Photo vcarve finish. How to cut and finish.

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mwwock
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 10:25 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Laguna Swift With 4th axis
Location: Oklahoma City, OK

Photo vcarve finish. How to cut and finish.

Post by mwwock »

I know I was frustrated when I tried my first several. And I could not locate really good advice on cutting and finishing. So, here is what works for me

Cutting. Depth of .03 for dark pictures and .035 for lighter pictures. Spacing I go 4 to 8 percent, but 4 does look better. Do 60 degree crosshatch and go both ways for best results. I use a 1/8 ball nose bit. That is it for the settings. Make as sure as you can that the wood you are carving on is square and the surface is flat and parallel to the table. Before I cut, I run mine through a drum sander to make sure my surface is flat. Use whatever method you want to flatten the top of your board before you cut it.

Finishing. First, Two coats of sanding sealer. Give it a few minutes to dry between the coats. I use general finishes glaze for the tint. I have had good luck with both burnt umber and van dyke brown. I use a foam brush and put a coat on fairly dark. I wait a couple of minutes and wipe it off with paper towels. now, Let it dry 15 minutes or so and repeat three more times. It may still look crappy at this point but don't worry. Let the last coat of glaze dry for about thirty minutes after you wipe it off. Start sanding lightly with 220 grit sandpaper. Sand until you see the details start rising. If you accidentally sand too much, put some more sanding sealer on it and put more glaze. You can get incredible detail. For the topcoat, the best thing I have found is true oil. I out a thick coat on, rubbing it around with my finger. It is a self leveling product and fills the cavities. I go for four coats of true oil and you will have quite a built up finish. I leave enough in to let it pool in low spots. Put in in a small tent to prevent dust particles from speckling the finish. Alternative is spray lacquer. I prefer true oil, but it takes a lot longer to do.

Never skip the sanding sealer. I don't want the glaze on raw wood. It is not nearly as crisp a picture if you skip the sanding sealer.

The sample I attached was finished with spray lacquer because I had a tight deadline. It is burnt umber on maple with a Brazilian cherry frame.

I am sure there are other ways, but this way is pretty much idiot proof, I am living evidence of that. Cuz I are one. At least that is what my wife says. I have reversed the cut and used white glaze for pretty good results as well.
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highpockets
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 3667
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 4:04 pm
Model of CNC Machine: PDJ Pilot Pro

Re: Photo vcarve finish. How to cut and finish.

Post by highpockets »

Thanks very much for the tutorial. I've got to get some glaze to try. I've use shellac as a sealer after carving with some pretty good success, I'll have to give sanding sealer a try.

One of my up coming project is some carving on purple heart, I'm thinking some light colored glaze will help the carved logos pop.
John
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fogkeebler
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue May 17, 2016 1:00 pm
Model of CNC Machine: X Carve

Re: Photo vcarve finish. How to cut and finish.

Post by fogkeebler »

How long did the cut take? Feed speed?

thanks

mwwock
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 10:25 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Laguna Swift With 4th axis
Location: Oklahoma City, OK

Re: Photo vcarve finish. How to cut and finish.

Post by mwwock »

I run at 50 inches per minute. That one took a little less than three hours. Just all depends on how detailed you want your final product. I have experimented with a single pass rather than cross hatch and with the step over as small as I use it is not necessary to run cross hatch.

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martin54
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Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:12 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Gerber 48, Triac PC, Isel fixed gantry
Location: Kirkcaldy, Scotland

Re: Photo vcarve finish. How to cut and finish.

Post by martin54 »

fogkeebler wrote:How long did the cut take? Feed speed?

thanks
Asking for info on speed & feed setting will only ever really give you an idea & a possible starting point to work from, machines differ so much & what suits one machine can very easily be totally useless for another, these are things that you really need to experiment with yourself & tune your machine to what works best for the job you are doing. Settings may well vary depending on what bit you use & what material you are cutting as well so you may find you end up with a number of different settings rather than one set that you use for all photo carving :lol: :lol:

I don't have much in the way of practical experience but from the posts I have read the actual photo that you select will make a difference as well, this process works better with some pictures that it does for others so careful picture selection is required as well to get good results :lol: :lol:

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