Stainless annealing colour test grid

A single test tile that maps annealing colours on stainless steel so you can stop guessing at power/speed/frequency combinations.

What it does

The grid runs 8 power steps against 8 speed steps in labelled 6mm cells, with a second sheet that sweeps frequency at your chosen power/speed. Engrave it once on 304 stainless and you have a physical reference for the colour range your machine can produce — deep black through to blue, gold and bronze.

Included

• Test grid at 60 × 60mm and 100 × 100mm
• Frequency sweep sheet
• Blank annotated template so you can label your own results
• Reference notes on what each colour band means (surface oxide thickness) and why it shifts with defocus

Requires

A fiber source — LP3, or the fiber module on LP4/LP5. This does nothing useful on a diode; bare stainless does not absorb 445nm meaningfully.

Wear glasses rated OD5+ at 1064nm. Diode glasses will not protect you from a fiber laser.