Question About Laser Engraving.

[stelmackr]

I'm not sure where else to ask this so here goes.

Does anyone have any experience cutting chrome and oil tanned leathers with their laser. I've messed with it a little but there is a black dust left from our engraving and cutting in Waterhouse leather's Bandito oil-tan. The dust when brushed off seems to smear into the leather and it doesn't look good enough.

A friend of mine show me how to place some low tack shelf lining paper over the leather and the paper prevented the black dust from landing on the surface. This was demonstrated to me with a veg tanned piece, but I assume it would work for chrome tanned.

Bob Stelmack

[tcondie435]

A friend of mine show me how to place some low tack shelf lining paper over the leather and the paper prevented the black dust from landing on the surface. This was demonstrated to me with a veg tanned piece, but I assume it would work for chrome tanned.

Bob Stelmack

Thanks Bob! I'll try that and once I get all this dialed I'll document it all here!

[Studio-N]

If anything else, you can simply wash the leather in the sink. I will not hurt it, but it may cause some stiffness in it.

[Nuttish]

Don't cut all the way through it. Only cut through the grain and finish the cuts with a fresh razor blade, which will follow the slight "channel" you've created.

Enough black dust to cause much less staining to your thread will blow out with compressed air. You can also use a very fine tooth brush with highly foamed saddle soap to lightly scrub your stitch holes if you're laser cutting them.

Wash the surface with foamed saddle soap to remove the film of carbon that collects as the machine exhausts fumes over the grain.

The laser will sometimes make a small spot of damaged grain when it's cutting over previously charred material farthest from the exhaust plenum.

The obvious trick to cutting edges is ... sand them.

[BenjaminEstberg]

So on the topic of chrome tanned leather, I have been racking my head to find out which leathers that can have a tape or mask applied to protect from the soot without causing the color to look faded when the tape is removed. I think that it is not removing the dye or color rather then stretching the leather when removed.  I have no problem with Capri or cowboy leather but when it comes to Laguna.......I think that a super low power like 10 doesn't mark but 11 will is the only option I have.  this means no tape or mask which in return leaves no way to fill the engraved area with inlay. I tried the lemon pledge idea from Studio-N.( thank you)  removes the soot well from blue, brown, timber wolf(gray), dark green and other darker colors. The biggest problem is with the red and light tan. it seems that the area cleaned (to me at least) still looks dark or discolored.  If I do the logo at 11 pwr, 500 speed and .089 int I can see the logo and there is no burn, the leather is still reddish when done. But it has no depth to the logo/ pattern. and again this leaves no option for inlay. For the other leathers I put down a 2" wide piece of blue painters tape, roll it real good with a rubber wheel roller ( a tape gun that I Mcguivered), hit it with the laser, then ( thanks Fed Ex) press a fed ex label over the logo/ pattern a couple of times to pick up the soot with out removing the tape. apply the inlay, let dry and remove the tape.  Awesome results so far.  I did 13 logos this am and have ohhh about 107 more to go.  Any pointers are more than welcome!!

 

Best,

 

Ben