Tips for cutting leather on lasers?

Gotcha, that’s helpful. I’d just heard it singed stuff and was curious what the pro/con ratio was.

That’s kinda what I thought, I’m not familiar with either craft enough to know whether that’s way more work than it’s worth. Does make sense for big projects as mentioned, didn’t think about needing that.

Vague answer: it depends. Mostly on what your results need/are wanted to be, but on other stuff, too.

It’s ALL way more work than than it’s worth, since whatever it is, they probably sell at Lowes Depot or MegaloMart or Amazon for less than you or I can make it here from scratch. :breast_feeding:


edit: there a leather-working basics class today you might want to try and fly stand-by on: https://calendar.dallasmakerspace.org/events/view/5726


Another edit: Belay my last…I see you have already taken LWBs…

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A good plan b is to use the pattern to cut an acrylic (or MDF) template and use that to mark and hand cut the non-laser-safe leather.

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That’s already on the to-do list!

How many volumes is your list? Do you just add at the end or append to each topical volume?

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I todo lists are easy: I need to work on my “completed” list :slight_smile:

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Many of my to-dos begin with “find time to get to the Makerspace” :slight_smile:

But yeah it’s like a World Book set.

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I’ll talk about this at the next laser committee meeting. May 6th. Featuring @Scott_Blevins Brisket and @nacho Offerings.

The reason Chrome treated leather is on the no-go list is that it just doesn’t etch\cut well as a general thing. Laser bounces off the metals, heats things, burns and chars. How much? Depends on the piece. It will cut and etch some. Others it just rejects the laser and burns the leather.

Chrome treated leather is usually light weight, used to for fabrics, gloves, car seating, luxurious things. It can support vibrant colors and textures.

Lasering it will not damage the lasers, unless it generates a lot of smoke. For now though, it is on the No Cut list. Please respect. If your opinion is different, let’s discuss in a new thread or at the meeting.

It’s hard finding a definitive source regarding chrome tan leather and lasers. The most recent info I can find (2017) is the plastics in fake leather emitting toxic fumes. That the biggest issue with real chrome tan leather has to do with wrinkling and curling and not that it’s bad for the laser.

ah yes, I remember that now. some looked like crispy bacon after I was done.
mmmmm, bacon.

Most Oil Tanned leather is first chrome tanned, then treated with oil to make the cool pull-up color shadings.

The specific leather you mentioned IS chrome tanned (I called and asked) - should NOT be cut on any DMS laser.

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Thanks for calling, I hadn’t gotten to that yet! Guess it’s back to templates and knives for that oil-tanned stuff. Sheesh, how medieval.

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