I see no problem with the borax process for decorative engravings. The implication in this video is that borax somehow makes a darker "burn". In reality this is not correct The infused borax solution coats the wood fibers to parts of a millimeter deep. The laser process then vapourizes the wood fibres (not burning them) leaving behind an exoskeleton of BORON where each fibre was. The black you see is not burnt wood or "charring" as mentioned in this video but the result of decomposing the borax (with heat) into a fragile network of boron ( a black lusterous metalloid). This fragile open network is easily smudged or smeared with rubbing and the suggested use of food grade oil will not stabilized this fragile "blackness". For decorative purposes, gentle application of clear varnish will penetrate the network and harden within to "freeze" it. Boron is classed as a toxic material but in small doses has a toxicity rating akin to table salt. So, for this culinary application I see no health risk but use it and dishwash it a few times and I think the "blackness" will erode unless locked in. To make the strongest borax solution possible start off with hot water that you can just about put your finger in (about 50C) and keep stirring in Borax until no more will dissolve. As the borax cools back to room temperature, sdiment will drop to the bottom of the container. This is a fully saturated solution . Apply liberally and two applications will improve the depth penetration. The colour is no longer dependent on slow engraving speeds and the out-of-focus normally used for dark engraving. A short focal length lens and high power as used for cutting will allow you to engrave faster because you only need enough exposure time to cause the borax/boron chemical reaction.
I greatly appreciate your correcting my interpretation of the process. All of the information I used was passed on to me as correct. Apparently I was misinformed or else I did not listen correctly. I thank you once again.
Hi There ws no inteded crticism of your near perfect video but there are so many ,myths and misunderstandings about this technology that I felt a factual description of the process would be helpful because the title of your video may attract many futur viisitiors. Like you, I came across the borax process from a 3rd party but after some quick experiments I realized that it was both a miraculous and misunderstood process, I took time to research it and establish the reason for the "blackness"........and it was not enhanced burning, as claimed in the video I saw.. Here is a video I did with some detailed microscope images that will show that exoskeleton I spoke of and you will see the fragility of the boron network. ruclips.net/video/7pFuW1zPkkg/видео.html Use a sharp engraving lens enables dramatic increase in engraving speed. Here is a video where I show a piece of borax coated beer mat card being engraved at 1000mm/s and I have achieved similar results on Baltic birch ruclips.net/video/zu-hccXJPBg/видео.html So, as you can see there is lots of potential for you to explore with this process. Carry on with your great infromative videos Best wishes Russ
Russ, please accept my apologies. I did not consider your comment as criticism. You have vast more knowledge and understanding of the process. I truly do appreciate you sharing your knowledge and educating me and my followers. Thank you for complimenting me on my videos. I try to create what I call "real content".....I don't hide my mistakes. I want my viewers to learn from my mistakes.....it cost less to learn from the mistakes of others. Again I greatly appreciate your feedback and input. And I will be watching the videos you provided. Frank
Yeah, I might try that burn deeper solution myself. Just spent 2 or 3 days on practice material to get something right. Tried the borax. Came out great! Then I wiped it with vinegar. It ALL went away with one swipe! Luckily it was just practice material but it looked good. Now I'm doing the exact same thing on again but until I perfect that deeper burn I think I'm just going to spray it with a sealant.
@@iwannaapple7190 A deeper burn (I presume you mean more power?) will just blast through the borax coating which only penetrates maybe 0.2 or 0.3mm deep. Burning is not the aim of this process . You are trying to vaporise the cellulose within those coated wood fibres and what will be left is a very delicate exoskeleton of meatalloid dark silvery borax The colour is in the borax which is why you create a dark finish, it's NOT making your brown wood burn darker. If you have not watched it already then I suggest you watch this video and you will see that delecate boron exoskeleton I mentioned under my powerful microscope. If you are having to clean the smoke fumes off your work then you are using too much power. I suggets you dramatically increase the speed and if necessary reduce power. Tackle this problem from the other way round . Start off with low power and high speed and work your way backwards at each test reducing the speed by 10% and then next increase the power by 5%. DO the changes alternately not together. Just engrave a 25mm test square for each trial. What you will find is little colour to start with and no fume bowning (only use a whisper of air assist to protect the lens. Do not blast the work with air assist.) and then the blackness will happen and thats it. It will not get blacker because you have caused a chemical reaction of creating boron. It is at that point while it is clean and smoke free that you need to lock that exoskeleton with acrylic clear varnish. ruclips.net/video/7pFuW1zPkkg/видео.html Best wishes Russ
Nice presentation, and nice burn. However, a burn on a cutting board seems likely to be damaged by anyone actually cutting on the board and doesn't the burn produce a surface likely to harbor bacteria?
Cool Frank. Is it just plain white vinegar you used? I picked up a diode laser and it's pretty cool. I'm still learning it. Cutting boards are very popular.
Dan, I hope you are enjoying your laser as much as I am. I use white vinegar and a paper towel. I do not dilute the vinegar. Wipe it on, use just enough pressure to remove the charging. Let it dry.
Hi! I'm from Brazil, I watched and subscribed to your channel today. I'm starting in the world of laser engraving. And if possible, would you like to tell me which products you use to finish your engraved pieces?
Thanks Mario. For cutting boards I used butcher block conditioner or food grade mineral oil. For other wood items I use a marine grade varnish called Halcyon, from Total Boat. I have also used various oils like Teak Oil, Tung Oil and others.
Hey @Mcso1560 I see your comment was made over a year ago. I am curious on how well your laser engraving is going? Is it just a hobby or are you using the laser for a business, if so what kind. Hope all is going great for you brother!
I dont understand. Why do you do this? I engrave on my cutting boards without using anything and they come out perfectly. Can you explain what this is for please. Thank you.
Thanks for showing the cleanup process, a lot of videos skip that.
Thank you. I prefer to show the entire process. My customers like seeing their projects being built from start to finish.
Very nice. I have been doing laser work for a few years and never knew about the Borax, this is impressive. Thanks so much.
Thanks Pat. I highly recommend you practicing on scrap pieces of wood before taking it to a customer's order.
I see no problem with the borax process for decorative engravings. The implication in this video is that borax somehow makes a darker "burn". In reality this is not correct The infused borax solution coats the wood fibers to parts of a millimeter deep. The laser process then vapourizes the wood fibres (not burning them) leaving behind an exoskeleton of BORON where each fibre was. The black you see is not burnt wood or "charring" as mentioned in this video but the result of decomposing the borax (with heat) into a fragile network of boron ( a black lusterous metalloid). This fragile open network is easily smudged or smeared with rubbing and the suggested use of food grade oil will not stabilized this fragile "blackness". For decorative purposes, gentle application of clear varnish will penetrate the network and harden within to "freeze" it. Boron is classed as a toxic material but in small doses has a toxicity rating akin to table salt. So, for this culinary application I see no health risk but use it and dishwash it a few times and I think the "blackness" will erode unless locked in.
To make the strongest borax solution possible start off with hot water that you can just about put your finger in (about 50C) and keep stirring in Borax until no more will dissolve. As the borax cools back to room temperature, sdiment will drop to the bottom of the container. This is a fully saturated solution . Apply liberally and two applications will improve the depth penetration.
The colour is no longer dependent on slow engraving speeds and the out-of-focus normally used for dark engraving. A short focal length lens and high power as used for cutting will allow you to engrave faster because you only need enough exposure time to cause the borax/boron chemical reaction.
I greatly appreciate your correcting my interpretation of the process. All of the information I used was passed on to me as correct. Apparently I was misinformed or else I did not listen correctly. I thank you once again.
Hi
There ws no inteded crticism of your near perfect video but there are so many ,myths and misunderstandings about this technology that I felt a factual description of the process would be helpful because the title of your video may attract many futur viisitiors. Like you, I came across the borax process from a 3rd party but after some quick experiments I realized that it was both a miraculous and misunderstood process, I took time to research it and establish the reason for the "blackness"........and it was not enhanced burning, as claimed in the video I saw..
Here is a video I did with some detailed microscope images that will show that exoskeleton I spoke of and you will see the fragility of the boron network.
ruclips.net/video/7pFuW1zPkkg/видео.html
Use a sharp engraving lens enables dramatic increase in engraving speed. Here is a video where I show a piece of borax coated beer mat card being engraved at 1000mm/s and I have achieved similar results on Baltic birch
ruclips.net/video/zu-hccXJPBg/видео.html
So, as you can see there is lots of potential for you to explore with this process. Carry on with your great infromative videos
Best wishes
Russ
Russ, please accept my apologies. I did not consider your comment as criticism. You have vast more knowledge and understanding of the process. I truly do appreciate you sharing your knowledge and educating me and my followers.
Thank you for complimenting me on my videos. I try to create what I call "real content".....I don't hide my mistakes. I want my viewers to learn from my mistakes.....it cost less to learn from the mistakes of others.
Again I greatly appreciate your feedback and input. And I will be watching the videos you provided.
Frank
Yeah, I might try that burn deeper solution myself. Just spent 2 or 3 days on practice material to get something right. Tried the borax. Came out great! Then I wiped it with vinegar. It ALL went away with one swipe! Luckily it was just practice material but it looked good. Now I'm doing the exact same thing on again but until I perfect that deeper burn I think I'm just going to spray it with a sealant.
@@iwannaapple7190
A deeper burn (I presume you mean more power?) will just blast through the borax coating which only penetrates maybe 0.2 or 0.3mm deep.
Burning is not the aim of this process . You are trying to vaporise the cellulose within those coated wood fibres and what will be left is a very delicate exoskeleton of meatalloid dark silvery borax The colour is in the borax which is why you create a dark finish, it's NOT making your brown wood burn darker. If you have not watched it already then I suggest you watch this video and you will see that delecate boron exoskeleton I mentioned under my powerful microscope. If you are having to clean the smoke fumes off your work then you are using too much power. I suggets you dramatically increase the speed and if necessary reduce power. Tackle this problem from the other way round . Start off with low power and high speed and work your way backwards at each test reducing the speed by 10% and then next increase the power by 5%. DO the changes alternately not together. Just engrave a 25mm test square for each trial. What you will find is little colour to start with and no fume bowning (only use a whisper of air assist to protect the lens. Do not blast the work with air assist.) and then the blackness will happen and thats it. It will not get blacker because you have caused a chemical reaction of creating boron. It is at that point while it is clean and smoke free that you need to lock that exoskeleton with acrylic clear varnish.
ruclips.net/video/7pFuW1zPkkg/видео.html
Best wishes
Russ
Great tutorial, thank you. I just looooove your accent and sentiments.
Thank you Kim. It's just me being me. 😁
Absolutely Love how this turned out....So Beautiful 💖
Thanks again Gigi! Sorry for the delayed reply!!!
Looks great Frank!
Thanks Chuck!
Nice presentation, and nice burn. However, a burn on a cutting board seems likely to be damaged by anyone actually cutting on the board and doesn't the burn produce a surface likely to harbor bacteria?
I totally agree with you. I advise my customers to use these as a decoration piece.
Thank you!
Thanks for watching and commenting.
I've heard debate about using Borax on a cutting board. Even with the mineral oil they say that wears down eventually.
This board will be for decoration only. I'm not sure I will use the Borax solution on a board that will have meat cut on it. Thanks.
Turn it over and cut on the non decorated side! Too easy!
very nice!
Thank you.
Frank what is the name of that font. I thought I had it downloaded on my pc but just cant find it. Just sent you an email regarding our new addition
Nice job!
Thanks Charles.
good video my friend
Thanks Jeff. Hope it helps you and others.
Great video, where can I buy the same letters that you use here? I just subbed and liked thanks
Thanks! If I remember correctly, found the font on www.dafont.com.
Great result but why you have air assist enable when engrave?
I always run air assist....especially when engraving wood.
Do you wipe the image down before adding a finish and if so what do you use?
No sir.....I did NOT wipe the engraving at all. The board has no finish applied. It is hanging as a decoration on the wall.
Cool Frank. Is it just plain white vinegar you used? I picked up a diode laser and it's pretty cool. I'm still learning it. Cutting boards are very popular.
Dan, I hope you are enjoying your laser as much as I am. I use white vinegar and a paper towel. I do not dilute the vinegar. Wipe it on, use just enough pressure to remove the charging. Let it dry.
Pour black epoxy over your engraving then sand off. Now you have useable board
Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi! I'm from Brazil, I watched and subscribed to your channel today. I'm starting in the world of laser engraving. And if possible, would you like to tell me which products you use to finish your engraved pieces?
Thanks Mario. For cutting boards I used butcher block conditioner or food grade mineral oil. For other wood items I use a marine grade varnish called Halcyon, from Total Boat. I have also used various oils like Teak Oil, Tung Oil and others.
Hey @Mcso1560 I see your comment was made over a year ago. I am curious on how well your laser engraving is going? Is it just a hobby or are you using the laser for a business, if so what kind. Hope all is going great for you brother!
Love that font. What is it?
Thanks Herbert. It is called Goudy Initialen. If you type a full word, only the first letter gets this font.
I dont understand. Why do you do this? I engrave on my cutting boards without using anything and they come out perfectly. Can you explain what this is for please. Thank you.
The process ensures a dark, consistent burn. Bamboo is not as consistent and needs help to get the consistent dark color.
Just Google'd borax. Not to sure I'd put that on a chopping board.
I agree. This board was intended for decoration use only. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Usually when I wipe off my work almost all of the marking comes off with it? How is yours staying?
I use vinegar on a blue paper towel and LIGHTLY wipe it off. Thanks!
@@PopsCustomSignsLLC I have a 60W CO2. What power are you engraving at?
@@dasfreakster my AP Lazer SN1812 is a 30 watt CO2.
@ronstone2468 thanks for the reply.
You are running 100% power but you neveer said what the wattage of you laser is.. So 100% of what? Thanks
My laser is an AP Lazer Model SN1812. It is a 30 watt CO2. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Frank what is the name of that font. I thought I had it downloaded on my pc but just cant find it. Just sent you an email regarding our new addition
It's called "Goudy Initialen" if I remember correctly. I think I found it on www.dafont.com.