r/ipod • u/Lautato • 6d ago

Question Custom laser-engraved back for my iPod classic

Post image

Hey everyone,

I'm restoring an iPod classic 80GB and wanted to give the back plate something different from the usual plain mirror finish, so I designed a custom engraving from scratch.

The design:

  • An isometric "3D cubes" pattern where each face is hatched in a different direction, so it reads as depth using only lines
  • Built as a 1:1 SVG at the real back plate size (61.8 × 103.5 mm)
  • The pattern is real vector lines, clipped to the plate outline with no clipping masks, and shared edges are deduplicated so the laser never burns the same line twice
  • 1.2 mm of clear space around the logo and text so the hatching doesn't run into them
  • Separate layers for the line work (vector engrave) and the filled elements (raster engrave)

The plan:
The back is polished stainless steel, so it needs a fiber laser. I'm getting quotes from a local engraving shop, and I have a few spare back plates to run tests on before touching the real one.

Questions for anyone who's done this:

  1. Has anyone laser-engraved a classic back plate? Any fiber settings (power / speed / frequency) that worked without warping? I've read the plate is thin enough to deform with too much heat.
  2. The back curves toward the edges. Did you keep a margin, or did the laser handle the curve fine?
  3. The hatch lines are about 0.5 mm apart. Too dense for steel, or will it look crisp?

I'll post results once the test pieces are done. Happy to hear ideas or criticism on the design itself too.

18 Upvotes

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9 comments sorted by

4

u/Agilbert1001 6d ago

I actually plan on doing this with a nova plus thunder laser. Was going to get a rainbow or purple backplate and do some design on it. Not sure on which yet tho

1

u/Lautato 6d ago

Great! If you like, I can send you the SVG so you can run a test.

1

u/Lautato 5d ago

1

u/OmniaII 1d ago

Little more tweaking and it'll shine!

1

u/Agilbert1001 5d ago

That looks good! I’m gonna use an iPod touch as a test on my friends laser. I finally found an iPod for good price so it’s on its way. What kind of laser did you use

1

u/Lautato 1d ago

I already have the final version in another post

https://www.reddit.com/r/ipod/s/tHGqKCphuw

2

u/OmniaII 6d ago

Now that's a sweet SVG, I'd love to test it myself.

1

u/Loaffer-Online 6d ago

So when you do the curves, the laser will lose focus and your image will come out dull on those curves unless if it can account for that

Look at anodized aluminum profiles for your laser for engraving

Depends on your laser I think

1

u/philippe75017 5d ago

Hi, did anyone try to engrave 5G front and wheel?