Can’t wait to try this with a diode laser! If anyone is wondering how to engrave on glass with a diode laser, the secret is black tempera paint. Same technique.
This is the best technique I've seen in a long time for laser engraving. My wife uses borax. So, I've got plenty of it on hand. We're packing up to move right now, but as soon as I get the laser set up in the new office, this will be the first thing I do on it.
Yep, it takes a bit of testing to get the settings just right, but it will be darker. After engraving, hit it with a couple coats of clear coat to protect it.
Some basic high school chemistry 101 to ponder: Sodium tetraborate (Borax) is a mild alkaline with a PH between 8 and 9. When mixed with dihydrogen oxide (water), it becomes hydrogen peroxide. Borax is basically bleaching the wood at the molecular level. You would think the added whiteness/brightness that Borax gives the wood would be counterintuitive to using a laser since it would reflect the laser light, but hey, it works somehow to create a darker burn. Borax is not only used as a cleaner and laundry brightener, among other industrial uses. It is also a great insecticide for ants and termites. Just mix it with corn syrup, and it dehydrates the insects from the inside out when they eat the mixture. Those Terro ant traps are basically corn syrup and Borax. Good stuff! My question is. What do you do after engraving with Borax to clean and seal the wood? If you wipe the wood after engraving, the dark soot gets everywhere and ruins the project. I have heard some other laser engravers say they use a vacuum and a spray poly or lacquer to seal the wood without any wiping of the project. I was just wondering what you recommend after engraving with Borax so that the project does not get ruined by the dark soot getting everywhere? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 😊
You can spray it with a couple coats of clear coat, though reducing the power more will help balance the darker color with the fragility caused by layering the Borax. Run some material tests to find the best settings
@SteveMakesEverything Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try lowering the laser power even more, and spraying some clear coat after engraving. Unfortunately, this won't work with cutting boards though, as they have to be rubbed and wiped with food grade mineral oil. I will figure something out though. 😊
@@TheGuitarman1968 Try a test with the mineral oil applied before lasering. See what happens! I think there's a good chance that the laser would decompose some of the oil into carbon rich compounds.
Quite like this idea, you could also do a two tone effect with a normal engraving first, leave it in place and apply the borax then do a different engraving over the top so some parts are light and some dark. I do wonder though about how it may affect the chemistry of the wood, for example long term degradation of certain finishes, like say shellac or an epoxy or PU finish
I am used to using baking soda, when I learned about borax in a different video, I really wanted to try it. Images were turning out pure black, dots were melting in to each other so there was no more grayscale effect. So I doubled the speed and halfed the power, no change. I increased the speed even more, lowered power and the borax kept charring the wood no matter what except some of the wood wouldn't get touched so it would be like an incomplete yet black image. Very weird stuff, I really prefer the baking soda, it gives something in the middle and I get the grayscale effect. I've only tested these on basswood, that may be why. Ortur master 2 20W so it's not a powerful laser. I don't think this video really demonstrates a photo style engraving though, more like a vector so there's not much grayscale. So it seems excellent for that type of engraving. I may just need to practice more with it.
so i run a company specialised in laser cutting. We know some tricks but this seems like magic to me. Definitely gonna try it out and will update about the result!
Borax (products made from chemicals in the Borate Group) are no longer sold in the EU and UK as they have been classified as "toxic" (classified as a Reprotoxic Category 2). It is obtainable, from specialist chemical companies, but not to private individuals. Companies who use these compounds need to prove that they have appropriate safety systems to handle, use, and dispose of it. One could try this with Bicarbonate of Soda (baking power might do) - give it a go Steve and see if it performs the same.
yes I’ve tried baking soda in the past and it helps improve engraving but doesn’t have quite the same impact. it’s too bad the regulations are so tight in the EU, especially since it’s a material that occurs in nature
@@pd1jap I disagree with you. I've been trying to get Borax in the UK for making crystals and the EU banned it. Even though the UK is no longer in the EU, we haven't repealed that law.
That is absolutely superb! Thanks very much for sharing this :) I just did a test engrave for a gift for my mum and dad's birthdays (both this month 2 days apart) and was wondering how to make it more black, thanks to you i now know! Borax ordered, liked and subbed, thanks Steve :)
Mr Tobbo Yes, it’s working well, I did the camera add on and upgraded chiller option. The only way I could afford the 100W tube was the free upgrade they were offering that month with a purchase of the Titan.
Amazing! Thank you for this video/tip. My wife and I are new to laser engraving and she had some canvas items she wanted to do and our first attempt was pretty awful. Tried this method and worked quite well on the canvas. Found I did have to tone the power down a couple notches - not sure if that is related or not but dialing it in.
Wow thanks for this. I wasn’t aware that this would work for anything but wood. This is why experimentation is important. Regarding power, yes, you definitely need to cut it by at least 30% of what you would expect for a material.
I make and sell soap. I watch other videos and I've seen some of the most peculiar and simple items, even in the soaping world, banned from the UK. Now Borax!? Really!! Why do they ban things like this in the UK? The US cant say much either. Hell, they've banned Dukes of Hazard for the sake of racism (reason for everything). Even though that is a lie why would England ban borax and other simple items?
@@iwannaapple7190 I wish I had a voice for government. It's a weird thing to ban given that is it naturally occurring in nature. Personally I would also ban the Dukes of Hazard, though not specifically because of racism, but rather because as a kid, I always thought it was a pretty terrible show (and I know I'll take heat from my Kentucky viewers, though I've been to Kentucky and the state is quite scenic) :-)
Awesome. What a difference that makes. Great tip thank you. One question..... how do u clean off the black sooty residue without it soiling your workpiece.
So if you start by minimizing the power used to create the engraving and then after engraving spray the piece with clear coat, you can protect the piece. You can’t touch the engraving until you do this otherwise it will smear. For every plus, there is a minus but this one can be mitigated.
Yes, though it depends on the concentration. You need surprisingly little Borax and it's possible to reduce the amount used to not cause this yellowing and still get the desired effect. By contract, if you are using Baking Soda, any amount seems to cause far worse yellowing.
Yep, no issue, though you will have to really drop the power. Run a material test on a scrap to ensure you are using settings that give you the result you want.
@@SteveMakesEverything can you help me choosing a machine between longer ray 5 20 w vs neje max 4 20 w or longer b1 40w or if you can suggest anything better and under 1000CAD including tax and shipping?? my main goals are: precise engraving on wood and leaf 3 mm or 5 mm plywood cutting for layer project(cant afford cnc router) 3 mm or 2mm black acrylic cutting if possible good speed otherwise precision is more imp. Thanks in advance
@@aniketgupta5118 To stay under $1000 you will definitely be looking at an ope-frame laser rather than something in an enclosure. Budgets are important, but safety trumps cost, so I would first suggest you budget for something enclosed. Having said that, I'm a big fan of Longer lasers and for the money, the Ray 5 is quite solid. I would recommend something larger than a 20W laser if you want to cut material regularly. The 24W Ray 5 is a decent cutter, but more power = faster cutting, so keep that in mind. I'm not too familiar with the NeJe laser, though it is older tech compared to some of the other in the same price range.
That will be specific you your laser. A regular focus setting will be fine, but you will need to reduce the power a lot to avoid charring the engraving too much
@@SteveMakesEverything My real question is: what is the dark char? Does the Borax burn hotter and stay as black dust that smears or does it char the wood deeper? I hope this makes sense. In other words, what exactly so dark? Burnt Borax which can smear and dust off or deeply burnt wood which stays there after a mild sweeping with a brush? It's an important distinction. Thanks.
@@ramonhamm3885 The darkness comes from the wood, not the Borax. The Borax is really just an accelerant that causes the softer fibers in the wood to vaporize more quickly. However, the engraving is more fragile than it would normally be because what remains after engraving is a structure or wood fibers that is full of holes. You can minimize this by reducing the power used to engrave though I normally spray in a couple coats of clear coat to fill the holes back in and restore the strength of the wood. (I use flat spray)
There isn't another name - it's a naturally occurring compound. However I believe it has been banned for salein the UK now. You may have to use baking soda instead. It's not quite as good and can yellow the material ab it, but it's an improvement over nothing.
WOW! This is a game changer. Been lasering stuff for over 10 years and I am looking forward to trying this. Headed to the store to get some Borax! Thanks for sharing.
@@SteveMakesEverything I saw another video that compared baking soda and Borax. The baking soda was definitely an improvement over nothing but the Borax was by far the best. I will try to find some online. Thanks again!
I think once done with Engraving. If we have to clean the surface with light damp cloth or polish with oil/lacquer, burnt borax will be all over the place spoiling the picture with blackness ? Has it happened to you?
It's easier if the surface of the material is ready for finishing before you do the engrave and then after you can just spray it with clear coat (avoiding contact with the engraving of course).
It looks as if when you were brushing the Borax on the maple that it changed the color of the wood. It looks like on the video it made it yellowish color. Is this right or is it just a camera illusion?
@@kerrijodierberger I don't but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Because the finished engraving can be pretty fragile until it gets protected with a finish, any required sanding should be done first.
@@SteveMakesEverything thanks. Looks pretty straight forward. The pasting right in is what caught my attention. I haven't tried that with might run or other proprietary softwares. Just never thought to try. I still would likely save an image rather than copy and paste, but thought that was pretty cool as an option
With the exception of my old Muse 3D laser, I run Lighburn exclusively now. But in this video I was in fact using my Muse, so this was Retina Engrave 3.
Yes for sure. You will really need to back off on the power though or you’ll be cutting holes. Do a material test on a piece of material to get a sense of the power you will want
Does anyone have any idea what in borax gives this effect? I cant get borax but maybe i can find something similar. Dont want to discolour the material with baking soda
A few months ago I published a link to Russ Sadler's great TH-cam channel where he analyzes the Borax effect in much deeper detail. You can find it here if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/7pFuW1zPkkg/w-d-xo.html
Interesting. I’ve spent the last couple hours trying to engrave on slate coaster.. you’re saying you just copy and pasted no adjustments nothing and ran the job… ? Hmm
@@tdelrio Well keep in mind, if you are trying to use borax on a tile you'l get no effect since this works only on wood. But the image itself, I just grabbed from Google images and dropped it into Lightburn.
Certainly you can ask. So with the Borax I actually had to dial down the power by about 50% otherwise the material would just be charred into oblivion. Speed is the same for both
Can you use this technique on regular engraving to make it darker but not have as much burn/. Also, can you use this technique on any material? Thanks for the video
This only works on more porous woods. You can get darker engraves without much burn, but you really need to drop the power or increase the speed to achieve this.
Interesting question. The borax would have be one the wood directly so yes I guess that would have to be the order. Of course if you’re going to paint anyway you could mask the material, then engrave then paint black then remove the mask and carefully paint the surface
You can use a heat gun to dry it if you’re in a rush. I wouldn’t use this in area where there is food. Any toxicity aside, the surface will be fragile unless you pour some clear resin over it. Sanding isn’t recommended after engraving, but you can sand before and then mask the surface before engraving.
If you leave the settings the same as you would engrave without Borax you will likely have a much deeper engrave - probably with lots of charring too. you will need to dial down the power by ~30% to reduce some of the energy absorption. Borax seems to be a sponge for laser energy
Hi Steve, I'm located overseas and we don't have this kind of solution here, do you know if this solution can be replaced by something else that would give us similar results?
Ha, you should really spend a day with me in my shop. You would see lots of mistakes and wasted material😉 My goal is to just help people move forward on their Maker journey.
I have some bamboo cutting boards and I plan on trying this today. Engraving with nothing on it looked good until I washed it. Hoping Borax will look better after washing.
@@derrickdavis1860 Fair warning. If you do this to a cutting board then I would suggest filling in the engraving with clear resin. This isn't a good use case for Borax unless you protect the engraving under clearcoat or resin
They would be no worse than any other fumes from material. There is no chlorine or fluorine. Always make sure you are properly venting for any material though
The Borax method alters the color of the wood where it's not engraved. Can it be sanded off to make it look like the same color as the upper half of the wood?
I have several. For this I think I used my Muse 3D, but I also have a 90W CO2 that I built myself. For diode lasers I commonly use a 40W xTool D1 Pro or Atezr V35
The laser seems to be doing a lot of left right travel that looks unnecessary. Would removing the background prevent that? Stuff is cheap. $6 for 65oz. Walmart.
there's a setting in Lighburn to set desired extra travel to prevent darker areas on edges of your design. Because while laser head is moving, it double pass the edges if you don't set it up for over pass.
Borax is boric acid. I suspect you could use lemon juice to do the same thing. Borax isn't too tough to find so you might as well use that, though. As a side note, I used to play tennis with a guy that was a supervisor for 20 Mule Team. There is actually a 20 Mule Team exit on the way to Lancaster, CA that takes you to the factory. Does this work for materials other than wood? I suspect you could coat the item with epoxy to make an even tougher finish. Thanks for the video!
While borax (Na₂[B₄O₅(OH)₄]·8H₂O) and boric acid (H3BO3) are both in the borate family, they aren’t the same thing. I haven’t. tried lemon juice myself but I’ve heard some people say it has some impact on engraving. I think you would be better with baking soda dissolved in water. Unfortunately, none of these will work on anything wood, and not even all woods. After engraving, epoxy poured into the engraving would definitely protect it.
Is borax acidic? I think lemon juice would work because it was used for invisible ink. The application of heat was what made it visible if I remember my history correctly. Might be able to use milk or onion juice also. I'm thinking a product that gets used for insect control would probably be a bad choice for engraving a cutting board or something that comes in contact with food... I wonder if borax in water would serve as an invisible ink. Thanks for the chemistry lesson on Borax.@@SteveMakesEverything
@@GoCreateSomething I believe Borax is actually a base rather than an acid. It will kill ants, but my mother always used it as some sort of laundry whitener. Either way, I wouldn't use it in contact with food because it is suspected to be carcinogenic, which is why it is banned in the EU. It is mined from the ground, so I'm not sure how they could ban it successfully. As I noted, try lemon juice to see if it does anything, but I have a feeling that a laser will heat it enough to obliterate it before it has a chance to turn the wood dark.
This won’t work on glass since it’s a chemical reaction with the fibres in the wood. Petroleum jelly on glass is more of a protectant against edge fractures than something that improves the actual engrave. It works well on lamacoid acrylics as well to prevent engraving dust getting previously engraved surfaces as well. It’s just a bit messy to clean up after
@@SteveMakesEverything some people are using dish soap and 3n1 oil on glass with good results just wondering if Vaseline or petroleum jell will work the same, never on wood lol I know better
@@glennthomas9496 If you are trying to eliminate mild hazing of the glass dish soap works well, though this is a better trick for acrylic. I suspect unless you have a very thin layer then petroleum jelly will defocus the laser and potentially make things worse. You'd just have to try it on a scrap piece to see what happens.
@@SteveMakesEverything appropriate your input ty hey have you tried baking soda instead of borax on wood ,I used baking soda on my fractal burn and it's the only way, I think I'm going to try on laser burn for it may work as well as borax but wow that borax big difference. Ty again
I like these questions. You can certainly amp up the power, but you'll end up charring he surface or burning through your material before you get to the same level of darkness. With an application of Borax (or even Baking Soda) you can use far less power than you normally would, so you won't have to deal with the smoke residue and will still get darker engraving. Give it a try and you will see the difference.
It should, though I haven't tried it. I don't work with leather too often. Maybe there is justification to do a follow-up video on different materials.
I have not. This will work best on lighter soft woods, but I'd say give it a try. I theory the borax is reacting to the laser and that should work regardless
I find the borax does make black yes, but its because of soot. the entire engraving is just black soot, if you remove it the engraving is gone. Does the clearcoat just mix with the soot and harden to keep it there? I will have to test this, at this stage Im not getting any joy with it. maybe I just over burn or something.
You need to greatly reduce the power, otherwise you will see this. With the power/speed adjusted correctly you just get darker rather than ash. It's a bit tedious, but play with it. Clearcoat will bond the engraved structure better - if you use flat cost then you won't even see it.
Wow, this is amazing. I've been wishing for a way to make my engravings darker. The results shown in the video are super impressive. Steve, would you recommend using this method on all types of wood with any type of engraving (photo, logo, text, etc)? Also, could you estimate how long it took for the wood to dry and be ready for engraving?
This will work with any type of engraving and should have an impact on most woods. It has a bigger impact on light woods though. As far as drying you can leave it overnight or use a heat gun/hair dryer to accelerate things. For the video I lightly heated my board with a heat gun and drying took less than a minute.
@@zachofalltrades1111 the Borax is liquifying under the creating a moment of molten liquid. Borax is also used as a wetting agent in melting brass in a furnace. It significantly reduces the time involved in melting brass, and is easily skimmed off the top before pouring. Works with gold too, same reason.
@@24-Card So, are you claiming the Borax will effect to the picture graving positively similar as it does for the wooden materials too? How do you add this borax on the metal? Similar as wood, layering on the top of the plattern to be lazerized?
Well you do need to reduce the power a bit (or increase the speed) with Borax otherwise you'll get a lot more charring. If you leave the setting as you would for a normal engrave it will probably look less appealing.
Technically Borax won't kill you but I doubt it's very healthy regardless. What I do on cutting boards is engrave and then fill them with resin. It takes longer but it's durable.
Thank you for this tipp. I "work" with a NEJE 2S Diode Laser and tried the "borax trick". The results are very dark and visible on Birch but need several layers of clearcoat (sprayed) to fix it. Without clearcoat you can wipe off the engraving or wash it off with water. I also am not able to cut through borax treated wood (without masking), the laser won´t burn more than the surface. Any suggestions someone?
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you, i will try! I still wonder why it prevents to cut through...maybe the charcoal layer building with borax is preventing the beam to get below surface...
Can’t wait to try this with a diode laser! If anyone is wondering how to engrave on glass with a diode laser, the secret is black tempera paint. Same technique.
this should work with a diode laser as well
I have seen this technique done on other videos but your has the most dramatic results and clear execution I have seen. Thanks for a great vid!
Thanks
This is the best technique I've seen in a long time for laser engraving. My wife uses borax. So, I've got plenty of it on hand. We're packing up to move right now, but as soon as I get the laser set up in the new office, this will be the first thing I do on it.
Sounds like you’ve got plans for the holidays. Hope this is helpful
Holy Hannah, THANK YOU for sharing this! Lower power, faster AND much higher quality? That's a Trifecta, Man. OUTSTANDING!
Yep, it takes a bit of testing to get the settings just right, but it will be darker. After engraving, hit it with a couple coats of clear coat to protect it.
Some basic high school chemistry 101 to ponder: Sodium tetraborate (Borax) is a mild alkaline with a PH between 8 and 9. When mixed with dihydrogen oxide (water), it becomes hydrogen peroxide. Borax is basically bleaching the wood at the molecular level. You would think the added whiteness/brightness that Borax gives the wood would be counterintuitive to using a laser since it would reflect the laser light, but hey, it works somehow to create a darker burn.
Borax is not only used as a cleaner and laundry brightener, among other industrial uses. It is also a great insecticide for ants and termites. Just mix it with corn syrup, and it dehydrates the insects from the inside out when they eat the mixture. Those Terro ant traps are basically corn syrup and Borax. Good stuff!
My question is. What do you do after engraving with Borax to clean and seal the wood? If you wipe the wood after engraving, the dark soot gets everywhere and ruins the project. I have heard some other laser engravers say they use a vacuum and a spray poly or lacquer to seal the wood without any wiping of the project. I was just wondering what you recommend after engraving with Borax so that the project does not get ruined by the dark soot getting everywhere? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 😊
You can spray it with a couple coats of clear coat, though reducing the power more will help balance the darker color with the fragility caused by layering the Borax. Run some material tests to find the best settings
@SteveMakesEverything Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try lowering the laser power even more, and spraying some clear coat after engraving. Unfortunately, this won't work with cutting boards though, as they have to be rubbed and wiped with food grade mineral oil. I will figure something out though. 😊
@@TheGuitarman1968 thanks for sharing the science behind why this works. For your food grade option you could maybe try baking soda.
So if what he says is try, why not just use hydrogen peroxide ?
@@TheGuitarman1968 Try a test with the mineral oil applied before lasering. See what happens! I think there's a good chance that the laser would decompose some of the oil into carbon rich compounds.
Quite like this idea, you could also do a two tone effect with a normal engraving first, leave it in place and apply the borax then do a different engraving over the top so some parts are light and some dark. I do wonder though about how it may affect the chemistry of the wood, for example long term degradation of certain finishes, like say shellac or an epoxy or PU finish
I like this idea. 😀
Good idea 👍🏾
I did this last night …. Came out really good… added that contrast … sealed with poly once completed
@@daminator2004 Excellent!
@@daminator2004 2 weeks in, how's the polyurethane finish?
I am used to using baking soda, when I learned about borax in a different video, I really wanted to try it. Images were turning out pure black, dots were melting in to each other so there was no more grayscale effect. So I doubled the speed and halfed the power, no change. I increased the speed even more, lowered power and the borax kept charring the wood no matter what except some of the wood wouldn't get touched so it would be like an incomplete yet black image. Very weird stuff, I really prefer the baking soda, it gives something in the middle and I get the grayscale effect. I've only tested these on basswood, that may be why. Ortur master 2 20W so it's not a powerful laser. I don't think this video really demonstrates a photo style engraving though, more like a vector so there's not much grayscale. So it seems excellent for that type of engraving. I may just need to practice more with it.
I’m not sure how a diode laser works o this but I’m going to find out soon
Thanks for the baking soda tip, since borax isn't available in my country.
so i run a company specialised in laser cutting. We know some tricks but this seems like magic to me. Definitely gonna try it out and will update about the result!
If you want dark engraving this will do it for you
Borax (products made from chemicals in the Borate Group) are no longer sold in the EU and UK as they have been classified as "toxic" (classified as a Reprotoxic Category 2).
It is obtainable, from specialist chemical companies, but not to private individuals. Companies who use these compounds need to prove that they have appropriate safety systems to handle, use, and dispose of it.
One could try this with Bicarbonate of Soda (baking power might do) - give it a go Steve and see if it performs the same.
yes I’ve tried baking soda in the past and it helps improve engraving but doesn’t have quite the same impact. it’s too bad the regulations are so tight in the EU, especially since it’s a material that occurs in nature
Sorry, you are wrong. I live in the Netherlands and can buy Borax without restrictions.
@@pd1jap I disagree with you. I've been trying to get Borax in the UK for making crystals and the EU banned it. Even though the UK is no longer in the EU, we haven't repealed that law.
That is absolutely superb! Thanks very much for sharing this :) I just did a test engrave for a gift for my mum and dad's birthdays (both this month 2 days apart) and was wondering how to make it more black, thanks to you i now know! Borax ordered, liked and subbed, thanks Steve :)
Keep in mind to reduce the power. Then you can finish it off with some clear coat spray.
@@SteveMakesEverything Will do thanks.
Thanks Steve for the tip and clear instructions - big help!
Glad to help
My husband & I just got a 100W Titan from FSL and we’re still learning to use it. This is a very helpful tip!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Nice laser! Big workspace + lots of power = fun projects
How you finding it Minxy? Planning on buying one early january but it's either gonna be the titan or the PS36 PRO~
Did you do the 3d camera addon?
Mr Tobbo Yes, it’s working well, I did the camera add on and upgraded chiller option. The only way I could afford the 100W tube was the free upgrade they were offering that month with a purchase of the Titan.
Amazing! Thank you for this video/tip. My wife and I are new to laser engraving and she had some canvas items she wanted to do and our first attempt was pretty awful. Tried this method and worked quite well on the canvas. Found I did have to tone the power down a couple notches - not sure if that is related or not but dialing it in.
Wow thanks for this. I wasn’t aware that this would work for anything but wood. This is why experimentation is important.
Regarding power, yes, you definitely need to cut it by at least 30% of what you would expect for a material.
Would this work for other porous surfaces?
It really only works for wood.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you so much for sharing the information!!!
I've used Borax solution to make wood fire-retardant before, but never considered it could help a laser like this. Great tip!
Glad I could help!
Thank you for sharing, I always enjoy your videos.
Thanks for watching!
Unfortunately Borax is banned in UK/EU but you get a similar result with Baking Soda (Bicarb)
Well that's too bad, though indeed baking soda will also work, just not quite as well.
I make and sell soap. I watch other videos and I've seen some of the most peculiar and simple items, even in the soaping world, banned from the UK. Now Borax!? Really!!
Why do they ban things like this in the UK?
The US cant say much either. Hell, they've banned Dukes of Hazard for the sake of racism (reason for everything). Even though that is a lie why would England ban borax and other simple items?
@@iwannaapple7190 I wish I had a voice for government. It's a weird thing to ban given that is it naturally occurring in nature.
Personally I would also ban the Dukes of Hazard, though not specifically because of racism, but rather because as a kid, I always thought it was a pretty terrible show (and I know I'll take heat from my Kentucky viewers, though I've been to Kentucky and the state is quite scenic) :-)
Good to know. I’m horribly allergic to Borax.
Easy to get it on ebay
how you slap layer of clear coat? do you have a video of that process?
I just use clear spray from a spray can
is this a technique that can be applied to woods also?
Yes any wood will work to some degree, though softer woods like pine or bassword are best.
Awesome. What a difference that makes. Great tip thank you. One question..... how do u clean off the black sooty residue without it soiling your workpiece.
So if you start by minimizing the power used to create the engraving and then after engraving spray the piece with clear coat, you can protect the piece. You can’t touch the engraving until you do this otherwise it will smear. For every plus, there is a minus but this one can be mitigated.
That may be the best tip I've ever seen. . Thank you, Steve.
Glad you found it useful
The tone color of the wood has changed to. Yellow tint. Is that because of the Borax?
Yes, though it depends on the concentration. You need surprisingly little Borax and it's possible to reduce the amount used to not cause this yellowing and still get the desired effect. By contract, if you are using Baking Soda, any amount seems to cause far worse yellowing.
Thanks I really like this and am using it for my projects
It works well, but go gentle on the power.
can i perform this using longer b1 40W or 20W?
Yep, no issue, though you will have to really drop the power. Run a material test on a scrap to ensure you are using settings that give you the result you want.
@@SteveMakesEverything can you help me choosing a machine between longer ray 5 20 w vs neje max 4 20 w or longer b1 40w or if you can suggest anything better and under 1000CAD including tax and shipping??
my main goals are:
precise engraving on wood and leaf
3 mm or 5 mm plywood cutting for layer project(cant afford cnc router)
3 mm or 2mm black acrylic cutting
if possible good speed otherwise precision is more imp.
Thanks in advance
@@aniketgupta5118 To stay under $1000 you will definitely be looking at an ope-frame laser rather than something in an enclosure. Budgets are important, but safety trumps cost, so I would first suggest you budget for something enclosed.
Having said that, I'm a big fan of Longer lasers and for the money, the Ray 5 is quite solid. I would recommend something larger than a 20W laser if you want to cut material regularly. The 24W Ray 5 is a decent cutter, but more power = faster cutting, so keep that in mind.
I'm not too familiar with the NeJe laser, though it is older tech compared to some of the other in the same price range.
@@SteveMakesEverything i bought the ray5 for 315$ in halloween sale plus shipping
Thanks for the help🙏🙏
@@aniketgupta5118 Can't beat the price
So what distance we should maintain between nozzle tip and workpiece surface
That will be specific you your laser. A regular focus setting will be fine, but you will need to reduce the power a lot to avoid charring the engraving too much
@@SteveMakesEverything how much power required for normal engraving for wood
@@7hillscreations584 This would be completely dependent on your laser so I can really give you numbers.
Does that leave black char made from Borax residue that wipes off or is it the actual wood that chars darker from the Borax?
If you reduce the power quite a bit you will get darker engraves without so much charring
@@SteveMakesEverything My real question is: what is the dark char? Does the Borax burn hotter and stay as black dust that smears or does it char the wood deeper? I hope this makes sense. In other words, what exactly so dark? Burnt Borax which can smear and dust off or deeply burnt wood which stays there after a mild sweeping with a brush? It's an important distinction. Thanks.
@@ramonhamm3885 The darkness comes from the wood, not the Borax. The Borax is really just an accelerant that causes the softer fibers in the wood to vaporize more quickly.
However, the engraving is more fragile than it would normally be because what remains after engraving is a structure or wood fibers that is full of holes. You can minimize this by reducing the power used to engrave though
I normally spray in a couple coats of clear coat to fill the holes back in and restore the strength of the wood. (I use flat spray)
@@SteveMakesEverything Thanks Steve.
Does this work on metal too? I say that because you mentioned parts at the beginning thanks
No. You're out of luck using Borax on metal. You would need to use something like Cermark for that. It's expensive but it works well.
What is another name for Borax so I can get it in the UK?
There isn't another name - it's a naturally occurring compound. However I believe it has been banned for salein the UK now. You may have to use baking soda instead. It's not quite as good and can yellow the material ab it, but it's an improvement over nothing.
Thanks, I'll try that.@@SteveMakesEverything
Thanks! @@SteveMakesEverything
Thank you for sharing. Wish you all the best.
Thank you! You too!
WOW! This is a game changer. Been lasering stuff for over 10 years and I am looking forward to trying this. Headed to the store to get some Borax! Thanks for sharing.
Borax isn’t available everywhere so if you can’t find it you can also try baking soda dissolved in water
@@SteveMakesEverything I saw another video that compared baking soda and Borax. The baking soda was definitely an improvement over nothing but the Borax was by far the best. I will try to find some online. Thanks again!
@@kellyklaask7su990 Yes Borax definitely works better
hi, can this be used on a dark colored wood as well?
Pretty much any wood will work, though softwoods are best. Also lighter colored woods are better.
I think once done with Engraving. If we have to clean the surface with light damp cloth or polish with oil/lacquer, burnt borax will be all over the place spoiling the picture with blackness ? Has it happened to you?
It's easier if the surface of the material is ready for finishing before you do the engrave and then after you can just spray it with clear coat (avoiding contact with the engraving of course).
@@SteveMakesEverything can we laser engrave over varnished areas? like a couple of coats of water-based varnish?
@@CasualDrive Yes, I do this all the time. Use something like Polyacrylic so you don't sprew out a bunch of VOCs when you engrave though.
It looks as if when you were brushing the Borax on the maple that it changed the color of the wood. It looks like on the video it made it yellowish color. Is this right or is it just a camera illusion?
There is very minor color change with Borax. If you use baking soda instead you will see a lot more yellowing.
How did you prepare the wood. That is if you did. Thanks
As noted in the video I use either a sprayer or a foam brush to apply this. Then let it dry.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you, but do you do any other prepping like sanding first.
@@kerrijodierberger I don't but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Because the finished engraving can be pretty fragile until it gets protected with a finish, any required sanding should be done first.
Does this affect your ability to apply a finish to the wood?
No, in fact I would recommend a couple coats of clear spray finish, since this can make the engraving fragile if you’ve been heavy with the power.
Great Tip! Going to improve my work a lot!
Glad it was helpful!
No Borax in Europe - any suggestions for alternative or, better still, the chemicals causing the effect, please?
Baking soda works almost as well but tends to stain the wood a bit
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you. 🙏
Excellent!!! Thank you!! Does it only work on wood?
Porous wood only
The solution coloured the wood as well. Would rinsing it remove that?
The easiest way to fix this is to reduce the concentration. It really requires little to get darkened engraving.
What is the laser software used in this video? I am not familiar with it. Looks like it is browser/web based?
It’s Retina Engrave 3 because I used my Muse 3D for this
@@SteveMakesEverything thanks. Looks pretty straight forward. The pasting right in is what caught my attention. I haven't tried that with might run or other proprietary softwares. Just never thought to try. I still would likely save an image rather than copy and paste, but thought that was pretty cool as an option
What's the remedy? I still don't understand.❤
Remedy?
What can I use as I’m in the UK
Baking soda will work
Would this also work on solid oak boards ?
It should. It appears to have a positive effect on any porous wood
Anyone...What software uaed here? Thanks.
With the exception of my old Muse 3D laser, I run Lighburn exclusively now. But in this video I was in fact using my Muse, so this was Retina Engrave 3.
If the place don't have borax, what other option would be good?? I'm in Malaysia so, searching for borax product is difficult
Try baking soda
@@SteveMakesEverything thank you kind sir
Hey Steve i have a 40 watt XTool S1 will this method work for me ?
Yes for sure. You will really need to back off on the power though or you’ll be cutting holes. Do a material test on a piece of material to get a sense of the power you will want
May I buy 30 watt lense
And use both lasers, Now I m having 20watt machine set , and later I want use 30watt lense?
Please contact me
There's no specific wattage for laser lenses. So buy the lens you need and you should be able to use it in either laser
great video, thanks. This is how scorch pens work.
Glad you enjoyed it
Does anyone have any idea what in borax gives this effect? I cant get borax but maybe i can find something similar. Dont want to discolour the material with baking soda
A few months ago I published a link to Russ Sadler's great TH-cam channel where he analyzes the Borax effect in much deeper detail. You can find it here if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/7pFuW1zPkkg/w-d-xo.html
@@SteveMakesEverything awesome thanks!
Can you useit for a diode laser as well?
Yes it should work, but remember to really reduce the power
Can this be any kind of Borax?..theres a prrtty good amount of styles at my local stores
Anything that has the word "Borax" on the box should work.
Borax works great on killing ant too! I will have to try this next time I engrave.
It's my go-to ant killer too. 😀
Can this process work on Stainless Steel? I have a kitchen knife, I'd like to mark with a memorable photo.
No, this only works for woods, and really only soft woods.
If you use hardwoods, cherry or aspen, the engraving is dark and rich. For cheap wood, this is a nice trick.
Woods that are harder or have smaller grains won’t work as well, though there will be benefit with this
how did you copy it and paste it like that?? if i copy that and paste it.. it comes over as the photo.. your looked ready to engrave. ??
I just pasted an image in and engraved it. No magic, no adjustments.
Interesting. I’ve spent the last couple hours trying to engrave on slate coaster.. you’re saying you just copy and pasted no adjustments nothing and ran the job… ? Hmm
@@tdelrio Well keep in mind, if you are trying to use borax on a tile you'l get no effect since this works only on wood.
But the image itself, I just grabbed from Google images and dropped it into Lightburn.
may i ask if you used the same laser setting (power,speed and DPI) for both picture? many thx
Certainly you can ask. So with the Borax I actually had to dial down the power by about 50% otherwise the material would just be charred into oblivion. Speed is the same for both
Can you use this technique on regular engraving to make it darker but not have as much burn/. Also, can you use this technique on any material? Thanks for the video
This only works on more porous woods. You can get darker engraves without much burn, but you really need to drop the power or increase the speed to achieve this.
Would this do anything on glass or acrylic ?
No, this will only work on wood and in fact, will generally work best on softwood and plywood.
Thanks Steve for this Tips , but what should i do if i don't have Borax in my location ? is there any alternative solution ?
Try Baking Soda
What watt laser are you using
I believe I use my 40w co2 for this
Hi Steve...do you think this trick will work on a small 10W laser (xTool M1) as well?
Yes, This will work with pretty much any laser.
Is this only with CO2 lasers? What about a 20w input current like an Ortur or Atomstack?
Yes this will work with diode lasers too. Just remember to reduce the power by 25-30%
If you were to paint the material, would use the borax then paint and then burn?
Interesting question. The borax would have be one the wood directly so yes I guess that would have to be the order. Of course if you’re going to paint anyway you could mask the material, then engrave then paint black then remove the mask and carefully paint the surface
Thank you for this! How long does it need to dry before engraving? Does this make the product not food safe? Can it be lightly sanded after engraving?
You can use a heat gun to dry it if you’re in a rush. I wouldn’t use this in area where there is food. Any toxicity aside, the surface will be fragile unless you pour some clear resin over it. Sanding isn’t recommended after engraving, but you can sand before and then mask the surface before engraving.
@@SteveMakesEverything awesome thank you for the reply can’t wait to go try this out
Hi, what software are you pasting the image into? Thanks in advance!
I don’t recall which laser I used but it was probably the Muse 3D in which case it would be Retina Engrave 3
Thank you for the hint! Do you know if this also works on metal and other materials, or is this specific for wood/plywood?
Sadly this process is specific to wood material
What's the difference on the depth?
If you leave the settings the same as you would engrave without Borax you will likely have a much deeper engrave - probably with lots of charring too. you will need to dial down the power by ~30% to reduce some of the energy absorption. Borax seems to be a sponge for laser energy
hi, looks good... but i have a problem.. i can´t buy borax in EU... is there some similiar product? :) Thank you for your asnwer
Trying baking soda. Not quite as nice, but still an improvement over nothing.
Hi Steve,
I'm located overseas and we don't have this kind of solution here, do you know if this solution can be replaced by something else that would give us similar results?
Hi Petya, yes, you can try baking soda. It tends to yellow lighter woods a bit but will produce a decent darkening effect as well.
@@SteveMakesEverything thank you for the suggestion!
sir, it's work for diode laser?
It should
Man, you are genius. Thank you for sharing your knowledge 😊
Ha, you should really spend a day with me in my shop. You would see lots of mistakes and wasted material😉
My goal is to just help people move forward on their Maker journey.
Will it work on metal?
Nope, the surface must be wood. For metal you can use something like Cermark.
Thank you for this tip!!
I hope it helps
Could this technique be used in cutting boards? Would it be lost after washing?
Good question. It would be a challenge unless this was a deep engrave and you maybe fill it with clear resin.
I have some bamboo cutting boards and I plan on trying this today. Engraving with nothing on it looked good until I washed it. Hoping Borax will look better after washing.
@@derrickdavis1860 Fair warning. If you do this to a cutting board then I would suggest filling in the engraving with clear resin. This isn't a good use case for Borax unless you protect the engraving under clearcoat or resin
Are the fumes from the Borax safe?
They would be no worse than any other fumes from material. There is no chlorine or fluorine. Always make sure you are properly venting for any material though
Does it work on leather?
No, only woods, and in fact best with soft woods
How did you prepare the photo for the laser?
I didn’t do any prep actually. Most modern laser software does a great job rendering images so you shouldn’t normally need to do a lot.
You got a subscriber for this one, thanks for sharing a industry secret with the little guys! 👍👍👍
Nice! Welcome aboard 😁
Will this work on a fibe laser?
If you can engrave wood this will work.
Wonder if this works also on cork?
It doesn't😀
The Borax method alters the color of the wood where it's not engraved. Can it be sanded off to make it look like the same color as the upper half of the wood?
It a bit tricky. If you are seeing large color change then reduce the concentration. I usually use about a half tsp in 8-10 ozs of water.
Why does this work? Also wondering if other chemicals result in different colors on the Laser?
See the link I posted to the Community tab on my channel page. It will point you to Russ Sadler’s video that deep dives on this
Steve what lazer are you using?
I have several. For this I think I used my Muse 3D, but I also have a 90W CO2 that I built myself. For diode lasers I commonly use a 40W xTool D1 Pro or Atezr V35
The laser seems to be doing a lot of left right travel that looks unnecessary. Would removing the background prevent that? Stuff is cheap. $6 for 65oz. Walmart.
Getting rid of the background may help but it's an image with a specified size, so its possible it moves over the whitespace anyway.
there's a setting in Lighburn to set desired extra travel to prevent darker areas on edges of your design. Because while laser head is moving, it double pass the edges if you don't set it up for over pass.
Borax is boric acid. I suspect you could use lemon juice to do the same thing. Borax isn't too tough to find so you might as well use that, though.
As a side note, I used to play tennis with a guy that was a supervisor for 20 Mule Team. There is actually a 20 Mule Team exit on the way to Lancaster, CA that takes you to the factory.
Does this work for materials other than wood?
I suspect you could coat the item with epoxy to make an even tougher finish.
Thanks for the video!
While borax (Na₂[B₄O₅(OH)₄]·8H₂O) and boric acid (H3BO3) are both in the borate family, they aren’t the same thing. I haven’t. tried lemon juice myself but I’ve heard some people say it has some impact on engraving. I think you would be better with baking soda dissolved in water.
Unfortunately, none of these will work on anything wood, and not even all woods.
After engraving, epoxy poured into the engraving would definitely protect it.
Is borax acidic? I think lemon juice would work because it was used for invisible ink. The application of heat was what made it visible if I remember my history correctly. Might be able to use milk or onion juice also. I'm thinking a product that gets used for insect control would probably be a bad choice for engraving a cutting board or something that comes in contact with food...
I wonder if borax in water would serve as an invisible ink.
Thanks for the chemistry lesson on Borax.@@SteveMakesEverything
@@GoCreateSomething I believe Borax is actually a base rather than an acid. It will kill ants, but my mother always used it as some sort of laundry whitener. Either way, I wouldn't use it in contact with food because it is suspected to be carcinogenic, which is why it is banned in the EU. It is mined from the ground, so I'm not sure how they could ban it successfully.
As I noted, try lemon juice to see if it does anything, but I have a feeling that a laser will heat it enough to obliterate it before it has a chance to turn the wood dark.
You probably already answered this question but what type of wood did you use in this video?
Thanks for making this video. Greatly appreciated..
It’s just laser grade Baltic birch
Have you tried on glass? Also have you tries Vaseline or petroleum jell on glass
This won’t work on glass since it’s a chemical reaction with the fibres in the wood. Petroleum jelly on glass is more of a protectant against edge fractures than something that improves the actual engrave. It works well on lamacoid acrylics as well to prevent engraving dust getting previously engraved surfaces as well. It’s just a bit messy to clean up after
@@SteveMakesEverything some people are using dish soap and 3n1 oil on glass with good results just wondering if Vaseline or petroleum jell will work the same, never on wood lol I know better
@@glennthomas9496 If you are trying to eliminate mild hazing of the glass dish soap works well, though this is a better trick for acrylic. I suspect unless you have a very thin layer then petroleum jelly will defocus the laser and potentially make things worse. You'd just have to try it on a scrap piece to see what happens.
@@SteveMakesEverything appropriate your input ty hey have you tried baking soda instead of borax on wood ,I used baking soda on my fractal burn and it's the only way, I think I'm going to try on laser burn for it may work as well as borax but wow that borax big difference. Ty again
@@glennthomas9496 Yes Baking soda works in a pinch. It does color the material more though and doesn't work quite as well.
Awesome! Any added strong smell with the Borax? Thanks
Nope! No smell at all
Will Borax or Soda blacken metal engravings as well? Does it work with any type of laser (diode, CO2, fiber etc.)?
Sorry, this will work only with wood, but it should work with diode or CO2 lasers
Im new to this, whats the difference between this method or just doing more power ?
I like these questions. You can certainly amp up the power, but you'll end up charring he surface or burning through your material before you get to the same level of darkness. With an application of Borax (or even Baking Soda) you can use far less power than you normally would, so you won't have to deal with the smoke residue and will still get darker engraving. Give it a try and you will see the difference.
Great work. Love it. Time to go buy some Borax.
If you can’t find Borax you can try Baking Soda as well. Doesn’t have quite the same effect but Borax isn’t available everywhere
Thank you for this tip. Normally I laser out of focus to darken the color. Do you do this “In Focus”?
Yes I do! borax makes the surface very sensitive. in fact you will probably need to reduce the power by 30-50% or it surface will be charred
Hi, thanks for the tip. Is it working for poliuretane leather as well? Thanks and Happy New Year!
It should, though I haven't tried it. I don't work with leather too often. Maybe there is justification to do a follow-up video on different materials.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you so much for your quick reply!
Have you used this method on acacia cutting boards by any chance?
I have not. This will work best on lighter soft woods, but I'd say give it a try. I theory the borax is reacting to the laser and that should work regardless
I find the borax does make black yes, but its because of soot. the entire engraving is just black soot, if you remove it the engraving is gone. Does the clearcoat just mix with the soot and harden to keep it there? I will have to test this, at this stage Im not getting any joy with it. maybe I just over burn or something.
You need to greatly reduce the power, otherwise you will see this. With the power/speed adjusted correctly you just get darker rather than ash. It's a bit tedious, but play with it. Clearcoat will bond the engraved structure better - if you use flat cost then you won't even see it.
Wow, this is amazing. I've been wishing for a way to make my engravings darker. The results shown in the video are super impressive. Steve, would you recommend using this method on all types of wood with any type of engraving (photo, logo, text, etc)? Also, could you estimate how long it took for the wood to dry and be ready for engraving?
This will work with any type of engraving and should have an impact on most woods. It has a bigger impact on light woods though. As far as drying you can leave it overnight or use a heat gun/hair dryer to accelerate things. For the video I lightly heated my board with a heat gun and drying took less than a minute.
@@SteveMakesEverything so this will work on metal as well
@@zachofalltrades1111 I don't think this will work on metal since it needs a porous surface.
@@zachofalltrades1111 the Borax is liquifying under the creating a moment of molten liquid. Borax is also used as a wetting agent in melting brass in a furnace. It significantly reduces the time involved in melting brass, and is easily skimmed off the top before pouring. Works with gold too, same reason.
@@24-Card So, are you claiming the Borax will effect to the picture graving positively similar as it does for the wooden materials too? How do you add this borax on the metal? Similar as wood, layering on the top of the plattern to be lazerized?
Does the borax engrave deeper, shallower, and will it last as long as a normal engrave?
Well you do need to reduce the power a bit (or increase the speed) with Borax otherwise you'll get a lot more charring. If you leave the setting as you would for a normal engrave it will probably look less appealing.
That's an amazing technique, I just bought a laser engraver and want to do dome engravings on cutting boards, is this solution food safe?
Technically Borax won't kill you but I doubt it's very healthy regardless. What I do on cutting boards is engrave and then fill them with resin. It takes longer but it's durable.
Thank you for this tipp. I "work" with a NEJE 2S Diode Laser and tried the "borax trick". The results are very dark and visible on Birch but need several layers of clearcoat (sprayed) to fix it. Without clearcoat you can wipe off the engraving or wash it off with water. I also am not able to cut through borax treated wood (without masking), the laser won´t burn more than the surface. Any suggestions someone?
If you have to put a lot of coats of clearcoat then try reducing the power quite a bit
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you, i will try! I still wonder why it prevents to cut through...maybe the charcoal layer building with borax is preventing the beam to get below surface...
Is this only for CO2 lasers or for diode lasers as well please? ☺
I use it for CO2 laser, but it should work for a diode laser as well.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you ☺