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My first laser engraver (of 3) came from a wonderful friend on here whom I'll leave nameless so people don't bug him for one or other stuff. He offered me a 3000 Mw machine for 50 bucks plus shipping. I love that little rascal. I also have a 10 watt . . . and another one is somewhere in the "in transit" stage. I have no problems with the 10 watt . . . cutting anything leather I want . . . and I even cut 1/4 or 3/16 plywood with it . . . engrave the plywood and do all sorts of funky stuff. I use an air assist which makes the edges look like they were cut with a super duper sharp but hot knife. One of my favorite things to do with it is cut out left over leather scraps for key fobs. It cuts the fob . . . pops the holes for the rivet . . . in two passes. I could do it in one . . . but backing off on the power conserves the life of my laser head and makes for a slightly better looking product. If I'm adding a name or logo or something . . . I do it first . . . then do the cut out. Logo and cut out are in the 3 minute category from blank hunk of leather in my hand . . . to the finished product in my hand. My 2 present machines sit on a 10 dollar second hand door about 24 inches wide and 6 ft long . . . 1 by 12's form the sides . . . and some of the top . . . plexiglass windows cover each machine . . . a fan is on one end pulling out the fumes . . . to a dryer vent hole in the side of my shop that leads outside . . . at the other end of the box is a hole slightly larger than the fan hole. There is no stink in my shop. I don't have my phone or I'd pop the pictures up here. I only have this one of the setp showing it from the end where the hole is. It is covered by the square of plywood with the drawer handle . . . and you can see the two machines inside. Basic corrugated cardboard it a good medium for practice to check your settings. I'll then do a cut out of one of the important areas of the burn . . . run it thru the machine on a piece of scrap . . . adjust as needed . . . an run it. All in all . . . laser engraving is not as easy as falling off a cliff . . . but each person has to learn on their own. One machine . . . using one piece of leather . . . and one program . . . will produce different results than whatever part of that equation changes. May God bless, Dwight

Thats pretty cool

Use your laser and mark the flesh side of the leather, easy peasy, no need for a template.

I use Lightburn extensively, not only to drive my lasers but as my premier pattern design tool. I don't use or recommend any Adobe tools. For CNC milling and 3D printing Fusion is my product of choice.

A basic laser can be relatively inexpensive but it is but a subset of what is required, IMHO. I use different lasers for various tasks in my workshop but I rarely burn images or text directly into leather for decoration as it degrades it too much for the items I make. YMMV. That being said, I do use a large diode laser extensively to cut card stock templates/jigs and marking the flesh side of leather for cutting etc. Marking the leather this way saves a lot of time as I don't need to scribe or trace the patterns onto the leather. The charring of laser cut leather can be a pita and cleaning it up takes longer than just using a knife or such. I strongly recommend having your laser in an enclosure to allow good fume extraction and prevent possible eye damage from laser light.

Nice setup. I use a DA Paasche for airbrush work with dyes and I have found that using denatured alky instead of isopropyl alky for dilution gave me better penetration and finish on vegtan. The main reason for using an airbrush is gradient coloring/shading and the sunburst finish on small items is striking. I'm unsure how this will work on shoes or other previously treated leather. Similar to you I apply a single coat of NFO minimum of 24hrs to vegtan before applying Fiebings Pro Dye cut to about 50/50 with alky. Absorption and even spread is quite good. As tests I did sectional cuts of 8~10oz HO and found I got better dye penetration on NFO treated than without. Having spraying chamber or doing this outdoors and using a good respirator is important.

All the sites I find these are Japanese. One name I found them under is pattern clip but I cant find them in the US

I moved your post to Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners since it is a finish for leather edges.

What browser are you using?

200 is a successful request, so that's an odd error. Maybe try again in a few hours. You'll need to make a new response to this thread.

Thank you. kgg

@Shoe repair daughter Go ahead and start again, since the edit window is closed on this one. I'll delete this thread as soon as I see the new post. I'll Follow you so I get notified of new posts. Thanks for taking care of it!

It appears the price went up from the $9.99 CAD when I ordered it to $10.69 https://www.amazon.ca/Airbrush-Splitter-Disconnect-Regulation-Compressor/dp/B09XDYFG93/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3Q6F555AR3IIX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wE4XqJHbKH9dn79iiZk-EH1t-_Jmt1oZ7neTJr9ZKPxohuZnpVvwpU1yIvUXgiwOzoTAebFLHjntt9ZW0wvYsVeALoPaLkJPHr2218LLQuSBgPGUvBEporcPt_4adYb7yizB6HVkyOu5hy1C7qAQZIAyuzV8xGNNiZUlYiL_lE_tzm58kUgZYrBseG8m_Oy8BtJrtV5_dM_4h7ZvHL_g_V9xVBNCaGzdkGUX-Pz5328KvUKLdM22rGWoJyq4BTIypNIs3C3KPV4BOEbcOmVCsqA89TlC0sSNQ5n5DptkaqY.UTa_EHjXPEQqqPzvA02-2XfKfSD_5cp3R5p6ffLqCmA&dib_tag=se&keywords=Tiiyee+Metal+Air+Hose+Splitter%2C+3-Way+Cross+Lever%2C+Quick-Connect%2C+Silver%2C+6.3+mm+%2F+0.25+inch%2C+Airbrush+Adapter&qid=1758242082&sprefix=tiiyee+metal+air+hose+splitter%2C+3-way+cross+lever%2C+quick-connect%2C+silver%2C+6+3+mm+%2F+0+25+inch%2C+airbrush+adapter+%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1 kgg

Unknown server error. Error code -200

The brake in a clutch motor is to stop the sewing machine when the "go" pedal is released even through the motor continues to run. In a servo motor the motor stops rotating when the "go" pedal is released so a brake in reality isn't necessary when sewing at slow speeds. At high speed sewing it would be possible to get some run on. kgg

could you put a link to the three way outlet splitter ($10 CAD)? I'm not searching with the correct terms. Thank You. Love the 3D printed holders

Is the brake optional on a clutch motor? I've been working on my clutch motor skills. In part to be better qualified to write this blog article: https://leatherworker.net/forum/blogs/entry/516-option-c-clutch-motor/ , and in part to satisfy curiosity. I've greased the pivot points and the main slide sleeve to improve the control and feel. I've slowed it down. I've backed off the slack adjuster in the brake far enough that I can consistently release the brake pressure when I want to use the hand wheel. But I keep asking myself, "Do I really need this brake?" The universal motor with triac speed control (aka "analog servo" aka "brushed servo") that I had for a few weeks also came with a brake shoe that activated whenever I was not on the gas. With that motor, I liked it better after I removed the brake shoe entirely. So I've been wondering, what is a straightforward way to remove the braking effect from a clutch motor, and are there any known downsides to doing so?

Thank you. You know me, no machine is complete until it has been 3Ded. I do use quick connectors on my other compressors but had difficulty finding them or this setup. Thank you. No method is the best it just depends on what will work best for the project. kgg

Nice setup, I knew you'd find some way of 3D printing something for it! The holder is very neat, by the way, if using jars it should be better than the hook-type thingy I have. Amongst my airbrushes is a Paasche like yours, very simple to use (and clean) and great for general use. It does require a higher pressure to run than internal mix units but for coverage work, as opposed to detail, it's a better brush to use. Rather than use an air splitter I fitted quick-release adaptors to all my brushes, simple to swap them and I only have one hose to avoid tripping over! Good writeup.

What error message do you get when attaching

Howdy, in my perpetual search for new and different fabrics for bag liners I found a reasonable source for affordable linings at Fabric Wholesale Direct. For a number of my bags I use the following lining: https://fabricwholesaledirect.com/products/ottertex-300d-solution-dyed-pu-waterproof-hexagon-grid-ripstop-fabric?variant=40771585638515 They have other rip stop fabrics as well that are quite nice as well. I have found that watching the people that do fabric sewing can teach a lot about bag making techniques and sources of fabrics.

Howdy, I was watching a makers video and saw him using an interesting clip to hold things together. I like that you can fasten it without disturbing the placement of the work pieces. Any ideas of what it is called and who may have these available in the US? This is a still from this video at the 17:28 time mark: https://youtu.be/o74-mQeuHoc?si=EppX-JVTkYWTm1QF

While not specifically for leather, I fell in love with this machine when I got to use it at a friend's shop years ago and stupidly forgot to get a good pic of the model number. It's a double needle walking foot and his had a folder attachment. I made the big dome cover with it, basically a flat felled seam but all in one pass. It's a Juki, and it was green, but that's all I've got. Again, the photo won't attach either as an attachment or as a link. It's only 153kb.

Nice set up. I really want an airbrush and the knowledge/skill to use it. I spray all my dye thru a DeVilbiss Finish Line HVLP auto paint gun. Just a great big airbrush. 55-60 lbs pressure. Any less it wants to get spotty when spraying really light. Tried the spray bottles and little sprayers at Home Depot. Not even close. I do understand what Dwight is saying about it being more like a topcoat. I use sheepskin for black and many coats usually. Everything I do is the same dye with black around it. I started spraying the dye when I made those backgammon boards in my albums. I was using veg tan for the fields, so I made a template 1/32" bigger than the points/pips and taped the stencil to the raw veg tan. Sprayed very light probably 10 coats at least so it wouldn't bleed past the stencil. No cuts in the fields. The guy was professional player. The blue on the outside of the Braves board is sprayed and it turned out pretty even. I get up to a 12" pattern if I want and total control how much dye. Almost everything has a coat in all for directions and then some. I haven't really noticed the sprayed dye being a problem with all the stuff my wife and daughter have. I still understand what Dwight is saying.

This how I do it in a nut shell: i) Apply Jojoba oil. The oil is undiluted and applied with +30 psi to the veg tan. Wait 24 hours. My theory is that with +30 psi the Jojoba oil is forced in the leather and causes the leather fibres expand to allow for better dye absorption. The reason I don't use Neatsfoot oil is there is a possibility of it going rancid and degrading stitching over a period of time????? ii) Apply the dye. The dye mixed with 99 percent rubbing alcohol at a 50/50 ratio and applied at +30 psi. Wait 24 hours. On the shoes (done August 2023) I used a Paasche airbrush with a psi setting of +45 psi. iii) Apply Jojoba oil to the veg tan. Wait 24 hours then finish. Here is a couple of photo's of one shoe from each pair of shoes (done August 2023) after two years of wear. Like @Dwight mentioned you can do some nice fading which can be seen being a lighter tone on toe and darkening to the body of the shoe. kgg