Laser Cut Love Birds

Thinking outside of the box with different materials can result in creative, inspired ways to show someone you love them. FlexiBrass is a thin, metallic, laserable material usually used for making award and trophy plates. Take advantage of its ultra-bendable structure and turn it into a fun decoration for Valentine’s Day.

FlexiBrass
1/8” Cast Acrylic (we used red, but any color will do)
Super Glue

I wanted something that will hang from above with a lot of dimension. Using the more rigid acrylic, I made the drawing, incorporating the love birds in the middle. I then made thinner strips out of FlexiBrass to put around the birds, making sure to have the slots at the top and bottom fit over the ends of the acrylic and at a 60 degree offset from each other.

Cut on a Trotec Speedy 300 120 watt laser
Acrylic Cut – Power 100%, Speed .7, Hz 35000
Acrylic Engrave – Power 50%, Speed 100%, PPI 500
FlexiBrass Cut – Power 16%, Speed 2.0, Hz 10000

To create a double sided center piece, after engraving and cutting the first side, carefully remove the bird piece and flip it over (make sure that the image stays in the same place on the computer and the acrylic stays in the same place on the laser bed), then run just the engraving again, making the birds double-sided.

Take the strips of FlexiBrass and inset them onto the top and bottom of the acrylic stick with the birds on it. Make sure that you have them mirror each other on the opposite side of the stick. Once all pieces have been placed, insert the small piece of acrylic into the holes to keep the FlexiBrass from sliding off of the acrylic. Secure with a small dab of super glue. Thread ribbon or fishing line into the top hole and hang.