Another lesson learned and mistake to avoid next time.
I've successfully engraved many ceramic tiles since acquiring my NEJE Master 2 last year. However, I recently encountered my first big fail that taught me a lesson with prepping a tile before an engraving.
My Typical Successful Engraving
Before I share the mistake, I made recently, let me share the steps that normally result in a successful tile engraving for me:
Clean the tile surface
Spray a coat of cold galvanizing compound over the tile surface
Allow the compound to dry for several hours; preferably overnight
Load an image into the NEJE app software
Resize image to fit on the tile's surface
Position the tile under the laser
Adjust the laser light's focus
Modify the app's settings as needed
Start engraving
Wash off the excess compound after the engraving completed
Below are the settings I used for this tile engraving attempt:
Laser brightness: 50%
Sensitivity of tilt detection: medium
Motor speed: medium
Laser power: 90%
Burn time: 30mS
Total passes: 1X
Feel free to check out one of my past successful laser engraved tile videos:
How I Messed Up This Time
It took me a while to determine when, where, and how I messed up. I'm glad I recorded my process so I could review the video closely because I thought I used the wrong settings in the NEJE app. However, I messed up in the very beginning during the tile prep.
After I sprayed a coat of the cold galvanizing compound over the tile's surface, a bug flew onto the tile. I used my finger to remove the bug but left a 'bald' spot in its place.
I sprayed another coat of the cold galvanizing compound immediately without thought. This was a mistake because the coating became too thick for my normal engraving settings.
The laser's light never reached/touched the tile's surface due to the thick compound coating. I didn't know I wasted time and power with the eight-hour laser engraving process.
I washed the excess compound off with water and a scrubbing sponge. I should've known then that I sprayed too much compound. I washed off a lot more compound than usual.
There were a few light imprints or impressions of the silhouette image on the tile's surface. I was eventually able to scrap those marks off with my fingernails.
Otherwise, there was no other evidence of a laser engraving attempt. This was a failed attempt, but at least the tile was clean enough to use for a future laser engraved tile attempt.
My Thoughts
Lesson learned: Don't spray a thick coat of cold galvanizing compound over a tile's surface. If I could go back and change something about that prep day, I would've washed the compound off and respray it with a light coat.
I'll also try to remember to NOT prep the tiles immediately after the grass was cut. Bugs were more active than usual and constantly landed on other tiles I prepped and sprayed that same day.
What's Next?
I'll try again, but with a thin single coat of the cold galvanizing compound. I'm just glad the tile wasn't ruined during this failed attempt.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam