help: how to add colour with laser engraving

[studiocroco]

hi,

i make personalised leathergoods and laser engrave a lot of things in leather.

Now i want to add colour in my laser engraving like gold or silver. So i can also engrave on darker leather.

Does anyone know how to do this?

I add a picture to show an example. I know for sure the example has been laser engraved because i saw a making of. But they did not show the total process.

I tried with angelus leatherpaint but that's not as slick as on the picture.

I hope someone can help me out, you would be a life saver!

ps: i asked the company of the picture how they do it but offcourse i didn't receive an answer

 

Regards,

Myrthe

[Northmount]

5 hours ago, studiocroco said:

Now i want to add colour in my laser engraving

Moved your post to 3D Printers and Lasers

[Ferg]

The simplest way I know of is to mask the leather completely, laser through it and spray the color you wish into the engrave, allow to dry to the touch then remove masking. It is important to allow the paint/ink to dry but not allowing the masking to remain for long time since some times there are small indentions in the leather that allow the spray to penetrate under the masking. Most of the time you can remove unwanted color from surface without damage to leather

A spray to seal the leather and the coloring used works best. If you apply a sealer with a cloth you will have the color migrating all over the place. I engrave leather by dampening the leather before engrave, results in better rendition.

Color on the engraved portions is tricky at best, practice on a piece of scrap.

[Dwight]

27 minutes ago, Ferg said:

The simplest way I know of is to mask the leather completely, laser through it and spray the color you wish into the engrave, allow to dry to the touch then remove masking. It is important to allow the paint/ink to dry but not allowing the masking to remain for long time since some times there are small indentions in the leather that allow the spray to penetrate under the masking. Most of the time you can remove unwanted color from surface without damage to leather

A spray to seal the leather and the coloring used works best. If you apply a sealer with a cloth you will have the color migrating all over the place. I engrave leather by dampening the leather before engrave, results in better rendition.

Color on the engraved portions is tricky at best, practice on a piece of scrap.

Thanks, Ferg

May God bless,

Dwight

[studiocroco]

On 11/29/2023 at 11:08 PM, Ferg said:

The simplest way I know of is to mask the leather completely, laser through it and spray the color you wish into the engrave, allow to dry to the touch then remove masking. It is important to allow the paint/ink to dry but not allowing the masking to remain for long time since some times there are small indentions in the leather that allow the spray to penetrate under the masking. Most of the time you can remove unwanted color from surface without damage to leather

A spray to seal the leather and the coloring used works best. If you apply a sealer with a cloth you will have the color migrating all over the place. I engrave leather by dampening the leather before engrave, results in better rendition.

Color on the engraved portions is tricky at best, practice on a piece of scrap.

Thank you for your answer. I'll try that!

[Littlef]

Another untested thought... seal the leather with a resist.  Then burn your image through the sealant, and wipe the color over the image and wipe off, similar to how you'd apply an antique.     maybe?  

[studiocroco]

1 hour ago, Littlef said:

Another untested thought... seal the leather with a resist.  Then burn your image through the sealant, and wipe the color over the image and wipe off, similar to how you'd apply an antique.     maybe?  

nice option as well.
With a resist, you mean something like a tape? Or a layer that i also can wipe off?

[Littlef]

4 hours ago, studiocroco said:

nice option as well.
With a resist, you mean something like a tape? Or a layer that i also can wipe off?

I was referring to a resist such as this image. Its used when antiquing leather.  It seals the leather so that antiquing gel only adheres to the areas that are tooled, and the antiquing gel will wipe back off of the portions of smooth leather.  It might work.... it might not.

[chuck123wapati]

They probably used a technique called heat embossing which is pretty simple to do so they probably didn't want to tell. I have no idea if it would work with a laser.

[Northmount]

5 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

They probably used a technique called heat embossing which is pretty simple to do so they probably didn't want to tell. I have no idea if it would work with a laser.

@studiocroco It certainly looks like hot foil pressed image.  Once you have the equipment (a hot foil press) it is certainly faster and much easier to do than have to work through the various contortions listed above.

The hot foil presses often show up on local for sale FB and other sites.

 

[Ferg]

I think the OP was asking about how to do it with laser.

Of course it could be done with hot stamp press but he already has the laser. Lol

[Bert03241]

Ive done it both ways Mask and resist  I like the resist way better because you don't have all the weeding problems you have with a mask.

[Northmount]

21 hours ago, Ferg said:

I think the OP was asking about how to do it with laser.

Of course it could be done with hot stamp press but he already has the laser. Lol

So what is wrong with offering other possible solutions or suggestions?

[Ferg]

Not a doggone thing. For crying out loud! I was simply suggesting that if he didn't have a hot press but obviously does have a laser, it would be more economical.

 

And I thought I was edgy.

[Sheilajeanne]

Ferg, how do you do the blocking? What do you use?

[chuck123wapati]

15 hours ago, Ferg said:

 

 

And I thought I was edgy.

No your Fergy , grumpy retired and sleepy, dopey and bashful didn't put in for the job so docs cousin edgy got it.

But back on topic I've not heard of doing that with a laser nor was I able to find anything on the subject. His second question "Does anyone know how to do this?" and the pictures are what i was referring to. 

[Ferg]

12 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Ferg, how do you do the blocking? What do you use?

For a cheap ? option you can use masking tape. Sometimes the blue tape for painting is okay. I usually have both on hand if the less sticky doesn't stay put. Roll it down good on the leather, laser, spray color, let dry, remove tape. Don't allow the tape to stay on leather for too long. Just enough for the paint/ink to dry.

[studiocroco]

Thanks for all the reply's!

They have several movies where it shows that's it's done by laser. As you can see here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co9vv-Vj3sn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

So it's certainly not done by embossing. I also have a small embossing machine at home but for every customised item you have to make a mall. That would be to expensive.

But i'll try several things and looks what works best!

 

 

 

[Littlef]

1 hour ago, studiocroco said:

Thanks for all the reply's!

They have several movies where it shows that's it's done by laser. As you can see here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co9vv-Vj3sn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

So it's certainly not done by embossing. I also have a small embossing machine at home but for every customised item you have to make a mall. That would be to expensive.

But i'll try several things and looks what works best!

 

You might try and reach out to the person who made the videos, and ask them.  The only video I saw in the link showed the laser burning the leather, and then a final picture of it colored.  I didn't see anything showing that the laser actually coloring the etching.    I have no theories on how a laser could accomplish that.  Elfin Magic.  
 

 

 

[studiocroco]

that's correct.
I found several videos of the lasering but not what happens after. And that is why i am so curious.  It is lasered, but what after that?  

I reached out to the company but offcourse they wouldn't give me an answer...

[Littlef]

42 minutes ago, studiocroco said:

that's correct.
I found several videos of the lasering but not what happens after. And that is why i am so curious.  It is lasered, but what after that?  

I reached out to the company but off course they wouldn't give me an answer...

My guess, for what it's worth, is that the laser is not what is coloring the leather.  I did a quick google, and found some industrial manufacturing lasers that can etch metal and glass with some sort of coloring process included, but I found no references to being able to do that to leather.  Nor have I ever heard of laser type machine being marketed with that ability.  I wind up in the same place.  I got nothing.

[studiocroco]

thanks for the research.
i also guess that the laser does nothing but engraving

So we will try some things with paint, spray, resist,...

[GatoGordo]

You can use gold leaf as shown in this video.

Use the laser to print the design, then fill the design with the glue, and finally apply the gold leaf.

[GatoGordo]

Here is a better video showing the laser engraving and the use of gold leaf.

 

This video is by a member of this forum. Perhaps he will step in and comment.

[Michael Sheldon]

Just for weird knowledge. There is a hack to do color with a laser and powder-coat resins, but not something I'd do on leather.