Chinese Laser Engraver

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olsenla

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Joined
Oct 25, 2004
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208
Location
Mesquite, NV
It's working great. The small desk fan really helps to keep everything cool.

Larry

Larry, how long did it take to arrive? I know shipping from China can be hit or miss. Hoping mine will arrive in a somewhat timely fashion. Thanks!

Regards,
Michael

Mike,

I ordered the replacement 9 Aug and it was delivered 15 Aug. Pretty quick considering where I live :)

Larry
 

mecompco

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Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Messages
1,607
Location
Fairfield, Maine
It's working great. The small desk fan really helps to keep everything cool.

Larry

Larry, how long did it take to arrive? I know shipping from China can be hit or miss. Hoping mine will arrive in a somewhat timely fashion. Thanks!

Regards,
Michael

Mike,

I ordered the replacement 9 Aug and it was delivered 15 Aug. Pretty quick considering where I live :)

Larry

Six days! That is really good, I am hoping for two weeks or less. :biggrin:
 

nodrogs

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Joined
Dec 17, 2015
Messages
13
Location
Northern Ireland
I'm afraid to report that, like Michael, my Neje diode has also burned out! Only had it 2 months, probably done around 60-70 engravings with it, pretty much all at low settings. Had a desk fan blowing on it when in use. When doing batches it would have been burning for 5 mins then idle for 5 mins. Manual states using it continuously for up to 1 hour at a time so I'll have to remember that.

I ended up getting a replacement from Amazon from a local source as I needed it to get a few jobs finished up. Waiting to hear what Gearbest are going to offer me.
 

mecompco

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Apr 24, 2015
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Fairfield, Maine
I'm afraid to report that, like Michael, my Neje diode has also burned out! Only had it 2 months, probably done around 60-70 engravings with it, pretty much all at low settings. Had a desk fan blowing on it when in use. When doing batches it would have been burning for 5 mins then idle for 5 mins. Manual states using it continuously for up to 1 hour at a time so I'll have to remember that.

I ended up getting a replacement from Amazon from a local source as I needed it to get a few jobs finished up. Waiting to hear what Gearbest are going to offer me.

Yeah, I probably ran it for a good hour straight, at around 35 burn time, with a minute or two between burns. I've learned my lesson and won't do that again. Hoping the new diode arrives soon.
 

mecompco

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Apr 24, 2015
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Fairfield, Maine
Update: the replacement diode arrived in a timely fashion (well, at least timely for China), and the NEJE is back in service. Next project is to rummage through my computer junk and attach a nice fan to the chassis and rig up a power supply. That should help with the smoke and keep the diode from cooking itself again.

Regards,
Michael
 

CREID

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Joined
Jul 23, 2008
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3,009
Location
Vancouver, wa
Update: the replacement diode arrived in a timely fashion (well, at least timely for China), and the NEJE is back in service. Next project is to rummage through my computer junk and attach a nice fan to the chassis and rig up a power supply. That should help with the smoke and keep the diode from cooking itself again.

Regards,
Michael

Keep us posted on how things go. I would like to eventually get into the laser thing, but can't right now.
 

eharri446

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Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
1,035
Location
Marietta, GA
I ordered this engraver last night: DIY Violet Laser Engraver-234.85 Online Shopping| GearBest.com. I watched a YOUTUBE video on a guy putting it, or one like it, together in under thirty minutes. It appears fairly straight forward to assemble. I will update this post once I get it and have time to assemble it.

I did see some reviews where there were issues with the software that has to be downloaded. Something about having a virus. Since I have a Dell WINBOOK that is just laying around without any anti-virus software on it, I will use it to download the software then put it on a USB memory stick and turn my ESET anti-virus on my main PC loose on it to see if there really is a virus.

The shipping was very reasonable at only $8.36 for 3 to 7 day shipping. Also added insurance for another $5.70.
 
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mecompco

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Apr 24, 2015
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Fairfield, Maine
I ordered this engraver last night: DIY Violet Laser Engraver-234.85 Online Shopping| GearBest.com. I watched a YOUTUBE video on a guy putting it, or one like it, together in under thirty minutes. It appears fairly straight forward to assemble. I will update this post once I get it and have time to assemble it.

I did see some reviews where there were issues with the software that has to be downloaded. Something about having a virus. Since I have a Dell WINBOOK that is just laying around without any anti-virus software on it, I will use it to download the software then put it on a USB memory stick and turn my ESET anti-virus on my main PC loose on it to see if there really is a virus.

The shipping was very reasonable at only $8.36 for 3 to 7 day shipping. Also added insurance for another $5.70.

I like the size of that one, but the price is half way towards the big 40W job (which I think is going to by my next one).
 

eharri446

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Mar 17, 2016
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Location
Marietta, GA
As I stated in me previous post, I ordered the kit for the 2500mw laser from GearBest and choose to have it shipped vi DHL for $8.36. Now I am receiving emails from them saying that they can no longer ship via DHL and that I will haave to go by EMS and that it will cost me an extra $52.3. I have asked them is it $5.23 or $52.30 and they have not responded to me with a clarification.

Has anyone else had any issues with them changing the shipping costs after you paid for the order?

I used PayPal to pay the order and if I can not get an answer about the increased shipping costs I will file a complaint with PayPal and request a refund for the cost.
 

TonyL

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Mar 9, 2014
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8,904
Location
Georgia
Sorry..Edwin. I was writing about the wrong laser. My apologies.


My good friend and fellow penturner was asked by DHL to provide his ss# because the box was marked "laser". This is not the same issue, but indicative of issues with DHL and that product. He and another friend of mine purchased theirs from Amazon at the higher price (which appears to include the higher shipping cost).

https://www.amazon.com/Skert-Engrav...8&qid=1475757970&sr=8-9&keywords=1000mw+laser
 
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mecompco

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Apr 24, 2015
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Fairfield, Maine
I've not had any shipping issues w/Gearbest, other than it taking a while and them never updating the tracking info. I've ordered from them four times now, though only once for a dreadfully hazardous LASER. :)
 

LR9788

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Sep 14, 2016
Messages
125
Location
Franklin, TN
Over a month after ordering my laser it arrived. Turned out decently well for the first burn out of the box! Just need to figure out how to make the image a little bigger. Any ideas?
 

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Skie_M

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Aug 7, 2015
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Location
Lawton, Ok
I don't have a laser engraver, myself .... but from what I can tell, the programs that are used for plotting the CNC cuts are similar to the type that is used for cutting lino or vinyl lettering in the painting business, and were compatible with Corel Draw and some CAD programs. In order to change the finished size, you changed the scale of the image within the program.

I would look for a setting in "print settings" or something similar, and set the "page size" to your desired work area and look for an option to "scale image to page size"... I'ld also definitely look for a feature like "print preview" to show me the approximate position on the "page" and the size of the image in relation to the "page" before I committed to "printing".


Also did a quick search online for the search string "how to resize image for laser engraver" and came up with this PDF: Preparing Photos for Laser Engraving. Enjoy! :)
 

mecompco

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Apr 24, 2015
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Location
Fairfield, Maine
Over a month after ordering my laser it arrived. Turned out decently well for the first burn out of the box! Just need to figure out how to make the image a little bigger. Any ideas?

What are you using for a photo editor? The max size of an image for the NEJE is 500 pixels x 500 pixels. I usually use Photoshop Elements and/or Lucid Press to create an image, then drop it into Paint with a canvas size of 500x500. Then you can re-size the image to fill the space as much as possible.

Regards,
Michael
 

mecompco

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Apr 24, 2015
Messages
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Fairfield, Maine
Michael,
Thats exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks,
Luke

You're welcome! Do show us what you do with the engraver. I've sold pen boxes with my engravings and now I'm having good luck selling Comfort pens (using PSI's pre-drilled Bamboo blanks) with engravings and a friction polish. Quick to make, and they are selling at $29.95.

Regards,
Michael
 

Skie_M

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Aug 7, 2015
Messages
2,737
Location
Lawton, Ok
I finally got a chance to try my logo on a walnut slimline that was my first ever pen I made.

Question: has anyone tried applying CA over an engraving?

CA should work just fine over an engraving ... works great over decals too! :)
 

mecompco

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Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Messages
1,607
Location
Fairfield, Maine
I finally got a chance to try my logo on a walnut slimline that was my first ever pen I made.

Question: has anyone tried applying CA over an engraving?

Very nice. On my engraved pens, I'm usually doing a Myland's friction polish finish. I put the sanding sealer on, smooth it with 0000 steel wool, then engrave it. Next, the friction polish goes on. Makes a nice finish, and quickly, to boot.

Regards,
Michael
 

PapaTim

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
449
Location
Gainesboro, TN
Here's a close up of a seam ripper I did on white oak. 5 coats of CA, lasered on my K40, then 4 more coats of CA after engraving.

RiprStiletto_PKSR1_PKSR3-OakLsrEngrc.jpg
 

LR9788

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Sep 14, 2016
Messages
125
Location
Franklin, TN

leehljp

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Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
Over a month after ordering my laser it arrived. Turned out decently well for the first burn out of the box! Just need to figure out how to make the image a little bigger. Any ideas?

What are you using for a photo editor? The max size of an image for the NEJE is 500 pixels x 500 pixels. I usually use Photoshop Elements and/or Lucid Press to create an image, then drop it into Paint with a canvas size of 500x500. Then you can re-size the image to fill the space as much as possible.

Regards,
Michael

QUESTION: 500 pixels by 500 pixels - What is the resolution of the 500 x 500? I open Photoshop and created a 500 x 500 pixel blank square, filled with black to print out. BUT I can make the 500 x 500 either 72 DPI or 300 DPI or other.
The 300 DPI 500 pixel printed at about 7 inches by 7 inches.
The 72 DPI printed at about 2 x 2.
Both were 500 x 500 pixel.

What am I missing or confusing here.
How big is a "pixel" as far as the laser is concerned?
How fine of a DPI can each pixel be defined in burning/etching?

Seeing the burns here, They are definitely higher resolution that 72 DPI.
 

duncsuss

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Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Messages
2,151
Location
Wilmington, MA
QUESTION: 500 pixels by 500 pixels - What is the resolution of the 500 x 500?

The 500 pixels are fixed size and they fill the maximum engraving area (which I believe is 32mm or about 1.25", something like that -- it's in the specifications.)

There is no point at all futzing with the "dpi" -- it's meaningless in this context.
 

mecompco

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Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Messages
1,607
Location
Fairfield, Maine
Over a month after ordering my laser it arrived. Turned out decently well for the first burn out of the box! Just need to figure out how to make the image a little bigger. Any ideas?

What are you using for a photo editor? The max size of an image for the NEJE is 500 pixels x 500 pixels. I usually use Photoshop Elements and/or Lucid Press to create an image, then drop it into Paint with a canvas size of 500x500. Then you can re-size the image to fill the space as much as possible.

Regards,
Michael

QUESTION: 500 pixels by 500 pixels - What is the resolution of the 500 x 500? I open Photoshop and created a 500 x 500 pixel blank square, filled with black to print out. BUT I can make the 500 x 500 either 72 DPI or 300 DPI or other.
The 300 DPI 500 pixel printed at about 7 inches by 7 inches.
The 72 DPI printed at about 2 x 2.
Both were 500 x 500 pixel.

What am I missing or confusing here.
How big is a "pixel" as far as the laser is concerned?
How fine of a DPI can each pixel be defined in burning/etching?

Seeing the burns here, They are definitely higher resolution that 72 DPI.

Hank, I just opened Paint and with a canvas size of 500x500 pixels I drew a box around the edges and sent it to the laser. The preview shows it is about a 2"x2" box, so I think your 72dpi estimate is correct. Really, 72 looks pretty good on a web page, so IDK why it wouldn't look OK on the small area the NEJE laser can engrave. Of course, for larger prints, it wouldn't be at all acceptable.

Regards,
Michael
 

leehljp

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Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
Thanks Duncan and Michael.

I appreciate the quick responses.

I meant to add some background, but LOML had me help with her medicare changes! :rolleyes:

I got into graphics primarily through Photoshop back in the early '90s. As expensive as it was, I upgraded every other upgrade. That said, it did not take long for me to recognize 72 DPI as screen images showing up as sharp as 300 on print, and I did both. I used to be able to translate metric and imperial on the fly. I could (still can) convert screen view vs hard print needs on the fly and knew the correlation between them, and what size (inch or mm) a 72 dpi screen resolution would print at a nice print. EXample: an approximately 12 inch photo on screen (at 72 dpi) will PRINT just as sharp at 3 inches, but the resolution must change to approx 300 dpi at 3 inches. This has never been a problem for me to grasp, and has been my graphics/photo world for the past 25 years.

However, "pixel" count never entered in to the fray for me, because I haven't learned how it corresponds to actual "print" or now engraving.
 
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duncsuss

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Jun 29, 2012
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Wilmington, MA
Apple and Adobe have a lot to answer for!

It seems they never bothered to explain the fundamental difference between three things: a pixel (which is a unit of measure within an image file), a dot (which is a unit of measure of the physical display mechanism, be it a computer monitor or a printer), and a half-tone dot, or dot-screen, which is a method of clustering dots to create the illusion of an image with more tonal variation than the physical mechanism is capable of producing.
 

keithncsu

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Joined
May 28, 2016
Messages
372
Location
Catawba, SC 29704
My laser just pooped out too.... Probably only engraved about 25 pens at most. Never more than 3 back to back and always with a fan. But the fan had always been about 3 ft away blowing towards the laser on high. Wondering if it was too far away.

Either way, just purchased the replacement diode linked several pages back. Definitely going to set me back as I have about 20 pens to engrave for a friend and eBay says delivery is not until Thanksgiving. Looks to be a simple plug and play swap so hopefully no issues.
 
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