How to Make Acrylic Earrings with xTool

How to Make Acrylic Earrings with xTool!

Learn how to cut cast acrylic sheets with the  xTool M1 Everything Bundle Laser Cutting Machine.

I love the versatility of the xTool M1, perfect for a craft, hobbyist and even a small business!

I had to test my xTool with acrylic with a small pair of monstera leaf earrings--earrings are ALWAYS the first craft I make with a new machine!

Check out these wood earrings.

The  xTool M1 Everything Bundle is a hybrid laser cutting machine that combines a diode laser as well as a cutting blade.

You can cut wood, leather, acrylic (some colors) and more with the laser.

You can also cut vinyl, heat transfer vinyl, paper, cardstock, cardstock and more with the blade.

This tool option can be a great space saver if you are looking for both types of machines with limited space.

Supplies Needed for Acrylic Monstera Leaf Earrings cut with xTool M1:

• xTool M1 Laser Cutting Machine ($200 off on Amazon!!!)
• Or direct from xTool get the full xTool M1 Everything Bundle Bundle
• Cast Acrylic for M1 (the M1 only cuts specific colors of acrylic)
• Earring Posts and Backs (2)
• Jump Rings (2)
• Jewelry Pliers

Step 1: Acrylic Laser Cutting

First, the acrylic.

There are specific colors of acrylic that can be used with the xTool M1 Laser Cutter.

If you want to be able to cut any color of acrylic, you will need a CO2 laser, not a diode.

M1 can only cut CAST acrylic...it can cut green, black, orange, brown, some reds, some yellows.

No blue, clear, white, mirrored or translucent acrylics.

Work in a well ventilated area, make sure you are venting your machine outside. 

The fumes from cutting acrylic are not great to breathe.

Open up xTool Creative Space and upload and image.

I am using these little monstera leaves--lots of freebie files at Design Bundles!

Select the image and select cut.

Set the material to Green glossy acrylic, peeled the protective plastic off both sides of the acrylic before placing in my xTool.

I used the xTool standard settings, set my acrylic on my triangle prism risers and made sure to select that on the drop down setting.

It did 100 power/3 speed and 3 passes.

Then cut the acrylic with the 3 passes.

There are lots of files for test grids, it's a good idea to test each type of acrylic for optimal settings if you are going to be doing a lot of acrylic cutting.

The acrylic melts on the edges and cuts through.

Step 2: Jewelry Hardware!

After the acrylic cuts, there may be a little debris on the edges, they can be gently brushed off or sanded off with a fine nail file.

Open the jump ring with the jewelry pliers by sliding the ends side to side instead of prying open.

Put the jump ring through the hole on the acrylic leaf.

And then slide the earring piece on the jump ring.

Use the pliers to close the jump ring back up by sliding the ends back together tightly.

I love how they turned out!

I still have some fine tuning to do for cutting acrylic, but I love that I have so many options using my laser cutting machine.

Don't just settle for using wood, experiment with acrylic, leather and more!

That's it!

Do you have an xTool M1 Everything Bundle Laser Cutting Machine yet?

I have had mine since March this year (2023) and love it--I use it all the time for crafts and DIY's!

I've primarily worked with wood, because I absolutely love it, but decided it was time to try out some new materials.

I love cutting acrylic and have so many new ideas for my crafting hobby!

I'll share them along the way!

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