Material Madness

Due to my curiosity and love of searching out and testing new materials to work with on my laser, my laser center has shelves full of untested or tested-but-not-perfected items waiting for my attention. Occasionally, I need to focus on just one material and make a decision of whether it should be kept and promoted in future products or should it go to my bin of dashed dreams (big gray trash barrel).

Shear(ly) Delighted

One way to remain happy is to lower your threshold for what makes you happy. In other words, take joy from the little things. Last night I found that a decision I made a couple of weeks ago is going the be the source of a lot of happiness in the future.

I do a limited amount of engraving on metal-based products, like anodized aluminum and the various flavors of laserable coated metals. I like the results I get from the lasering, but have always been frustrated by the mechanical issues involved. In particular, cutting the metal sheets has been troublesome.

A laser build is never done

One of the fun things about building your own laser is that you get to keep improving it. Whether it is something totally functional or purely cosmetic or some combination of the two, there is always one more piece to add, one more adjustment to make, one more way to try, one more...