Laser engraving pens

[Fridgecritter]

I have been turning fountain pens on the lathe, and while the wood portion is very nice, the lower end pen kits leave a bit to be desired. I have been looking into getting a laser engraver to do some filagree designs or something nice in the side of the pens, and recently a customer asked for names engraved in the clips of her pens for a wedding for all of her groomsmen, and offered to pay a premium for the engraving.

I started by looking into how much outsourcing the engraving would cost, the nearest low cost engraving service being about 20 miles from my house. With fuel and service cost it would be a minimum of 12 dollars in gas for the round trip and 10 to 15 dollars for each item engraved. Not to mention the limited creativity I could ask for from the vendor.

I am at the point where I am ready to integrate the service into my business model with an estimated time to black of around 6 to 8 months including the Christmas rush, but that's with the Chinese machines

I have looked at many Youtube videos, read many reviews on Amazon and forums, and for pen engraving, I think I will be OK with a simple 40 watt engraver with a desktop footprint.

My question is, does anyone think they can add some insight into these machines, and tell me if they have already walked this path? I don't think I need the axis turner for bottles and such, only because of the cost difference. For pens, I could see it being really valuable, but the machine is just WAY over what I can budget in for my business.

I have always lived by the mettle, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" so I am exhausting every avenue before making a large purchase like this. The Chinese machines are around 500 to 700 dollars, and have a 10 by 8 inch work surface. Anything above that, and they start at around 5 grand from what I can see. I am hoping someone has a better solution that's sort of in between.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wildman]

I have seen a You Tube laser engraved pen clip on line. Not sure pen kit vendors provide a clip like that. Seems many companies prefer to engrave pen barrels. Some folks here have tried.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/engraving-pen-clips-37726/

 

[Fridgecritter]

Thanks

Thanks a ton. I guess the clips are out of the question, and I don't want the barrels marked up.

 

[low_48]

Surprised that you could get a 40 watt machine for that money. On some cheap machines, the bed does not move to focus the laser. So if you put on a pen, it might be too thick and will not burn quite as sharply since the focal point will be in the middle of the blank. Then add a v block to hold the pen, and it may be so far out of focus it will not burn. If you want to do filigree, you may well need the rotary attachment. The laser will be in a different focus as it engraves around the barrel. The software and driver may be pretty difficult in those low dollar machines. I suspect technical help will be nonexistent. I do know those cheap machines have a very low laser life span. Personally, I would never buy directly from China. There are several resellers in the US. It will cost more for the same machine, but you can make a phone call for help, and replacement parts may be available. Do a TON of research so you don't buy a $700 paper weight. You definitely get what you pay for here. You would add another zero for a US made machine. A $700 Chinese machine would scare me. I have an older Universal Laser machine with a rotary.

 

[Donovan]

I have a Chinese laser (100 watt) It cost me the equivalent of $8500. It comes with a rotary table and a bed that can move up and down.
Chinese lasers can be rubbish but they make good lasers as well. Do your research and you will find that you do not have to spend a fortune to get a good machine

Donovan

 

[Kendallqn]

Keep in mind that CO2 lasers will not mark metal. IE "the clips". You would have to spray a coating on them and adhere that to the metal with the laser. Only a Fiber laser can mark metal. The Chinese lasers are decent machines but they have glass tube lasers and you will have to replace that tube every six months or so. They will leak the CO2 out over time and need to be replaced even sitting. So check the availability and cost of the tubes for the machine your looking at. The rotary is a must if your going to do filigree and such the focus and angle of the beam matter (a lot)
Most American machines have much better tubes that last about 5 years and can be rebuilt. I have 2 xenatec and an epilog. Stay away from xenatec as they are on there last legs as a company and support is terrible. the epilog is a great machine and the company stands behind them well.