I’ve had my 5 Pro machine up and running for a few weeks now and chose a somewhat challenging project for a first one. My neighbor builds customer countertops and works with solid surface (Corian is a brand name). He often has some good size scrap pieces left over. Solid surface is a heavy material and when paying by weight to get rid of the scraps these builders are often willing to get rid of it very cheep or often for free, just take it. This project is a wedding gift for my wife’s nephew and will likely be set on the head table.
I learned a lot doing this project. I am proud to say no crashes, but I did break one bit, a 1/32 bit that I gave too large of a pass value (0.035) for. I took two weeks to cut various sections of this project on other pieces of scrap, trying different tool details. Once I felt I had it down it took the machine almost two hours to cut the whole project. I then cut four keyhole slots in the back and made back wings with screws that fit the slots. These keyholes serve in one of two potential formats. They can be used with the supplied wings so the plaque can set on a shelf, or the top keyholes can be used to hang the plaque on a wall. One major mistake, and I would like to think the machine made it, not me. When originally cutting the keyholes, the machine appeared to be about 0.167 higher for zero and therefore did not meet the required depth to make the keyholes proper. These are now registration points (as far as the bride and groom are to know!)!
While I.me still learning I am enjoying the machine immensely. My neighbor (the counter top guy) wants to offer custom vanity tops. looks like a potential partnership coming up and, I guess I will be learning epoxy work next.
The names are done with a black magic marker, but on one test rendition i did paint them. Everything else is painted. I used model airplane paint thinking it is designed for plastic, which is what solid surface really is. The cnc engraving creates a slight texture so yes, the paint sticks well.
I painted (dabbed paint in) everything, let it dry overnight. Used an auto window razor sticker remover tool to take a large portion of what was on the surface off. Then 600 grit sandpaper to finish. You have to wash it down after that with water and a soft paint brush to clean it up.
Model paint is a good choice, I’ve used it to fill the details on a few belt buckles and it held up to daily use for years. Can’t top the color variety.
You might visit a couple countertop builders in your area. Tell them you do CNC crafts and you are interested if they would want to dispose of some of their scraps of solid surface material. Corian is a brand name so don’t be specific about the brand. Just say any solid surface material will do.
