Does anyone laser etch their patterns directly onto the leather?

[LatigoAmigo]

5 hours ago, Lfrog said:

Lasers are good for certain parts of the production process, cutting leather isnt one of them.

I bought my laser with the sole purpose of cutting leather because I wanted my edges to be perfectly smooth, and to be able to manage the size and spacing of my lacing holes. I think that I have be successful. I think the issue is the size of the laser. Mine is a 100 watt CO2 laser. Although it does a fine job cutting, it does not do fine etching very well.

[Lfrog]

1 hour ago, LatigoAmigo said:

I bought my laser with the sole purpose of cutting leather because I wanted my edges to be perfectly smooth, and to be able to manage the size and spacing of my lacing holes. I think that I have be successful. I think the issue is the size of the laser. Mine is a 100 watt CO2 laser. Although it does a fine job cutting, it does not do fine etching very well.

I have 120 watt lasers, its not a power issue, I can cut leather if I wish, but there are more efficient ways for our particular setup to cut leather.  Would you laser cut 500 circular coasters or click them out with a clicker press?

[LatigoAmigo]

4 hours ago, Lfrog said:

Would you laser cut 500 circular coasters or click them out with a clicker press?

The clicker will punch out the material probably faster than the laser could cut it, but that is only the first step of the job. The coasters I make are two layers sewn together with the top layer laser-engraved, so since the clicker will not engrave or punch the stitching holes, I will have to vote for the laser.

[chrisash]

If you have a laser with a large enough bed then the set up time would be small and you would be able to work on something else whilst the laser did its job cutting maybe 25 or more at a time depending on bed size and design size

A Clicker press would be a major investment whilst the laser probably far cheaper 100 watt 900x600 mm bed about £3000

Also simple to design one offs rather than investing in Knifes

[AmyK]

14 hours ago, LatigoAmigo said:

The clicker will punch out the material probably faster than the laser could cut it, but that is only the first step of the job. The coasters I make are two layers sewn together with the top layer laser-engraved, so since the clicker will not engrave or punch the stitching holes, I will have to vote for the laser.

Agree- plus the laser is a multifunction tool. I might do multiples of something- in fact I'd LIKE to, but not enough qty to get a clicker and dies. I'm currently struggling with getting a sewing machine vs laser first. Laser would be easier to make money in order to afford the sewing machine, but there's a used sewing machine nearby I have my eye on. I dunno. I also need to get better at designing with the laser. I can do everything but the stitch holes, honestly, but its so hard to get them spaced correctly. Any tips? Iv'e used Inkscape and Affinity Designer the most.

[LatigoAmigo]

3 minutes ago, AmyK said:

Any tips? Iv'e used Inkscape and Affinity Designer the most.

I've only used Adobe Illustrator, and it took me a while to figure out how to get the results I wanted. I know nothing of any other software. 

[olddogTim]

I see a lot of talk about SOOT. If you have a good exhaust system and air assist This is not a problem.

[LatigoAmigo]

7 hours ago, olddogTim said:

I see a lot of talk about SOOT. If you have a good exhaust system and air assist This is not a problem.

So true... very important. But I have yet to figure out how to eliminate the "char" on the edges of where the laser slices through the leather. I've used various means to clean it up, but have never been able to avoid it.

[Pdxgtigirl]

I’ve heard that casing the leather helps with the soot. Anyone tried this?

Edited November 28, 2020 by Pdxgtigirl

[GrayHallidayJr]

Yes, I burn directly onto the leather. 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by GrayHallidayJr