Cutting the imossible leather

[Michael Milan]

So it's been a while, but here's an update. I purchased my laser initially to do engraving on leather, but to be honest, I didn't like the results for the most part. I also started to get more into "luxury" leather goods, which didn't really mesh with engraving images. My laser is however amazing for pattern cutting. Some pieces have 20+ intricate parts, with curves etc. Leather workers spend countless hours cutting patterns, and mistakes or changes drive you crazy. With the help of illustrator, my cutting takes seconds. So happy to have this tool! Now onto the impossible leather. Stingray skin is made up of tiny little beads that are essentially bone. It is next to imposdie to get straight cuts because a blade ither goes around the bead, or cracks it, which is rarely straight. It also destroys you tools, and very few leather tools have carbide options. Because of this, leather workers hate working with it. Even brands like Gucci have crooked cuts, and eneven stitching. So, you guessed it, a laser is the perfect tool for it. Here are a few links of stuff I've done that would have been next to I. Possible without my laser. https://www.instagram.com/p/BmoIq6vAJru ... 85k4ltkl6y
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmduFfggU5M ... dwfj1u7m9l
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzfwrmKAdRa ... 1ddbdv4j9u
https://www.instagram.com/p/By25eACAiap ... z71bhlboc4
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuFMwP1li5X ... 3ikurxzjcq
All of my patterns now are laser cut, and although it's just cardstock, or acrylic templates, the laser in invaluable. Thanks for looking!

[Willy Ivy]

The laser is an amazing tool. Nice clean cuts make for a nice finished piece. Great job.

[sebastien laforet]

how do you handle the "burning" of the laser?

i sometime cut very thin leather (0.4mm) for the father of my wife (used for book covers), and this can be ok except for white/yellow leather. for clear colors, even at low settings and perforation mode, i still have visible burning

for heavier leather (i just have made things for kids from scraps of leather gathered at a local leather shop), the burning is very visible. 1mm leather can be cut fine, but not without some charring. i have made a harness for a stuffed horse for my girl, and the soot was very annoying.

[Michael Milan]

That is part of the reason I don't like cutting leather with the laser. Discoloration almost always occurs. It's not as bad on veg tans, but still happens. You can scrub off some of the charring, or sand the edges, but I prefer to cut with a blade. One leather that seems to be the exception to the rule is called Dollaro. It cuts beautifully with almost no discoloration, but It's a little more difficult to work with because it's very stiff.

[Tim Mellor]

I watched a few youtube videos on Laser cutting leather a while ago. For prototyping without the expense of making a die or for one offs it seems to make the most sense. Any of the metallic dyes (if known) are likely best avoided.

In a recent life I was making Kites, for one offs or limited runs a hot knife was the weapon of choice but for larger volumes in particular where we were adding a hem die cutting was much cheaper. I was looking into CNC cutting but at 1.5m wide by as long as you can afford payback was a tough economic call.

Nice work too