Akula
Member
I did not...and just how would they know his SS#?
Chinese Laser Engraver
- Thread starter mecompco
- Start date
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duncsuss
Member
I bought the 1W unit from GearBest -- did not select expedited shipping, but did pay the couple of dollars for insurance (or whatever they called it).
Nobody asked me for my SSN.
mecompco
Member
The order for the laser was the third time I've ordered from Gearbest. No shenanigans of that sort on any of the occasions. Oh, and no emails other than the order confirmation.
Regards,
Michael
Well..according to this one rep at DHL, she has a bunch of them waiting to ship and it is their policy not to ship without the documentation. I guess I am lucky mine did not ship via DHL. I did order from GB with expedited shipping. Oh well.
Sylvanite
Member
If DHL believes the shipping documentation is incomplete, it should contact the shipper, not the recipient. There is no reason why DHL would need your SSN, and no reason for you to give it. There is a good reason for you not to give it (identity theft). I recommend contacting Gearbest and informing them that their carrier is refusing to deliver their shipment. It is Gearbest's responsibility to deliver the product you paid for. They need to either:
- Contact DHL and tell them to deliver your package, or
- Ship you a replacement unit via a different carrier.
duncsuss
Member
It's very important to get a contact number from a different source than any email you believe might be a scam.
Do not click on any links or rely on text content in the email.
Use Google or Yahoo or Bing, find the DHL website that way, and navigate into it until you find the "contact us" information.
mecompco
Member
I don't recall that ANY of my three orders from Gearbest were sent via DHL. Sounds particularly fishy--I wouldn't offer my SSN, either--what do they need THAT for?
Regards,
Michael
Regards,
Michael
sbwertz
Member
I'm finally home and feeling good enough to play with the engraver. (I got bronchitis, sinus infection and conjunctivitis on vacation, so I just watched my two grandsons, aged 11 and 15 as they made all sorts of things with it while I sat and watched and coughed!)
The only problem we had was they tried to burn on a pen made from very old, very hard, white oak. It was so hard that it burned only the softer parts of the grain. It worked beautifully on a red cedar pen, however. They also made some very nice bookmarks from leather, and some luggage tags from some pre-cut wooden tags. My grandson made a very nice tag for his saxophone case that had the marching band name and logo on one side and his name and phone number on the other.
My son used his 3D printer to make us a pen rack. I'll dig it out and post a picture...it is still in my luggage somewhere. The 3D printer is a really cool toy, too!
I think I am going to use some double faced tape to fasten some graph paper to the bed, however.
The only problem we had was they tried to burn on a pen made from very old, very hard, white oak. It was so hard that it burned only the softer parts of the grain. It worked beautifully on a red cedar pen, however. They also made some very nice bookmarks from leather, and some luggage tags from some pre-cut wooden tags. My grandson made a very nice tag for his saxophone case that had the marching band name and logo on one side and his name and phone number on the other.
My son used his 3D printer to make us a pen rack. I'll dig it out and post a picture...it is still in my luggage somewhere. The 3D printer is a really cool toy, too!
I think I am going to use some double faced tape to fasten some graph paper to the bed, however.
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sbwertz
Member
My son is fiddling with the idea of mounting a laser on his 3d printer in place of the emitter. It has a working size of 8x10 inches. I'll be interested to see if he is successful with the experiment.
jsolie
Member
I'm glad that I went with the insurance. If you do have to interact with GearBest's customer service, be sure to indicate that you did buy insurance. That made things go a bit easier with the fiasco I had to go through.
pianomanpj
Member
I have seen a few DHL phishing scams in the past. As suggested before, if you have to contact DHL, get contact information from DHL's website by typing in their URL and do NOT click on any links in the email.
kentonjm
Member
kentonjm
Member
Is everybody here using the Benbox software? Has anybody found any interesting alternatives?
Chuck Key
Member
No first hand experience but Inkscape with G-code plugins along with Universal G code Sender looks like an interesting alternative to me. Would work with OS X which I would need or Winders Tan too.
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vtgaryw
Member
Sizing your graphic file?
I've set up my new laser, and have successfully run a few test runs. My question is regarding sizing your file to be able to predict the final size of the engraving.
I'm assuming that since 1) the engraving range is 38mm x 38mm and 2) the max resolution is 500 x 500 pixles, that, for example, if I have an image that is say 250 pixels long by 125 pixels wide it will engrave an image that is 19mm long by 9.5 mm wide?
Just asking because I did one test run that came out a lot smaller than I predicted...
Thanks,
Gary
I've set up my new laser, and have successfully run a few test runs. My question is regarding sizing your file to be able to predict the final size of the engraving.
I'm assuming that since 1) the engraving range is 38mm x 38mm and 2) the max resolution is 500 x 500 pixles, that, for example, if I have an image that is say 250 pixels long by 125 pixels wide it will engrave an image that is 19mm long by 9.5 mm wide?
Just asking because I did one test run that came out a lot smaller than I predicted...
Thanks,
Gary
Cwalker935
Member
Just got back from my trip to the UK and this was waiting for me. Looks like I have a weekend erector set project. That is if I can be that patient.
I just received a box that looks almost identical to that one.
Cwalker935
Member
What do I need to connect the small sd card to a sub port? What is the converter called?
mecompco
Member
You need a micro SD card converter, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-micr...=1470491158&sr=8-1&keywords=microsd+converter
If you want to PM me your email address, I can try sending you the .exe file (may have to ZIP it). Some AV or email won't let you open .exe files.
Regards,
Michael
kentonjm
Member
I got everything running this weekend and after a little experiemenation had some fairly pleasing results. Did not try etching a pen yet but having now got the basic process of registration and image sizing at least partially understood that should not be an issue. here are some examples
Brian G
Member
Thanks for showing the photos, Jon. I ordered a 2500 last week. I'm pretty sure I'll be asking a bunch of questions.
Cwalker935
Member
Just finished assembling my 2500 w laser, waiting on the SD converter to see if it works. Not sure if I have the leads plugged into the right ports. Hard to follow that on the video. Hopefully, there will be a wiring schematic with the software.
kentonjm
Member
Cody, that looks like the same as mine, where did you buy it? What do you need the SD converter for? if its for software you can download it in 2 mins. If it was from Gearbest then this link is for the software.
http://download.appinthestore.com/201606/EleksLaser software.zip
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Cwalker935
Member
fisherhahn
Member
Finally engraved a couple pens with the new laser. Had some unfortunate dog issues and haven't been doing any woodworking for the last couple months but finally back at it. Made this Thank You pen for our vet, who went above and beyond for us. I'm really happy with it. She cried when we gave it to her and said it was the nicest gift she has ever received. That's a good enough endorsement for me!
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low_48
Member
2500 w? I expected to see a real machine! I believe you need to buy a letter, or move a decimal point!
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kentonjm
Member
Tony, the assembly on these machines is really pretty straight forward. basically just a few screws and nuts. Nothing more difficult that some erector set models we did many moons ago ;-)
sbwertz
Member
On the 1 watt version, does anyone know what the big red button on the top does? Haven't had the nerve to push it! (self destruct?)
So far it has done everything I've asked of it. I made an ebony pen and "recarved" it once to make it deeper and filled it with silver Rub 'n Buff. Didn't get a picture because the gal who made the pen needed it for a birthday party that afternoon.
I put a first and last name on it. My son made me a couple of little pen holders on his 3D printer to allow me to get the pen pieces square every time, so I just rolled the barrel a little after burning the first name and put the last name under it. Worked fine. The names were pretty long, and the pen had some taper, so I figured the two line name was a better choice than one long line.
So far it has done everything I've asked of it. I made an ebony pen and "recarved" it once to make it deeper and filled it with silver Rub 'n Buff. Didn't get a picture because the gal who made the pen needed it for a birthday party that afternoon.
I put a first and last name on it. My son made me a couple of little pen holders on his 3D printer to allow me to get the pen pieces square every time, so I just rolled the barrel a little after burning the first name and put the last name under it. Worked fine. The names were pretty long, and the pen had some taper, so I figured the two line name was a better choice than one long line.
One press of the red button starts the preview. Second press starts engraving.
keithncsu
Member
Just placed my order for one of these. Have been watching the price and it dropped to $75 again so I jumped. "Splurged" for the $10 expedited shipping option that said 3-7 days. I doubt that is accurate but better than the month + that normal shipping seems to be running. Can't wait to get this and begin experimenting!
Quick question related to this though. I know people keep mentioning rub and buff to fill in the engraving for darker woods. After looking this stuff up, it appears to only come in black, silver, turquoise, copper, and maybe a few other similar colors I'm forgetting. Is there any way to get custom/additional colors for that same process?
Quick question related to this though. I know people keep mentioning rub and buff to fill in the engraving for darker woods. After looking this stuff up, it appears to only come in black, silver, turquoise, copper, and maybe a few other similar colors I'm forgetting. Is there any way to get custom/additional colors for that same process?
Laserbits.com Pro color fill. Works better than rub and buff in my opinion.
keithncsu
Member
Thanks!! I'll check that out!
liljohn1368
Member
Will the 2500w burn acrylic?
Won't burn it like wood, but will engrave it. Will likely need color fill to see it.
liljohn1368
Member
Thanks Bruce. Im thinking of getting one and I do lots of acrylic duck calls.
leehljp
Member Liaison
QUESTION: Does the Laser engraver discussed here, or any operate with the computer through the USB port?
I am thinking about an engraver, but I only have laptops (three, two with i7) with USB 2.0/3.0
I am thinking about an engraver, but I only have laptops (three, two with i7) with USB 2.0/3.0
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