Ready for some YAHAHA! in real life?
Picked up a pile of flat(ish) basalt stones from the coast to make these. Plan to hide them around town (face down).
These were etched on a 20W diode laser. Any machine at that level or stronger should work. Here are my settings:
- Etch 25mm/s at 100% power (0.1mm interval for this layer)
- Outline 8mm/s at 100% power (creates a nice crisp edge)
- Outline the text 8mm/s at 100% power
A few more details:
- These are medium size basalt stones collected from the Oregon coast. Each is about 6-8 inches in diameter.
- Etched using an Atomstack S20 diode laser. Played around with it a bit to get the best results.
- Takes about 15-45 min depending on the size of the stone. 5 done, planning to do at least 10 more.
- The photo is adding a bit too much contrast. They look much better in person. A nice dark etch that sparkles in the light (you are essentially making obsidian with the laser).
