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That's funny. You keep on thinking that. . . I'll keep on making money with my lasers.

@@matchstickdesignco That's funny. I was in the business and watched it crumble. Now every Tom, Dick, and Harry has one. Craft fairs are full of the same lasered junk. Same with Etsy and other venues.

For us, it would be unrealistic and honestly undesirable to pursue a full time business out of lasered items even if my husband was retired for a few reasons. The commonality of what was once novel is one reason, but I imagine you have to be a pretty enthusiastic/gregarious networker to sustain a full sales funnel month over month. My husband and I just aren’t energetically inclined to beat the bushes. I’m happy for anyone who is making it work; but I do think the customer base for lasered items is shrinking somewhat due to the proliferation and simplification of the tech. If you look at all the pretty, Apple-fied desk top units coming out with increasingly intuitive software it’s easy to see why even the most casual hobbyist would be inclined to buy it and make their own trinkets for family and friends. But again, I applaud anyone making a go of it. It’s not for us, I don’t think.

@@JohnHansknecht I live (literally) right across the street from Fort Campbell, so I have a constantly rotating, never ending supply of clients. Promotions, retirements, deployments, births, and (unfortunately) deaths keep me in business. Not to mention all the firearms & knives that need to be personalized.

@@matchstickdesigncoThis is such fortuitous positioning for your business! That’s fantastic for you!

@@Data77-g5n Congratulations on your new fiber laser! I’m happy that our video was useful to you. We have learned a lot here on YT so it’s great to feel like we gave something back. Wishing you well on your build; glad you’re being careful with your eye protection!-Dana

@@rmkc2335 We gave up on the IR and bought a 100 watt fiber laser. If you scroll to our most recent videos you’ll see what we are doing with it. Still very much in our learning phase of working with it. Come to think of it, we haven’t put any foil in it. We will have to try that but it definitely cuts brass and aluminum sheet metal. Our CO2 laser (100 watts) etches glass very nicely. Again it will require scrolling but this time to our earlier videos to see our experiments with glass. My husband built the CO2 laser.

@@tandanvanna Hi. Our heat gun only has high and low for settings. It was on high but I couldn’t tell you what that is in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius.

@@k0nan1337 it’s the Monport GA 100 watt fiber laser. I believe the GA refers to the autofocus which, so far, works well.

@@k0nan1337 I don’t understand your question.

@@k0nan1337 I don’t have another recommendation because I haven’t used any other fiber laser. What I will say is that I’ve found that you get what you pay for. Certainly do your research, but when buying any cutting machine, look for the power you need, the features you want, and really look into the seller/manufacturer. What I have found is that JTP is the manufacturer behind Monport and a number of other companies who private label JTP’s fiber lasers. As such, you won’t find much of a spread in the pricing. My best advice is to always buy all the machine you can get because you can outgrow them quickly. If that means saving up for a while to buy the power and features you want I’d do that before buying something that won’t perform the tasks you need it to.

@ thanks

@@k0nan1337 you’re welcome.

Haha I continued watching, and you acknowledge the need of an enclosure, well ':D

@@tobiask5131 the enclosure was ordered with the laser but didn’t arrive until Friday of last week. I posted a video of the enclosure and mentioned the 7 week gap between the arrival of the laser and the enclosure. After that session we stopped using it altogether. We entirely agree with you and have a venting plan (we will connect it to the CO2 laser exhaust) before using it again. But the enclosure is assembled. We wore respirators for parts of that video but I could smell it after we were done cutting.

@@itlucklau4194 Hello. I’m sorry I missed your first message and am very sorry to read of your situation. I don’t know if this will help you or make things worse but I’ll share my experience with you. First, the laser and rotary tool were very securely packaged and arrived in pristine condition. Second, setup was easy and the machine does perform as expected. I should also include that the tracking information was accurate. Now the down side. We bought the bundle with the enclosure, rotary, and Lightburn. There was no indication that the enclosure which, in our opinion, is something you very much want. There is a very fine silt produced when cutting and engraving that becomes airborne; we don’t want it in our HVAC system or our lungs. The machine, the rotary, and the enclosure are all separate parcels. The enclosure did not arrive when the other items did and when I reached out to Monport the response, a few days later, was that the enclosures were on back order until the end of November. Then oddly, I was asked if I could wait that long, as if there was a choice. The person’s name, if indeed it is a person and not AI, is Liza. S When I responded that it was kind of underhanded not to disclose that up front and that they weren’t doing a very good job of managing customer expectations there was an apology that seemed a bit disconnected from my complaint leading me to wonder whether it was a result of a language barrier or that the response was written by a bot. Here is where it gets weird. For context, we ordered the first week of October and they shipped the day after we ordered. Tracking information had been updated all the way through. So November 25 comes and I still don’t have tracking or an update on the enclosure. I write, I get Liza again, who tells me there is another week’s delay and asks me if I can wait again. I didn’t even respond. Last night a huge parcel lands on my doorstep, it’s the enclosure. There was never any email that said hey, we shipped the enclosure we’ve owed you for seven weeks or even a tracking number. We had other stuff going on last night so we will uncrate today. I hope it isn’t cracked but again, the packing has been excellent to this point. If you’re on their email list you know they’re seeking “experts” to help them with customer service. My sense of it is they have scant support infrastructure. The lasers are private labeled by them; I learned that accidentally while reading up on fiber lasers. It seems the actual manufacturer private labels them to more than one purveyor. I’m not surprised you’re having communication issues with them but if you do still want the laser and they ship it, you may very well get a great machine with a side of poor customer service. There are a number of YTubers who use them with good results. I don’t think the US has the strong consumer protection Germany has. Again, not a surprise. Please keep us posted?

Hello again. Please take a look, if you haven’t already, at the videos I posted this evening; particularly the one for the enclosure. You’ll see that all was in order. I’ve been thinking about your concern about Monport’s failure to comply with Germany’s consumer protection and disclosure laws. I don’t know for certain but am wondering if the opacity is in part due to the fact that JPT is the original manufacturer (I checked our paperwork) and Monport is private labeling it and also bundling it with other items not made by JPT. If you haven’t already, you might do some digging on JPT relative to performance and reliability because that’s what you’re getting when you order from Monport if you’re buying a MOPA fiber laser. I understand and appreciate your concerns; we here in the US don’t have robust protections and subsequently, we are accustomed to more of a roulette wheel when it comes to buying from Asia direct. It’s not a great feeling but it’s what we have. Let me know if you have any questions you think I can help with.

@@CutItOutWithUs JPT wouldn't be bad in itself, if you believe the internet. At least it seems to be a company that has been in the market with laser products for a long time. However, it appears that Monport machines no longer use JPT laser sources since October. All devices manufactured after October are equipped with GZTECH laser sources. This was confirmed to me by Monport support in response to my inquiry. They also mentioned that they forgot to update this in the specifications on the website. This doesn't sound very reassuring to me. In that case, you were probably lucky if a JPT source was installed in your device. According to Monport, this should be readable on the nameplate. Yes, in theory, consumer protection in Germany is not bad. But it doesn't help much when push comes to shove. Someone outside the European Union can practically do whatever they want and cash in as long as it lasts. Not much can happen to them, and they just disappear when things get too hot. The defrauded do not see their money again and also have to bear the legal costs themselves. In any case, I am curious to see how your MOPA laser performs in productive use.

@@CutItOutWithUs JPT wouldn't be bad in itself, if you believe the internet. At least it seems to be a company that has been in the market with laser products for a long time. However, it appears that Monport machines no longer use JPT laser sources since October. All devices manufactured after October are equipped with GZTECH laser sources. This was confirmed to me by Monport support in response to my inquiry. They also mentioned that they forgot to update this in the specifications on the website. This doesn't sound very reassuring to me. In that case, you were probably lucky if a JPT source was installed in your device. According to Monport, this should be readable on the nameplate. Yes, in theory, consumer protection in Germany is not bad. But it doesn't help much when push comes to shove. Someone outside the European Union can practically do whatever they want and cash in as long as it lasts. Not much can happen to them, and they just disappear when things get too hot. The defrauded do not see their money again and also have to bear the legal costs themselves. In any case, I am curious to see how your MOPA laser performs in productive use.

@@CutItOutWithUs Hello, I tried to respond to your other message, but it keeps disappearing. So here is another attempt: JPT wouldn't be bad in itself, if you believe the internet. At least it seems to be a company that has been in the market with laser products for a long time. However, it appears that Monport machines no longer use JPT laser sources since October. All devices manufactured after October are equipped with GZTECH laser sources. This was confirmed to me by Monport support in response to my inquiry. They also mentioned that they forgot to update this in the specifications on the website. This doesn't sound very reassuring to me. In that case, you were probably lucky if a JPT source was installed in your device. According to Monport, this should be readable on the nameplate. Yes, in theory, consumer protection in Germany is not bad. But it doesn't help much when push comes to shove. Someone outside the European Union can practically do whatever they want and cash in as long as it lasts. Not much can happen to them, and they just disappear when things get too hot. The defrauded do not see their money again and also have to bear the legal costs themselves. It increasingly seems to me that the support of this company is some kind of AI bot. In any case, I receive very similar non-committal answers to all my specific questions and requests, all pointing in one direction: that they will definitely carry out the shipment and want to check the status with the shipping department. These emails were all signed by "Angela" in my case. The other email, with the information about GZTECH as the laser source, came from "Cheryl". There, I had the impression that a real person was responding, as AI would probably have struggled with the context. In that case, however, I had submitted my question via the contact form on the website. Presumably, "Cheryl" is just a pseudonym for Winni Lie (or Winni Lee?) (from a press release: www.businessportal24.com/de/monport-praesentiert-den-onyx-55w-desktop-lasergravierer-fuer-kreative-anwender.html). In any case, I am curious to see how your MOPA laser performs in productive use. If the cancellation does not work and I actually receive the laser, my biggest concern would be that there is no warranty for defects and I would also have to pay overpriced shipping costs to China if something needs to be repaired.

@@6942ggg We will try it!

@@6942ggg never said it wasn’t. We are brand new to the fiber laser. Very different world working with metal. We know we have a lot to learn.

Hello again, I just wanted to thank you for telling us about the wobble. My husband gave your settings a try and the results as well as the effort were night and day. He was able to cut the 1mm brass in 25 passes and it literally fell out vs. having to press it out. You were so helpful and your advice was dead on. You seem to know a lot about this. Do you have any advice regarding how to achieve smoother edges? Ours are very sharp. My husband has used a Proxxon rotary tool to manually smooth out the edges but it’s tedious. Is there a clean up setting or “sanding/buffing” setting you have used with success that you’d be willing to share? Or, if you smooth your pieces manually, is there a method you recommend? Thank you again for your input. We appreciate your time. - Dana

@@6942ggg indeed! The metal warped!

@@6942ggg okay, tell me more? What effect will that have on the cutting? Faster break through the metal? I’m here to learn! Thank you!

Also, if you go to our blog there is more detail about granite and stone/rocks on the Let’s Rock entry on October 15, 2023. The blog is rezolaserbuild@wordpress.com. Rezo is the name of the set of plans that were used to build our CO2 laser.

@@amishmomma I sure hope so! We have a lot to learn!

You’re right!

Thanks! I’m thinking about trying them in colored acrylics.

@@patrickkirchner5271 Hi Patrick, no, we didn’t. We masked the wood but that was all. I used a transparent blue stain on it once the powder coat fill was done. I think I posted some video of the finished result. We wondered if the heat would bubble a clear spray so we left it raw knowing I was going to paint it. I hope that helps 😃

@@CutItOutWithUsthanks for getting back to me. I appreciate it.

@@patrickkirchner5271 My pleasure! Good luck!

@@johnhise4225 I very much agree! My husband wants to buy a toaster oven (a big one) for projects that will fit in it. He says that that industrial applications of this stuff are cured in big ovens. We are running out of space!

@@HaegrTheMighty thank you! That does sound like a good idea!

May I ask what this is about?

There is no hand cranking. I have a hand injury so for me, this is better. I can put my yardage on the laser (our laser is very large) so I don’t even have to cut pieces off the yardage. I’ve had a Sizzix Pro for many years which is similar to the AccuQuilt. I do a lot of appliqués too; I quilt the fabric on my longarm or straight stitch, depending on how big a piece I’m doing, then load it onto the laser. You aren’t tied to the dies and you don’t deal with cutting pads which are nice consolations. Basically any silhouette you find online can be scaled to the size you want. Once we dialed in the settings for four layers it went quickly. I also do a lot of art quilts with tiny fish scales and feathers. I can draw as many variations of a feather, some longer, some shorter, some fatter, skinnier, different shapes, apply some Heat n Bond Lite, put the drawings in the software and all that teeny tiny detailed cutting is done in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t do that art anymore if not for the laser due to my hand injury. If you’re curious you can go to onehotbobbin.com to see some of what I do. I do a lot with 3/4” strips too, and before my husband built the laser (I haven’t looked recently) there wasn’t a die for that size strip. Basically, any elimination of hand work saves more of my hand strength for chores and sewing. That was the main impetus on my part for the laser. It also makes cutting out apparel patterns a breeze. I hate cutting out fabric from patterns. All those pdfs for apparel can be downloaded into the software that runs the laser (LightBurn).

I forgot to mention I have a little RUclips channel for sewing at danameek5843. We do so much laser content on the laser channel that I haven’t done the best job of keeping the sewing channel current, but I have some of my work there too. Lots of still photos on onehotbobbin.com. When I get going my metal bobbins get pretty warm 😂

For a day or so, but it dissipates. The quilted appliqués hold on to the charred smell a bit longer; I presume the batting is the culprit. I will say that I used some poly blend batting for appliqués for greeting cards and I immediately went back to 100% cotton. The poly melts and really retains the odor.

Thank you! I did some sleighs in it and we were glad to see that the silver version of this foiled paper also cuts just as well 😃.

1/8” maple or birch, I can’t recall which one for sure.

@@CutItOutWithUs thanks... Did you use borax to make it dark?

@@FredSchmitthammer you’re welcome! And no, we haven’t tried borax yet. I can ask my husband what power settings he used for the etching of the minor roads if that would be helpful to you?

@@CutItOutWithUs thank you and yes. I have struggled with the minor roads not being black like your are. Tell him thank you in advance!

@@FredSchmitthammer You’re welcome! 300mm/sec on the speed 70% power, 0.15 mm line interval (169 lines per inch). We have a 100 watt CO2 laser. He also doesn’t recall whether it was maple or birch but for sure it was not stained. I hope this helps 😊.

Thanks! It’s fun!

We have used painter’s tape on previous projects but find that scorching creeps under the seams in the tape. We get a more even result with the single sheet of masking. By blow gun, do you mean a heat gun?

@@CutItOutWithUs NP wasn't sure. But an air-compressor with a air gun. Im guessing if you use a heat gun it will leave a sticky residue on your items, which would kinda suck.

Thank you! I’ll look for them!

Thank you for the tip! We will try it!

I didn’t because of the melt factor. The edges get a touch crispy if you don’t have the power and speed settings just right. Every laser is different so you have to play with it a little to find the right combination for your laser. Have fun!