Thread: engraving mirrors

**osphoto** · 02-10-2012, 06:04 AM

This is a rather cool thread. I've got 40W laser that I purchased for making gaskets.

Didn't realize I could etch glass with it. Very cool!

**vincenttor** · 02-10-2012, 10:07 AM

thanks for your reply keebler,

but on this picture the color is indeed reversed

But on the next one i think its not if you look to the text and the image

Thats why i havent got a clue why its not turning out as nice as these examples

**MonoNeuron** · 02-11-2012, 03:31 PM

They do look as if they need to be the negative of how you are engraving them. The Johnny Depp one especially. What have you got to lose except another mirror. I use the ones from Ikea as well and they are a pretty good quality mirror. I would just make the engraving about 3" square or 75mm square just to try it and that shouldn't use up too much mirror. It is hard to get right but in the end it is all worth it.
I explained to one lady who has bought a lot of mirrors from us that it can take up to and hour to clean the picture up and get it right and then another 3 hours to engrave it and she said "it's only 3 hours" !!!
Some people have no idea how complicated things are and how much time is involved just getting to the stage of being able to sell a product that is good enough for a customer and potentially something that will last 100 years or more. (If the paint stays on :-) )
I engrave at 3" sec and 30 watts of power. Just to get an idea of how fast it is just set a ruler on the table and count 1,2,3,4 and see if it had gone 12". I had to engrave at the full power of my 30 watt tube to get a good result and sometimes a different mirror needed to be slowed down to 2.8" sec to work properly.
If you engrave too slowly then you refuse the silica on the back of the mirror causing a sort of scab to form that needs to be scraped off. Don't go too slow or use too much power causing this to happen.
The laser needs to be very focused and on mine I need to engrave at 320 lines per inch for the lines to blend into the next one. I process at 340dpi.
Rich.

**MonoNeuron** · 02-11-2012, 03:36 PM

The Marilyn picture isn't reversed!. Look at the faces of the people in the mirrors and you will see they are all white or mirror. the Marilyn picture has a dark background that is probably throwing your perception out.
All the engravings are positives but reversed side to side so it comes out the right way when it is turned around.
If you engrave on Black Granite then you need to reverse that picture ( Negative) because the granite is black and that acts as the shadow detail in the picture.
Rich.

**vincenttor** · 02-15-2012, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by MonoNeuron

The Marilyn picture isn't reversed!. Look at the faces of the people in the mirrors and you will see they are all white or mirror. the Marilyn picture has a dark background that is probably throwing your perception out.
All the engravings are positives but reversed side to side so it comes out the right way when it is turned around.
If you engrave on Black Granite then you need to reverse that picture ( Negative) because the granite is black and that acts as the shadow detail in the picture.
Rich.

Well i have not the mirrors any more from ikea the ones you show beneat here so i have to get some more.
I now use some with a frame around it so its a bit of a waste everytime i do one that does not turn out correct

Do you maybe have the time to covert this picture how it should be so i can compare and test with my machine ?

**MonoNeuron** · 02-16-2012, 08:49 AM

PM me with your email address and I will send them to you. The 2 files are about 4 meg in size so I can't post them here.
I will post a reduced version here so others can see what they will look like after a quick process. They need a bit more but it will give you a good head start on what they look like.
You need to blow out the highlights and sharpen the edges a lot and then increase the overall level so the picture is bright without a lot of detail.

The first one is the file after processing with PhotoGrav
the 2nd one is processed with a paint program before the Photgrav processing

I hope they are big enough to get what they look like.
Rich.

**MonoNeuron** · 02-16-2012, 02:32 PM

Here it is again with the photocopy filter done in Photoshop V7

**vincenttor** · 02-17-2012, 10:58 AM

Thanks allot for the help, now i know a little bit what kind of setting it should look like.
makes it more understandable because the white in the face is something that didnt go well at my side.
i used 1 touch laser photo and searched for the best setting glass in my case.
Pm has been send.

**MonoNeuron** · 02-17-2012, 03:16 PM

Just remember to convert the photocopy picture to black and white 2 colour as there is a lot of light shades of grey in the areas that should be white.
You can probably spend another 10 - 15 minutes cleaning them up a bit more but they will come out if engraved properly with a very fine focus.
The pictures are still probably a little bit too dark and could be lightened a bit more.
As I said, you need to make the picture into a high contrast one and then lighten everything so only about 50% of the dots get engraved. It's all about spot size.
:-)
Rich.

**vincenttor** · 02-26-2012, 01:46 PM

Thanks Rich for the explanation and the email offc.
I have put mirror ongraving on a hold for a while now untill i have bought some other mirrors from Ikea.
I did got some pieces of black polished granite and i must say its pretty amazing

I love this material, does take a couple of minutes for getting a picture right but seems to be going pretty good.

so for now this is my next testing fase, will let you guys know if i found the right solution for the mirrors

**topbuzzhire** · 01-12-2013, 04:30 AM

hi there guys, i'm new to this forum and new to engraving machines too!!!

i've just bought a redsail m900, i'm wanting to do mirrors etc.
but the guy i bought it off had the following settings..

laser was at 80 and speed was at 250..

i tried one mirror (ikea) and it was very faint... hardly any backing came off the mirror..

i do appreciate any help and advice any of you can give...

many thanks

andy

**MonoNeuron** · 01-16-2013, 01:40 PM

My first laser was 30 watt RF and I used 100% power and about 2.5" per sec to engrave and my lens was 52mm focus.
I don't know what power and speed settings are at 80 and 250 but if you let us know the power of your laser then we have something to work with.

**EXLASer** · 01-17-2013, 09:29 AM

Hi，andy
Since browse your post ,I 'd like to have a engraving on mirror ,too . And I am just back from this work . I use 100/200 speed ,and 18-20 power get a better effect on front side of mirror, but with 15 power it looks faint .Then on back of mirror , with 200 speed 25 power it engraved totally ,another just with same speed and 18 power just get a outline . May be I can send the photo tomorrow .
Well relating the faint effect , how about beam alignment and can you get a clear effect on other material ?

Best regards,
XYZ Machinery

**fixtureman1** · 01-17-2013, 03:01 PM

I get mirrors from Lowes and Home Depot I use the door mirror and cut them down into 3. About $10

**EXLASer** · 01-19-2013, 04:11 AM

Hi ,
Power is not big to avoid mirror crack .Leave a little far and do not stare at the mirror while firing .It is dangerous ! Anybody who wanted have a try must take safety !

Best regards,
XYZ Machinery[/QUOTE]