been using Glaze & Seal sealer for over a year on slate and stone tiles and the older ones I have still look like they were just treated. It’s made to be walked on, so I think it’ll last many years on slate and stone tiles.

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Thanks and please let us know how you like it/it works compared to the sealer.

I tested it tonight on a 2+ year old slate coaster that was nearly worn out, or so I thought. It brought it back to life and the shine is just perfect… not too shiny. 3 coats in 20 min. Looks really nice. I should have taken a before pic though.

Well that looks nice. I guess next time I’m in town I better fetch me some acrylic floor polish.

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Wow $80, I don’t think you could even get that on Etsy… Good job…

Etsy prices are about the same. Remember, this is an EIGHT pack with a wooden stand. Four packs on Etsy are selling for $30-40. Plus, mine have a lifetime seal and shine warranty. My local customers can come back anytime and drop them off for refinishing.

FYI - most waterborne acrylic sealers are removable with alcohol or base (strong soaps). I used to formulate acrylic coatings.

Do you buy it local or? Looked it up on Amazon, they make a ton of products.

This is the one I’m using:
https://amzn.to/3ysKemk

Thanks, I’ll bookmark that one. I found some at Floor Decor but one was a sealer and it required another to make it non slip. The spouse picked them up for me along with some of their slate tiles to experiment with.

Here’s one of the coasters I did this one, as a test at 150mm/s 13% power on the China Blue, 3 to 4 ma. It’s a ‘dither’ at 127 dpi. 2" lens. Might have to lower the resolution, since it’s a ‘chip’ instead of a ‘dot’.

I’m going to make a similar run at about the lowest power it will fire, about 9%. In the lighter areas of the dither it’s pretty crisp, but the more dense have been hit too hard. I think it’s going to be a fine line.

:slight_smile:

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I think that came out great!