BRILLIANCE LASER INKS250 Grams Black Metal Marking Powder with Foam Brush | Permanent Durable High Contrast Laser Engraving Accessories for Fiber, YAG, and CO2 Laser Engraver BLI101MBPWD250

An excellent material that helped me print on metal. I even used it to print on ceramics

The powdered product is a little more difficult to use than the aerosol version but the results are great. Rather than using the supplied foam brush to apply, I used an eye dropper and mixed it thinly so it flowed out over the item evenly. Definitely get denatured alcohol to mix with, not isopropyl. Bottom line, you get much more for your money in powder form so if you don’t mind the extra work to apply, it’s the best value. I also found that if I turn off the air assist it gives the best result. It makes an even dark tone and is deeply embedded into the metal.

I've done extensive work with the various Cermark marking sprays for industrial production, and they're a convenient - but wildly expensive - way to add precision markings to metals. The problem is that the cans last a surprisingly short amount of time and I feel like I'm wasting a ton of product spraying the neighboring area when all I want is to mark a small region.This product sat unreviewed for months because I didn't have all the necessary ingredients to try it. First, you need denatured alcohol, which isn't something I usually keep on hand. You also need a scoop of some kind, because one isn't included. And you need a scale accurate to at least 0.1g, if not 0.01g - my normal gram-accurate scale is useless unless you're mixing up a huge batch, because you need to measure a 1:1 or 1:2 mixture by weight, not by volume, and I only need about 3g total of the solution to coat a 1.5" square part.Applying this with the included sponge brush isn't super consistent. I ended up with sizable brush stroke marks and wasn't really sure if I'd gotten a clean layer applied or not - it's much less obvious than when using the spray. They do say you can use this with an airbrush and will need half as much product if you do, so you could explore that - but then you're right back to the starting point where you might as well be using the cans.So I was all at a 3 star review until I saw the results, and... sigh. it looks really good, and I got an excellent set of results on my first try (100% power, 50% speed, 1000dpi). I'm used to having to do a bunch of tests to dial in a new product, and this just... worked. The results are fused on well.If you are easily frustrated, skip this and go buy a can. But if you have an accurate scale, infinite patience and a desire to save money or get the best possible results for your marking job, you should give this product a try.

To preface this review properly, I want to make it known that I have three different lasers that I have been running for quite a while. An 80W CO2, a 50W JPT Fiber and a 60W JPT MOPA Fiber. I'm not a noob at this ;-)I purchased the product with a specific use case in mind, needless to say, it went horribly wrong and I cannot replace the material that was rendered unusable in the process. The directions, if you can call them that, on the manufacture's website stated for a 100W CO2 to run at 300mm/sec at 350 – 500 DPI (umm.. What percentage of power??). Speed is nice, but power levels based on the lasers max output would be handy.Normally a CO2 will not touch metal (unless you have a hideous amount of power on tap), the coating the product acted as a catalyst that allowed my 80W C02 to actually cut through the layer of copper on a bonded substrate rather than just marking it (I guess this would be good if I was in the business of making printed circuit boards, but I’m not).The company website states that they have an R&D team that developed the “recommended” settings. Somehow, I am guessing that they only gave the R&D team a couple of K-40’s to play with and maybe a cheap 10W fiber laser??And, yes, I think I figured it out. For an 80W CO2 (OMTech), use their recommended speed and DPI settings, but turn your laser down to 20% power or less, mine will not fire below 15% (their settings indicate full power since a power percentage is not listed for CO2 or Fiber lasers).I really dislike leaving poor reviews, but the total lack of good information on general settings for the lasers being used with their product is, in my opinion, inexcusable. It is stated that the product is tested thoroughly by the R&D team. If it was tested as stated, where is the information on settings for a wider variety of lasers? I understand that there are a lot of variables involved and YMMY, but the level of vagueness in their "recommended Settings" is disappointing.Check their website, there are more negative responses on their settings help page than positive ones in most cases. One would think that they would take the feedback and respond appropriately.

I have been making some gift pieces for family and friends with steel drink tumblers and a couple of hip flasks. Yes, I have the roller attachment for my laser engraver and being able to create things that are curved also begs for them to be "enhanced" so to speak with the engraving standing out. To do that, using this material to create dark, easy to see images or initials is perfect. It takes a bit more preparation than the spray that I have that is copper, but that's not too big a deal. I'm impressed with the end result - solid, dark and easy to read/see against the steel of the tumbler/flask. Great addition to my laser engraver accessories!

I tried this with a 10 Watt diode laser and got slightly better results than without. I’d say the extra bit of effort to spread it on the surface is worth it the engraving is the only aspect or detail on your piece. If there are other things like paint or whatever else then this might not be completely necessary with a strong enough diode laser.