Can a laser do this?

[farmerbw]

I've got a mail box shingle that I'd like to put our name on and am wondering what options are available other than painting and adhesive letters. Could a laser "etch" the letters into both sides of this piece of steel? Anyone in the Raleighwood area have a laser capable of doing it? What would be required for me to have it done? Just pick a font type and size or would I need to provide the lettering via digital means for it to be done?

The dimensions are 16"Lx4"Wx1/8"Thick and here's a picture of it.



Thanks,
B

 

[Canuck]

Brian

You may want to check with Brad (Vetteman9956) on our site.

He did a little laser engraving for me on a pen box I did for my daughters wedding awhile ago. Came out super.:icon_thum

I haven't seen him on here for awhile, but it may be worth sending him a PM. He is here in Cary.

Wayne
.

 

[Phil S]

+1 for Brad. He will do a great job

 

[patlaw]

If Brad is not available, you might check with David Jerole at CADD Graphics. He has a laser. He's near the intersection of Maynard and 54 east.

 

[farmerbw]

Thanks guys for the suggestions, I sent Brad a PM. I thought he was doing some laser work in the past and wasn't sure if he was still doing it or not.

B.

 

[mkepke]

Some other options in no particular order:
- metal (Al or zinc) cast letters e.g. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/350574191261?lpid=82
- sandblast your name
- chemically etch your name
- order a cast aluminum nameplate (sorry, this option doesn't use the existing plate)

-Mark

 

[ScottM]

Last time I was there Brad was working part time at Klingspor in Raleigh. Stop in and try to catch him there.

 

[KenOfCary]

I saw him at Klingspor on a Sunday afternoon.

 

[blakeyon2asd]

I wouldn't pay someone to sketch it with a laser most likely won't be dark enough to see from afar(you'll still need something to darken the lettering) go out get some stencils in a font you like and hit it with the wood burner you'll be surprised how good it'll look if you take your time with it then throw some weather proof finish of your choice on it to really bring out the color and there you go. I had to make a few of these for a customer one time and that's the route I went it was most cost and time efficient for me and the customer.

 

[manfre]

It's possible to engrave metals with a laser, but it requires either a coating on the metal (e.g. anodized aluminium), a very strong laser, or a special ink that reacts to the heat of the laser and chemically blackens the metal.

If I remember correctly, Brad's laser is the same wattage as mine (~40 watts), but he might have experience working with the etching ink. I haven't played around with the ink yet, so I couldn't tell you how well it would work or how much it would cost.

Since you don't want to paint or glue on letters, the other options are:
- Find some one with a CNC routers to engrave it
- Create a stencil and acid etch it

 

[Rick M]

The stencil gave me an idea... I've seen steel darkened by coating with linseed oil then heating it, maybe combine the two for an interesting effect.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[farmerbw]

All thanks for the replies and suggestions. :thumbs_up

Blake, we talked about me cutting one from wood and burning the letters on it, but decided to use the metal shingle that came with it instead. Was just having a hard time finding any adhesive 2" letters in a style we liked. There's way more options out there for nail/screw on letters. I did find some nice adhesive ones online, but the 12 letters we'd need to do both sides of the shingle would cost, before shipping, about as much as I paid to have the mailbox post made!! :swoon:

Manfre, you're correct about the coating. Brad told me it sprays on and reacts with the laser, but it turns out it's really only recommended for indoor use.

So....... I guess we're back to either my wife making a stencil and me spraying the letters or her hand drawing and painting them.... Back to the drawing board..

Thanks again for taking the time to read and provide feedback. :icon_thum

B

 

[mkepke]

There is I think no escaping the reality that you pay with your time or you pay with your money.

In the 'pay with your time' vein, another option that occurred to me is that you could cut the letters out of scrap solid surface material and glue/screw them to the sign. Solid surface scrap e.g. a sink-cutout, should be pretty cheap.

You could do the same with metal, but way more time consuming and expensive raw material. Then glue, screw or possibly plug-weld.

-Mark

 

[blakeyon2asd]

Sorry about my other post I didn't pay much attention and I thought it was a wooden sign lol

 

[Scott Leslie]

Another option is to laser cut a stencil in either paper, plastic or wood and then use that for painting. Let me know if you would like help with that.

Scott

 

[farmerbw]

Scott, thanks good idea as well.... DUH for not already considering it. :BangHead: I'll keep that in mind as an option too.

B

 

[ck1999]

You could contact a sign company and have them print the vinyl in any font and size you want. I have used sign and awning in Dunn for something similar. There vinyl I believe is supposed to be suitable for long term outside exposure. They fix it to a backing to allow proper alignment as we'll. You will pay a little more than the generic numbering.

Chris

 

[Hmerkle]

Another option is to laser cut a stencil in either paper, plastic or wood and then use that for painting. Let me know if you would like help with that.

Scott

Scott - coul you laser cut a frisk film (negative) that would hold up to sand blasting? (I think that would be really cool!)