A lithophane without a roughing toolpath on 1/4" corian!?!

[Caprirs]

I've been using 1/2" corian so I have to rough it down to 1/4" thickness before running the litho program. By cutting a pocket 1/4" deep, I wind up with a frame. The advantage is there's something to clamp to while running the litho.

http://mc-machine.com/crokes_pics/v/lithopanes/

[bsimages]

Oh yes the other thing I did was to place an x in the center of the corian and used that as my X & Y zeros thus leaving an even border around the outside of the piece. Of course you need to square your material on your CNC machine. And tell the software that you using the center as your zero which is as easy as a mouse click in the "Set material size" page of PhotoVCarve.

Bill

[bigz1]

I get the nice neat border because I am using 1/4 inch corian so my Z zero is a 1/10" below actual zero...with a max cutting depth of 1/10" it leaves the lightest areas at -2/10" and the darkest at -1/10 and the uncut area at 0 hence the nice neat border.
Was that clear as...as mud?
Black&Decker sells router bits with 45/60 degree V-bits on each end for under $5. It is what I have been using.

Bill

Crystal clear. Thanks Bill.

[studysession]

Nice work -

[bsimages]

One problem I have noticed, using a V-Bit to cut a Lithophane, is it leaves some artifacts behind, diagonal lines and black specs, when viewed with back light. If you use a scrub brush with soap and water, allow to dry. Then simply apply a coat of clear spray lacquer, you will not believe your eyes!

Bill Schober
Pine Grove, CA

[WillyInAus]

Hi Bill,

So the second is unscrubed and the third is scrubbed them lacquered, I would have to say that its a huge difference for such a simple idea.

Good work

Sean

[studysession]

Any links to where you purchase the material from?

[bsimages]

Which material? The Corian? E-Bay. The clear lacquer? Wall Mart ($0.98).
Bill

[P.Passuello]

Great idea about the scrubbing brush and Lacquer. I can't believe the difference. In the past I have washed the finished image with soap and water to clean and then applied a smear vegetable oil to give it a glossy look and blend any perspex that had gone white but your idea sounds much better.
Your use of center is brilliant. I always spend ages trying to line it up when it was so simple all the time.
I will give these a go next time.

Cheers
Peter

[tdnp]

What is the best program for cutting litho's. I am new to the CNC world and would like to start cutting lithos. I have done some photoengraving with image carve, but am unsure if it will work for lithos.

Thanks,

[bsimages]

PhotoVCave from www.Vectric.com , they even have a FREE trial version. They have tutorial which makes it easy to try.
Bill

[tdnp]

Bill,
Where do you get your bits? You mention Black and Decker, do you have an online supplier?