laser engraving

[Randy Cornelius]

Someone has started doing lazer engraving near where I live. I have thought about having some designs engraved into a leather project, nothing in mind just thinking about something new. Has anyone tried this. I asked them about it and they were not sure but would try. I thought about bringing by some scraps of leather and letting them try it. Just thought someone has already been down this road could offer some insite.

Randy

PS, I'm back on graveyard shift so I have lots of time to sit around and think while trying to stay awake.

[blinddog]

Hi Randy,

Jack Justis of Justis cases in Florida has used laser engraving on the pockets of his pool cue cases for years. It gives a fast, lasting design and doesn't make all of those thumping sounds!

check 'em out here:

http://www.justiscases.net/

Stay safe out there,

Jeff

[Studio-N]

Greetings,

well the picture of my avatar is one example of what can be done on leather.

Mostly, it is an easy fast way to do silohuette drawing, fancy lettering, or cutting through as in filigree.

Primarily, material is removed by burning it away and leaving a recess on par with a backgrounded

area. Coloration will always be dark brown. Any other questions, I'd be happy to help. peace.

[bruce johnson]

Randy,

I have done exactly one, so am no expert. I talked with a guy who has a family-run store beforehand. They were sourcing out the the glass engraving and leather lasering. He just got one, but knew the nuts and bolts of it. Basically laser on unoiled leather, the oil will bring out the darkening even more. I have attached a planner I did. It was a bit scarey, because I did the tooling first, and then took it over to her. I was dang sure hoping she had it set up so the engraving would come out centered, it did. I wasn't relishing the idea of doing it over. It turned out pretty well.

[Randy Cornelius]

Bruce, have you ever considered doing a lazer engraving on a custom saddle or say a trophy saddle?

Randy

[bruce johnson]

Randy,

In a nutshell, I wouldn't. I don't think it would hold up to use and abrasion very well. You have to have some bevel around to hold up I think. One thing I have considered is lasering in a pattern or logo, and then using that as a base for beveling and dyeing, much more accurate than a tracing and stylus. You could even just laser in the tooling pattern outline, and use that as a guide for swivel knifing. For several items the same, It would save stylus and tracing time for sure. I sure see some possibilities with lasers.

[Studio-N]

....... One thing I have considered is lasering in a pattern or logo, and then using that as a base for beveling and dyeing, much more accurate than a tracing and stylus. You could even just laser in the tooling pattern outline, and use that as a guide for swivel knifing. For several items the same, It would save stylus and tracing time for sure. I sure see some possibilities with lasers.

I have exactly done the above when making multiples. The question that often arises is whether the laser can 'replace' the swivel knife.

The short answer is no. The cut is simply too thin. Very tough to bevel, and because it is not a wide channel to start, you don't get much of a shadow line. But as a replacement for the pattern transfer phase, it is a very useful tool. I can get cutting very quickly. I have heard rumors that there are indeed saddle shops are using it to transfer patterns on production saddles. peace.

[JohnBarton]

I know this topic is years old.

Still I thought I'd add my 2cts anyway. We use the laser cutter/engraver a lot in our shop. We cut leather with it, we cut patterns using cardboard and wood and acrylic, we make all sorts of jigs. We sometimes use it to transfer patterns.

One of the best uses lately has been on one of our models where we need to do straight and even lines of stamped patterns. I did not want to scribe guidelines as those are very often visible no matter how lightly done. So we made some templates with small dots to act as guides for the tool placement. We place the template over the piece and mark the dots with a pick. The stamp covers the dots and the end result is a perfectly straight line of stamps with no guideline.

Laser cutters are extremely good for doing parts. We make all sorts of custom parts on the fly and the laser allows us to make cardboard mockups and try them and if the part doesn't work then we can easily modify it and cut another one.

As for using the leather to do designs. Well you can do quite a lot of cool stuff using the laser but it takes time to understand what you can and can't do. Depending on the type of laser you have and the software that runs it you can cut lines of various depths and widths. Some lasers can do contoured shapes through some software manipulation. So essentially it's possible to sculpt using the laser. Using the laser to design can be as simple as throwing an image on the screen and telling it to "burn" it onto the leather or as complicated as doing something that uses a combination of engraving and cutting with many layers and power/speed settings to achieve a unique effect. I have done some pretty sporty designs which some people would think were hand tooled at first glance.

In conclusion, a laser can be a very useful tool but it's not a replacement for hand tooling by a long shot. A laser can augment hand tooling in a lot of ways but never replace it. Tooling is the art of reshaping leather, lasering is the art of creating by destruction. The laser vaporizes the matter and if you understand that then you will get a great feel what you can make.

John

[UKRay]

Despite the age, this is a fascinating and constantly 'topical' topic, John, and one that I have been exploring lately. I'm currently trying to find someone in the UK to carry out contract laser work for me but I'm obviously looking in all the wrong places!

Has anyone any idea of costs for contract work? This is important as it could mean the difference between sub-contracting and buying a machine myself (which wouldn't be my first choice).

I know this topic is years old.

[JohnBarton]

Despite the age, this is a fascinating and constantly 'topical' topic, John, and one that I have been exploring lately. I'm currently trying to find someone in the UK to carry out contract laser work for me but I'm obviously looking in all the wrong places!

Has anyone any idea of costs for contract work? This is important as it could mean the difference between sub-contracting and buying a machine myself (which wouldn't be my first choice).

The best place to ask this question would be the laser/cnc section at www.sawmillcreek.org

Most laser places charge by laser running time plus setup charges. If you can give them files that are ready to go then you will save a lot. I can help you on that if you need it.