3D Lego Picture Puzzle (laser Engraved)

Since I got a laser engraver/cutter, I am interested in making custom puzzles as individual gifts. One day, I pondered how I could take this to the next level and came out with the idea to print images to a wall made of building bricks, disassemble that wall and give it away as a puzzle. But since I do not own a UV printer (yet), I cannot print directly to the bricks. So I came up with the idea of using my laser cutter. Unfortunately, ABS plastic is not easy to engrave, so I coated the wall with acrylic paint and removed that paint partially with a laser. And then I thought, why just a wall, why not a 4 sided object?

Supplies:

1. Building bricks 2x8, white (US: https://amzn.to/4oMsmfV * DE: https://amzn.to/49uZSTs *)
2. Acrylic spray paint (black) (US: https://amzn.to/47CyGjl * DE: https://amzn.to/47RHaUO *)
3. Gift box 4"x4"x4" (US: https://amzn.to/47CyGjl * DE: https://amzn.to/4oMttMD *)

Tools:

1. xTool P2S (US: https://amzn.to/4nlifh2 * DE: https://amzn.to/3L0czvD *)
2. Riser base (US: https://amzn.to/47CyGjl *)

*: The links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links at no additional cost to you. But please feel free to purchase wherever and however you like. Thank you for your support!

First assemble a cuboid out of white 8x2 building bricks - as shown in the image. Try to fit the aspect ratio of your photos. In this tutorial I use 72 bricks, 8 per layer with 9 layers. That gives you outer walls with a width of 80 mm and a height of 86,4 mm.

You can easily cover the bottom with masking tape. This won't stick at the top due to the studs. So use some waste bricks. These can be of any color - I used black ones. You can reuse those bricks a couple of times before the paint gets to thick.

Clean the surfaces with some alcohol and spray them with black acrylic paint. It is crucial to apply the paint thinly, evenly and with good coverage. Let the paint dry for at least an hour or overnight.

Use the software of your choice to prepare and adjust the photos, so that they will fit perfectly on the walls. For this tutorial I use public domain photos of famous scientists. But I also have used family photos for an individual gift. Important: We want to remove the black paint for white pixels and leave them for black pixels. So you have to invert the photos. Also use a dithering algorithm. For the laser parameters you may want to do some test prints. Here are my settings, which work great with the xTool P2S (55W CO2 laser):

1. Image:
2. Grayscale, auto adjust
3. Invert !
4. Size: slightly larger than the wall size
5. Engraving:
6. 15% power
7. Speed 600 mm/s
8. Bitmap mode: Stucki
9. 200 lines per cm
10. bi-directional mode
11. 25% airflow

Adjust positions and start the laser. Make sure, you use the exhaust fan and that the exhaust air is directed outside or filtered sufficiently. The fumes smell and are not good for your health. Obviously: After each image, rotate the cuboid so that the next black surface is on top, exchange the image in the draft, maybe fine adjust positions and continue.

Don't be disappointed if the result does not look perfect yet. There is some residue left from the engraving, which you can easily remove with a sponge or brush under running water. Then disassembly everything and let the bricks dry. Put away the waste bricks - reuse them in further projects or throw them out if the coating has become to thick.

I leave the packaging up to your creativity. I think, a simple cardboard gift box is sufficient. But a sticker with the photos is helpful. And voilà: a very unique, nice little gift. Hope the recipient will have fun puzzling.

A very good tip from my wife: this item is actually useless. But if you add a base, it makes a great pen holder. :-)