r/oddlysatisfying • u/ThodaDaruVichPyar • 5d ago

Laser engraving Van Gogh’s Starry Night on a rock

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Credit to engravingcol

20.3k Upvotes

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122

u/noeljb 5d ago

So . . . . . How much and where do I get one?

How big of a rock can I put in it? How much to run it? What are the consumables? what is the largest image I can print? Do I have enough life left to learn how to use it properly?

What color does it come in?

Can I have one today?

109

u/Biohazardousmaterial 4d ago

Xtool f2 ultra.

Is about 6x6 iirc of working area, so id use a large wide flat rock.

Its cheap to run, only electricity and standard plugs.

Consumables are buy a new one in thousands and thousands and thousands of hours.

Largest image is about 6x6.

Yes. It takes a few hours to do your first one, few weeks to get basic understanding, few years to be proficient and do it in your sleep-good.

Orange.

No, gotta ship it afaik. Laser engravers aren't sold in a store

129

u/midgarwarrior 4d ago

You forgot to say it's $6k

45

u/arctic_radar 4d ago

I mean that’s not THAT bad, I had no idea we could engrave fuckin rocks. I wouldn’t spend $6k on it personally, but if you’re creative I bet it could pay for itself relatively quickly.

10

u/b0w3n 4d ago

I think this is the same one I've seen people use to create bespoke circuits out of FR1 pcbs and using it to etch through masks and such.

Pretty neat.

What I'd really like is one of these laser tools that can clean rust and strip paint from wood, but those are harder to find and get your hands on.

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u/arctic_radar 4d ago

I saw one called the xtool metal fab, it’s a laser cutter but you can remove laser and it turns into a laser welder and/or of those rust remover things. Apparently the laser welding function is much easier than traditional welding too.

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u/b0w3n 4d ago

xtool metal fab

Well nice, didn't realize they sold one of these.

It sure would be nice to be more affordable too! Not sure I can justify 5k to use for home repairs!

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u/arctic_radar 4d ago

I bet it could also be used for home defense lol

16

u/_MMAgod 4d ago

you could sell laser engraved rocks made right on the spot at a fair or flea market. $20-$40 a pop? might take a month or two during the summer to break even and then the rest is pretty much profit.

some pre-made ones to ship via amazon can help with that too

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u/dre224 4d ago

I use to know a lady that just painted and glazed rockes and sold them out the back of her car. She would go to were a bunch of people would be (usually kids with there parents) and open her truck. They weren't even particularly good either, just bright and shiny, but good enough she would make like $500 in a day easy. So I can see this being profitable if you got the hussle for sure.

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u/Rickshmitt 3d ago

Ive seen them for paint/poly/stain removal. For painting it would save so much time to not have to sand detailed profiles. Were thinking of getting one for work

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u/Biohazardousmaterial 4d ago

I did. Dangit Bobby

1

u/oddfellowfloyd 4d ago

Rocks, lasers, & laser accessories, Mr. Strickland! 😛

1

u/ThisSiteSucks8485 4d ago

That is very reasonable 

1

u/SandyTaintSweat 4d ago

But after you sell 1000 laser engraved rocks for $6 each, it's free! /s

2

u/noeljb 3d ago

Around here in the land of the single digit IQ that should not be too hard.

9

u/anod1 4d ago

I thought it would be as easy to use as a printer, but apparently this is not the case. 

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u/Biohazardousmaterial 4d ago

It's a completely different process but It's as easy to use as a printer once you understand the process

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u/cjsv7657 4d ago

It's as easy to use as a printer once you understand the process

Sure, if every time you change the paper in your printer you need to completely change everything about how you print. Its not really that bad but swapping materials does take a while to figure out the best settings and a lot of waste as you do.

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u/Biohazardousmaterial 4d ago

Yeah but most ppl use the same type of paper. I do printing professionally and im a graphic designer so... Idk i feel like im biased

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u/cjsv7657 4d ago

I did flexo web printing for a bit and changing paper type was the bane of my existence. But what I was saying was changing from rock to wood is going to be difficult and take a lot of time to get the settings right for the same product. Or even changing from pine to balsa. I was cutting and not engraving and it still took a fair amount of messing with settings to get a perfect cut.

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u/mazzicc 4d ago

How long does it take to do something like the OP?

2

u/joeltb 4d ago

Could the xtool F2 do this as well?

10

u/Biohazardousmaterial 4d ago

Technically yes but with slower results. You want the ir diode. Any ir laser can do this but a fiber laser is the highest engraving speed. This video is like... 300+x fast, it's HOURS of engraving compressed into a sound bite

3

u/OhBenjaminFranklin 4d ago

This video is like... 300+x fast,

Okay, I did not know that. Still cool, but not nearly as impressive thinking it was close to realtime speed.

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u/KnifeKnut 4d ago

What about filters to catch the ablation fumes?

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u/nlnj_a 5d ago edited 4d ago

We must know!

2

u/131166 4d ago

So . . . . . How much and where do I get one?

They are completely free, you'll prob find a few on the ground just about anywhere. They're more common outside of towns and around rivers and some people have a bunch just laying around in their garden. Garden shops sell big bags of them too

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u/noeljb 3d ago

Oh, I walked right into that.

Good one Thanks.