Wes' Laser Engraving Journey

  (And no, available information on the subject did not help me.) Yep, them pesky little buggers that make your "select all" size larger than the image itself. You do not see anything there, but when you try to engrave or cut, you get the equivalent to the Microsoft blue screen of death, that  " Cut might be out of bounds - continue anyway? " . Yet, you do not see anything outside the image which is in the work area on your screen. Case in point, I was working on a four layer 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood project, and the top layer I needed to paint two different colors. This would be a repeat project for me, so I needed to paint quick and not spend time with a brush. Spray can it is. You cannot control paint out of a spray can very well. Some options are, hold up a piece of cardboard to block what you do not want painted, mask it off, or create a reusable mask. I chose the reusable mask approach. This was my mask shape. I made this large for a reason. Do you see a...

ACMER S1 Portable Laser Engraver Updated 7/3/2026 So, I am finding that some laser engraving equipment can be a bit more difficult to control repeatability than others. Yes, technology is used to improve repeatability, but the fact is many of the lower cost equipment can use some additional help. The additional help, from what I have provided for myself, is worth that cost, than paying much much more for a laser engraver that gets you closer yet still not close enough. Someone in a social media forum asked about mounting their ACMER S1 to a board and engraving a grid on the board for locating items / substrates to engrave. They were on the right track. I have seen on YouTube people who I do hold in high regard, rigid locate (not permanent mount) their laser machine on a waste board, then engrave the grid, including units of measure along the outside. Retiring from a technical field, saying enough of that circular chaos, I had first thought of the same thing, a grid. I researched and fo...

Disclaimer : I am a hobbyist, not an expert, so please seek out professionals for further advice. Eye safety, air quality safety, fire safety, material safety, all need to be addressed when you begin to think about buying a laser. Oops? Okay, you bought the laser first not realizing there is more too it. That is Okay. You can still permantently correct or mitigate any issues now. Eye Safety Eye protection is super important when it comes to lasers. The simplest laser tools for hanging art require eye protection, and it is more important in our case because of reflective laser wavelengths. Eye protection is not as easy as putting on a pair of sunglasses either. You need to protect yourself from the specific laser beam wavelength. Exposure to laser wavelengths can cause temporary flashes or permanent damage to your eyes, leading to blurred vision, dark spots (I have those now from not practicing good safety), floaters, headaches, blindness in some cases, and severe retinal burn. Sounds n...

This Glossary is of my own making, using current knowledge and resources available to me that can help define or explain some of the technical terms used in the blogs. This Glossary will be added to as the need arises. Please feel free to send messages or comment on what could be explained better, or needs added, to aid the learning experience of others. When unusual terms are used in a blog, a Glossary will be included at the end of the blog so that you do not have to go back to this blog post every time you need to understand a term. Glossary: Boundary Board - An engraved substrate of shape boundaries to align you final product / substrate to for engraving. (This is not used for cutting, typically.) Brittleness - Substrates that are hard, rigid, and easily cracked or snapped without bending bending. It may make a crack noise when it breaks. Materials that are brittle: Thin White Oak, glass, dry twigs, hard candy, cast iron. Deplugging - The process of removing plugs / cutouts from l...