Engraving/burning onto leather smudging

[LatigoAmigo]

44 minutes ago, dikman said:

the forum you mentioned (APWA), it doesn't seem to exist

Then I misunderstood you, sorry about that. The document I posted was something I found years ago. It may have come from this site: 

https://whips.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/easy-braiding-soap-recipe/

[mikesc]

The awa.org.au site is down ..but the wayback machine has quite a lot of their pages..maybe if you have the time to go exploring their archives you'll find more recipes..
their "stash" is here
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.apwa.org.au/

HTH :)

[dikman]

Thanks guys, that explains why I couldn't find it - basically, long gone. The extra couple of posts in Latigo's latest link are a bit more explanatory, they're using tallow, mixed with lard. The tallow is fine but I'm not sure about adding lard as it could tend to turn rancid over time. I think a blend of tallow and neatsfoot oil may be a better option.

[LatigoAmigo]

6 hours ago, dikman said:

I'm not sure about adding lard as it could tend to turn rancid over time.

The batches of this that I've made, which I keep in jars, have lasted years without turning rancid.

[dikman]

Well, I can't argue with that.

[sbrownn]

On 5/17/2019 at 12:53 AM, dikman said:

My latest effort was engraved/burned onto veg which was left natural (no dying). I gave it a coat of neatsfoot oil and then a couple of days later applied some leather dressing. This caused the dark burned residue to smear and leave dark stains (fortunately most of it wiped off). Anyone else had this problem and if so how do you stop it from happening again?

Try spraying your finish on.

[Bert03241]

Old thread I know but I'm a new guy so I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. I oil my leather then let it sit out in the hot AZ sun for a full day. This give the leather a nice color. I then give it 2 ot 3 coats of leather sheen or Resolene  let it dry real good. then laser engrave, any smoke residue will wipe right off with a damp cloth. You can still wet mold after this process but takes a long time to dry. Well not so long here in AZ Sun LOL

I saw a video here some guy made who said never engrave finished leather. Have no idea why he says that. Also he said wet the leather before engraving. I would not recommend this as when you try to wipe off the residue its just going to smear into the leather. My recommendations are for Veg Tan leather. Like I said JMHO

Edited February 8, 2021 by Bert03241
added note

[thatcanadiangirl]

On 2/8/2021 at 5:44 PM, Bert03241 said:

I then give it 2 ot 3 coats of leather sheen or Resolene  let it dry real good. then laser engrave, any smoke residue will wipe right off with a damp cloth.

There are no negative effects to laser cutting/engraving after applying the Resolene? How much do you vent as you engrave? I guess it doesn't produce more smoke/fumes than standard veg tan laser cutting?

I've had samples cut on a laser cutter, which I needed to clean quite energetically with a nail brush and soapy water, so anything that helps make the process cleaner or less labour-intensive to clean sounds like something I need to do. And given I plan to generally acrylic-paint my pieces before cutting, Resolene will be a necessary step anyway.