Laser engrave a dyed, waxed and veg-tan wallet

[totaljayqeu]

I bought an Omtech 60W laser, due to arrive any day now, to sell engraved leather wallets.

I am talking to a supplier who will provided me the finished product (veg-tan, dyed and waxed) leather wallets which I will then engrave for customers. So far I have learnt that veg-tan is a must but are there other things I should be wary of? Is it better to ask my supplier to send the wallet without dye and I dye it myself after engraving?

I also read a lot about soaking leather first before engraving but is that something that I need for the finished, dyed wallets as well?

Appreciate any and all guidance. TIA.

[LatigoAmigo]

3 hours ago, totaljayqeu said:

are there other things I should be wary of?

This may be a little "off topic" but you want to make sure you have adequate ventilation. 

[totaljayqeu]

On 9/13/2021 at 3:54 PM, LatigoAmigo said:

This may be a little "off topic" but you want to make sure you have adequate ventilation. 

Thanks. I have the air assist with the laser as well as an inline fan to extract the fumes out of my machine. Hope that should be good enough?

[PastorBob]

You might check out the glowforge community page.  They have a lot of great advice on laser engraving.

[Nikos69]

Do NOT soak or dampen the leather.

Ask your supplier for sample pieces of leather that he uses for the wallets so you can run a speed / power test on them. This way you'll find out the correct laser settings for his finished products.