knazim

@Nuttish, I have 80W Shenhui Laser that I imported from China. My Chinese laser has been fantastic. The machine works superbly, never broke down in the last 3 years and the support has always been fantastic. So based on the my experience, I will not agree with you that chinese lasers the not worth it. They are absolutely worth every penny and allow people to get fully functional laser for fraction of the cost of the Western Laser machines. @Dan 28 I would suggest to not buy the machine on Ebay but buy from the chinese manufacturers directly. These is extensive coverage ont this topic at Sawmill Creek online forum. Please check that before you decide to buy a laser. Regards KN

I have my own laser engraver and have used it extensively on leather. I first dye, apply finish and then engrave. See my pictures below of my work: https://www.etsy.com/listing/159793131/ipad-nexus-kindle-galaxy-tablet-leather?ref=shop_home_feat_1 Just make sure that your friend understands that when you laser engrave leather it really stinks and you need to ventilate properly. The smell permeates everywhere so keep a few cans of Febreeze handy Regards Khalid

For leather you should try: Perfect Leather (on King Street, West of Spadina http://www.perfectleathergoods.com/index.html) Fauk Leather ( Scarborough - Vic Park and Steeles http://faukleather.com/) Moore-Pearsall Tannery Warehouse (100 Wingold Ave Toronto, ON M6B 4K7 mptw.ca +1 416-789-3123) For tools and some leather, try Capital Findings and Leather (215-160 Tycos Dr, North York, ON M6B 1W8, Canada Phone:+1 416-784-5888) Leather and Sewing Supply Depot (7 Vanauley St Toronto, ON M5T 2V9 - Phone:+1 416 9134868) Regards KN

Wow! Where did you get these from? The package has China post marking on them. So probably not from Mando.

This is a Shenhui 80W CO2 laser. Bed size is 900mm x 600m. This laser has allowed me pursue so many ideas as I could cut and engrave nearly any material (except metals - which can be engraved by this machine if I spray a specific chemical on it). You can check some of the things that I have made here http://www.flickr.com/photos/kustomkalligraphy/. Regards KN

Hello everyone, I made a short video to show how I use my laser to engrave and cut leather. You can view it here http://youtu.be/VLSaYWZG2n0. Regards KN

Got it. Thanks for posting this and for the explanation. Time to try this now Regards KN

Have you tried bending/folding the leather to see if the ink is holding up?

I can suggest a crazy solution: Buy a laser cutter! I use it everday and its fantastic tool to have. KN

@biglew: How did your experiment of cutting Chromexcel go?

This is fantastic. really good design and construction. Thank you very much for posting the pictures of the process. Can you post some more pictures of the arrangement inside the bag. Also, what leather type/size have you used. Finally, you mentioned that the leather is tan in color but the photographs make the leather color look yellow. You may want to tweek the pictures to get the right color. Regards KN

Check this out: Regards KN

@Nuttish: Care to share your settings? I usually cut at 60% power and 60mm/sec speed. ( I have an 80W machine)

You are right about Chromexcel being hard to cut with laser. Any leather which has oils becomes very difficult to cut cleanly. Veg tan is easiest to cut. Chromexcel will require multiple cut passes with mid level power setting which might make it impractical to be laser cut.

My laser is from a Chinese company called Shenhui. Its an 80W machine with bed size of 900mm (36in) x 600mm(24in). Western made machines like Epilog/Trotec/ULS are very expensive and were out of reach for me. However, I am told that they are easier to use and more reliable. The Chinese machine I have is much less costly and I did not find them difficult to use or unreliable. Furthermore the customer service from the manufacturer in China is phenomenal. If you are interested in lasers you should check out this laser forum (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forumdisplay.php?8-Engravers-Forum). Regards KN