laser cutting

Hi all,
Been having fun with a new toy (cheapo laser cutter)
a few pairs of earring experiments.

Tell us more Rich! How cheap and what materials can it do?

Hello Caroline,
I paid £ 200 for the machine on gumtree , its one of those 40w Chinese made ones. The earrings in the images are 3mm acrylic , cuts easily. 3mm mdf also cuts easily. I have experimented with 2mm thick leather with varying degrees of success.
p.s I know £200 is not peanuts , but a 'proper' machine is thousands.
Cheers,
Richard.

That's a stunning result. Are there safety concerns? Dennis.

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Originally Posted by RichL

Hello Caroline,
I paid £ 200 for the machine on gumtree , its one of those 40w Chinese made ones. The earrings in the images are 3mm acrylic , cuts easily. 3mm mdf also cuts easily. I have experimented with 2mm thick leather with varying degrees of success.
p.s I know £200 is not peanuts , but a 'proper' machine is thousands.
Cheers,
Richard.

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The precision seems great. A friend who was an art teacher in a high school said one day oh our technicians could cut that for you with the laser cutter.What laser cutter, what technicians in an art dept.
One that cut metal would be my preference but that’s a different matter!

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Originally Posted by CJ57

The precision seems great. A friend who was an art teacher in a high school said one day oh our technicians could cut that for you with the laser cutter.What laser cutter, what technicians in an art dept.
One that cut metal would be my preference but that’s a different matter!

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If it is computer-controlled, for me it does throw up the whole debate on craft. The results are very impressive but my pleasure in both creating and appreciating the work of others is in the creation by hand. At what point does something not become art? After all, the original needs to be designed. Also, is the work of Rembrandt and other greats lessened by the chunks carried out by assistants? And what is the difference between a disc or star cut by a laser compared with a disc cutter and hammer? I really don’t know.
I am a retired architect and worked with one of the first firm to use CAD. It was a godsend in the creation and amending of drawings but the building of the final result was by the craft of bricklayers, joiners, decorators etc. Of course, prefabrication is becoming more extensive. Again, the craft is in the original design work.
Where are these thoughts going in respect of a laser cutter? I’m not sure. It certainly has its place in the workshop and I would love to know your thoughts.
Ian

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Originally Posted by Ianfs

If it is computer-controlled, for me it does throw up the whole debate on craft. The results are very impressive but my pleasure in both creating and appreciating the work of others is in the creation by hand. At what point does something not become art? After all, the original needs to be designed. Also, is the work of Rembrandt and other greats lessened by the chunks carried out by assistants? And what is the difference between a disc or star cut by a laser compared with a disc cutter and hammer? I really don’t know.
I am a retired architect and worked with one of the first firm to use CAD. It was a godsend in the creation and amending of drawings but the building of the final result was by the craft of bricklayers, joiners, decorators etc. Of course, prefabrication is becoming more extensive. Again, the craft is in the original design work.
Where are these thoughts going in respect of a laser cutter? I’m not sure. It certainly has its place in the workshop and I would love to know your thoughts.
Ian

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I have just reread this and I hope I have not give offence to the original post. The pieces shown are beautiful.
Ian

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Originally Posted by Ianfs

I have just reread this and I hope I have not give offence to the original post. The pieces shown are beautiful.
Ian

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If you are creating the original then it’s part of the process. I make one off pieces that often can’t be afforded by some. A small run would be a solution especially with Perspex as you can never recover the time spent on cutting the damn stuff which I used a lot in the 70s/80s.
The intricacy of these designs is quite liberating to me. It might be a problem for me though as I rarely put anything on paper and work evolves at the bench until it’s done. I’ve always shied away from mass production, even casting as I’d be bored and rarely do more than 3 on a theme but never the same. I’d probably be more likely to use it to cut out base shapes as a backdrop for silver work

I see I attached this to the wrong quote from you but it’s still part of the broader conversation I think

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Originally Posted by CJ57

If you are creating the original then it’s part of the process. I make one off pieces that often can’t be afforded by some. A small run would be a solution especially with Perspex as you can never recover the time spent on cutting the damn stuff which I used a lot in the 70s/80s.
The intricacy of these designs is quite liberating to me. It might be a problem for me though as I rarely put anything on paper and work evolves at the bench until it’s done. I’ve always shied away from mass production, even casting as I’d be bored and rarely do more than 3 on a theme but never the same. I’d probably be more likely to use it to cut out base shapes as a backdrop for silver work

I see I attached this to the wrong quote from you but it’s still part of the broader conversation I think

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I can see the validity of using it like that. There are similarities to, say, a giclee print of a watercolour.

I did try to delete both posts using my phone when out earlier as I was still worried I might cause offence, which is the last thing I would do. I'm rather glad I failed as your reply has been helpful.

Ian

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Originally Posted by Ianfs

I can see the validity of using it like that. There are similarities to, say, a giclee print of a watercolour.

I did try to delete both posts using my phone when out earlier as I was still worried I might cause offence, which is the last thing I would do. I'm rather glad I failed as your reply has been helpful.

Ian

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I think these discussions are always helpful. I’m such an old dinosaur but if a piece of equipment helps speed up some processes while allowing you the time to do the special stuff then now I’m all for cutting a few corners. One day I may even have some things cast! I create so few pieces that create is an important word to me so if I was mass producing I wouldn’t get anything out of making jewellery or using my skills and continuing to learn new ones. The laser cutter at that price sent a flicker of interest but I know it wouldn’t get used often enough to merit the spend and I haven’t got any more space in my wee workshop

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Originally Posted by CJ57

I think these discussions are always helpful. I’m such an old dinosaur but if a piece of equipment helps speed up some processes while allowing you the time to do the special stuff then now I’m all for cutting a few corners. One day I may even have some things cast! I create so few pieces that create is an important word to me so if I was mass producing I wouldn’t get anything out of making jewellery or using my skills and continuing to learn new ones. The laser cutter at that price sent a flicker of interest but I know it wouldn’t get used often enough to merit the spend and I haven’t got any more space in my wee workshop

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Agreed and thanks from one old dinosaur to another! 🤪

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Originally Posted by Dennis

That's a stunning result. Are there safety concerns? Dennis.

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Hi Dennis,
Yes there can be potential safety concerns using these machines but I suppose same as any workshop machinery. I think it's just a matter of taking adequate precautions ,ppe fume extraction ,ventilation etc.
Richard.

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Originally Posted by Ianfs

I have just reread this and I hope I have not give offence to the original post. The pieces shown are beautiful.
Ian

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Hi Ian,
No offence taken in fact I think you raised a valid point. I have to admit a similar thought lurks in the back of my mind, but I suppose a person that produces an item by traditional hand skills might find a use to embellish the item (as in the attached images for example) ? but as I say i'm just having fun experimenting with the possibilities at the moment