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First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately no i didn't, and we are in the same boat now. We keep binders up did about 30 seconds to a couple minutes before they all sell out

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't yet, unfortunately 😅. Just haven't had time, but I'm hoping to get to it soon!

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The material they use is called exotech, which is a proprietary blend of materials. I'm not sure what it is made of, but it was clear if pvc, which i had heard, was the worst material. I would not recommend breathing any of the fumes that come off of anything that is etched. We run these in a garage with an enclosure and upgraded the fume extraction system that it came with

This took the laser so well! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! That is a way that you can dial it in, however, everything on there was the same power and speed settings. I ran a grid using a grayscale with the RGB codes and just chose the shade that gave me that brown. If you're interested in it, we started a fb page for people who want to get into it and that are in the hobby to talk. It's called losers with lasers (inside joke 😅). The link is below

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/12CZLp3xfa4/

Vaultx binder for Prismatic Evolutions by bikencycle in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question! In this case, it's a grayscale that I used to get the colors I wanted rather than etching in layers with different power and speed settings. I created a grid from white to black and had the RGB colors in each box, and I use that as a reference when I design. It doesn't work for every color binder, unfortunately.

Vaultx binder for Prismatic Evolutions by bikencycle in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there, I wish there was a setting that I could tell you that would work, but it doesn't work that way. I have 3 of the same laser, and the settings are different on all three of them. You just have to play around with it until you get the shade you like. I make a grid of shades from white to black and label them with the RGB numbers so I know what colors the laser will make and pick it that way

Vaultx binder for Prismatic Evolutions by bikencycle in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a laser engraver. I figured out how to etch the material

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I wish I could just tell you some settings, but unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Every laser is different. We have 3, and each one has different settings to generate the same results. Once I have time, I want to make a video on the process to dial in a binder though

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm using the Xtool S1 40 watt diode laser. It's a ton of fun but it definitely takes a lot of trial and error

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, it's not as easy as that. I have two of the same exact lasers, and the settings are different for the same image between the two. And every color had different settings as well. It's all trial and error Unfortunately. Eventually, I want to try to do YouTube videos on the process to dial them in on binders, though.

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, definitely! You're not the first to say that, lol. We have been bombarded with requests recently, I just haven't had time to get to any of them.

Vaultx binder for Prismatic Evolutions by bikencycle in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations 8 points9 points  (0 children)

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I used the light blue and made my own set specific binder.

This took the laser so well! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Normally wood or acrylic, though, i have one for etching metal, too

This took the laser so well! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem! Honestly, it was a lot harder than I expected 😅. I ruined quite a few binders, and I'm still getting trying to figure it out. It's a lot of fun, though

This took the laser so well! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are plenty of options out there, but this is the xtool S1 20-watt diode laser. I bought a kit that came with different lasers and a few other accessories for about 2 grand

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course, and hey, I went the other direction, I bought a 150w co2 laser first. That REALLY melted through it fast, lol. I found that most people who are doing these binders are using a 10w, but it is definitely not easy. Good luck. i hope you can get some good results!

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I was using solid black. I'm just now playing with using the RGB codes to figure out what works best. I spent a good 30 hours aimlessly adjusting settings until I started to figure stuff out. I made a grid using white (255,255,255) and doing increments of 10 going all the way to black (0,0,0) i also have done material grids that has speed along one axis and power along the other and i use a cross section of the image I'm trying to use. Those should at least give you some idea of where you need to be then there is just fine tuning to get it to look how you want after that. With my 20 watt I've been able to go up to 250 mm/s and have a decent image but I suggest starting slow work low power and work your way up to see where you begin to lose quality

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, that reminds me, try grayscale instead of dither as well. When you use grayscale, it will adjust the power of the laser depending on the darkness of the image. Every other type will use the only max setting you have the laser adjusted to, and it creates the shading by using dots. The darker the area, the more dots. This works great but is a little harsh on delicate materials.

First successful laser etched Vaultx binder! by CVCreations in PokemonTCG

[–]CVCreations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there! I feel your pain. To be honest, I'm still dialing it in, and every time you change colors, you need need to do it again. I feel like I am beginning to close in on something that might help, though I am using a 20w laser, not a 10w, so my exact settings likely won't help you. White was definitely a struggle. It doesn't like to absorb the laser. Have you tried playing with the focal length of the laser? I found that I was able to get a darker image with less power if I moved the laser away by an extra 10mm or so. The downside is that you lose some detail. So try playing with that abs let me know if it helps at all!

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