LASER MARK TIN EASTER BUCKETS
MATERIALS NEEDED
- Coated mini tin buckets (we got ours from Koch.com)
- Gold mirror acrylic sheet
- Laser engraver (we suggest a CO2 laser such as any from the Epilog range)
- Graphic design software (we run CorelDraw classes throughout the year)
STEP 1: PREPARE ARTWORK
Download our bunny design to get started! For this design we are going to laser engrave the bunny design on to a painted tin bucket, and then laser cut a bunny shape out of our gold mirror acrylic.
Open the artwork files and customise as necessary to suit your item size and position as required.
STEP 2: SET UP BUCKET IN LASER
Ideally you would run this job utilising a rotary device due to the cylindrical shape of the bucket, however we didn’t have one available so instead we’ve lasered one bunny at a time, manually rotating the bucket between each cycle.
Since the bucket is cylindrical and has different diameter ends you’ll need to prop it up at one end in order to level the marking surface and also prevent the bucket from rolling or moving during the engraving process.
Set the correct focus for your machine.
**TIP: When lasering on a curved surface without a rotary device it helps to focus half way down the overall area you intend to engrave. This will give you some focal tolerance both above and below your set focus height, resulting in a much more even engraving.
STEP 3: LASER CUT MIRROR ACRYLIC
We like to laser cut our acrylic sheets with the mirror side up and the protective mask left on. if you prefer to laser cut yours with the mirror face down that is also ok.
STEP 4: PRINT JOB
To laser engrave the painted coating off the tin we used a medium speed and medium power. Depending on the coating you may require a second pass to clean it up – or alternatively use a cleaning agent like Simple Green to help clean off any residue.
For best results when laser cutting acrylic use a low speed, high power and maximum frequency.
