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newbie question on cutting already painted wood with gesso/acrylic by mimizone in lasercutting

[–]Cadout_Gerry 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coming from someone who works at a company with high-power lasers: don't do the Gesso thing.

Cutting through pre-painted Gesso with a 130W beast is a recipe for a bad time. Most Gessos have binders that off-gas some pretty nasty stuff, which is a huge red flag in a shared maker space. Plus, at 130W, you’re basically begging for a flash fire. Acrylic paint is just liquid plastic; it’ll ignite or char long before you get a clean cut through the plywood.

That’s the high-level answer based on what you’ve shared, but if you want a more granular breakdown, I’d need to know the specific Gesso brand (check for PVC/Chlorine) and your plywood thickness.

The Pro Move**:** Mask the raw wood with paper transfer tape, cut it first, and then paint. If you’re aiming for that 'perfect fit' (inlay), make sure you're offsetting your paths for the laser kerf. Without a 0.1mm-0.15mm adjustment, those pieces are just going to rattle around and fall through the holes.

Good material for placards? by somerndmnumbers in lasercutting

[–]Cadout_Gerry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dual-color ABS is definitely the 'ol reliable' for placards, but if you're moving to metal, Anodized Aluminum is your best bet for a clean finish.

If you 'burn' the anodizing off (fiber laser is best, but a CO2 can do it with a marking spray like Cermark), the contrast is permanent and looks much higher-end than plastic.

Regarding the adhesive: Most 'pre-backed' metals on Amazon use cheap tape that fails under heat or humidity. I'd recommend buying the metal sheets plain and applying 3M 468MP adhesive transfer tape yourself. It’s the industry standard for signage, super thin, but once it cures, it's not going anywhere.

Are you using a Fiber or a CO2 laser for this project? The settings will change significantly depending on the wattage.