My son bought me a much maligned K40 laser

[Stojan]

Hey G'day people,

My son surprised me with a much maligned K40 laser. It's actually a rather decent little C02 machine. I've managed to do some immediate upgrades, got a mini gerbil replacement board, which breathed a lot of life into functionality and what its able to do. Put on some air assist, to blow the smoke and embers away from the cutting area. Increased the cutting area, have a small motorised table now. A days work and the laser is pretty mickey mouse.

Can cut perspex easily up to 10mm without too much problem with multiple passes, not that i need or want to cut 10mm of anything just testing how far I can push. Its so wonderful to be able to cut very nice clean gears.

Maybe Arty might support gerbil at some stage ...

Trolling google now for some projects particularly orrery's

Cheers,
Steve

[Mooselake]

I did a pile of gearotic gears, including some eccentric fidget toys from scrap window plexiglas, with my K40.  Works quite well, although you have to be careful with acrylic cement when gluing the boxing around the gears.  Amazing how the plexi edges look polished.

How do you like that super gerbil?  Did you not like the mini gerbil, or does it do something you needed that the mini wouldn't?  I see that awesome dot tech has a direct link to the K40 forum's new location since G+ went poof, nice touch.

Kirk

[Stojan]

I did a pile of gearotic gears, including some eccentric fidget toys from scrap window plexiglas, with my K40.  Works quite well, although you have to be careful with acrylic cement when gluing the boxing around the gears.  Amazing how the plexi edges look polished.

How do you like that super gerbil?  Did you not like the mini gerbil, or does it do something you needed that the mini wouldn't?  I see that awesome dot tech has a direct link to the K40 forum's new location since G+ went poof, nice touch.

Kirk

Hey Kirk G'day,
We got the mini Gerbil board. Was thinking about its bigger brother but then thought we didn't need it. I managed to pick up from the facebook market place a cohesion3d mini board as well for $50 someone was dismantling theirs and selling of parts cheaply. I think having the spare board for the price is ok. The first board we looked at was the cohesion3d but it was in my opinion way to expensive. I'm waiting on a mA meter as well, the one I have has the digital panel which tells you not much. From what I've read 50% could be 30% power or 100% I haven't found anything on the web that has any indication of what the digital is allegedly displaying.

What do you mean by being careful with Acrylic Cement? Is it like superglue sticks the fingers together or another issue?

Cheers,
Steve

[ArtF]

Acrylic cement is like alcohol , very thin and runny and not sticky. It works very cool, you hold two pieces
together and just put a wetted brush on the edge , the glue spreads itself through the joint and 1 minute
later its like one piece. Its called Weld_on and comes in 2 or three speed  types.

Art

[Mooselake]

Plus it seems like acrylic cement comes in bottles designed to pour it on, rather than the tiny amount really needed.  Next time, with the next bottle since it all evaporates about 5 minutes after you open it (plus it's been close to two years since we've been there), I'll dig out a hypodermic syringe and needle from the box of left over farm vet stuff

Acrylic cement is pretty cool stuff, quickly dissolves acrylic to fuse it, and almost as quickly evaporates, and if you're not messy makes a very clean joint

You can never have too many spare parts, just not enough space.  Helps if you're organized so it's not quicker to drive to town to find that part you know you have but that has been hidden away by the swamp rats

Kirk

[ArtF]

Im afraid in my case the swamp rats have taken over completely...

Art

[Stojan]

Thanks for the tips people, much appreciated. I must admit I do like lasering stuff lol... makes me feel like an Old empowered Jedi