Murphy’s Law: Best Laser Engraving Leather Settings

Hey there, laser enthusiasts! Are you ready to embark on a journey into the awesome world of laser engraving leather? I’m here to help you through the process, explaining the basics of leather laser engraving while also showing you how to create custom laser-engraved leather products. Whether you’re looking to craft bespoke leather wallets, keychains, or patches, I’ll be your guide! 

Understanding Leather Laser Engraving: The Basics 

Know Your Material 

Before you fire up your laser engraver for leather, it’s important to know what type of material works best with a leather laser engraver. The best leather for laser engraving is vegetable-tanned leather, as natural leather offers the best results and produces less fumes during laser engraving. Other genuine, top-grain, or natural leathers are also ideal for processing.

Practice caution when working with synthetic leather. Synthetic leather is made of PVC, which can produce toxic fumes when heated by the laser beam. Make sure your exhaust system is fully functioning and that you have proper ventilation inside your workplace when working with such mediums. 

Choosing the Right Laser Engraver for Leather 

Picking the best leather laser engraving machine means knowing your intended application and ideal power. While CO2 laser machines and fiber laser engravers can mark leather, CO2 lasers offer more versatility in cutting and engraving products. CO2 lasers accommodate mediums from acrylic to wood to leather, while fiber lasers are better suited for metal. 

You should also ensure you have enough power when choosing your laser engraver for leather. Laser engraving on leather requires high contrast to define small details. Darker, deeper engravings are typically achieved with high-power settings or multiple passes of the laser. 

Setting Up: Laser Engraving Leather Settings

Loading the Leather Onto the Work Bed 

For this project, we used our 50W OMTech CO2 laser engraver to cut and engrave a 2-inch circle of genuine leather. After placing the leather onto the workbed, we held the material down using strong magnets to keep it steady during the cutting and engraving process. 

Upload Your Design 

Once you upload your design to Lightburn or your designated laser engraving software, set your cut and engrave layers. We set our Cut layer to 10 mm/s at 45% power and the Engrave layer to 150 mm/s at 18% power and found the results to be optimal for our machine. Keep in mind that you should run an initial test on some scrap material to ensure your engravings come out detailed and clear. 

Frame the Design and Start the Engraving

Make sure your design is aligned with your material by hitting that Frame button on Lightburn. This button will outline the cutting and engraving area on the material so you can ensure that everything is centered with your laser head. Then, press start and watch your engravings appear in real time! 

Clean the Leather 

Clean off burn marks or stains by wiping the leather with a leather cleaner or a microfiber towel dipped in rubbing alcohol. This will ensure your engravings are coming out looking nice and clean, without any of the laser residue or smoke. 

Treat the Leather 

You can seal your leather product to help preserve the material and engravings. Rub some beeswax, saddle soap, or leather conditioner into the laser-engraved leather and let it rest until completely dry. Cover the leather with a protective leather sealer and allow it to air dry. Once it’s no longer wet, your leather engravings are ready to go! 

Conclusion: You’re Ready to Laser Engrave Leather Like a Pro!

Congrats, you did it! You've got the lowdown on laser engraving for leather, and now it’s time to put that knowledge into action. Remember, experimenting and having fun are the keys to mastering laser engraving on leather. So go ahead, unleash your creativity, and share your fantastic creations with the world!

And hey, if you're looking for a reliable sidekick in your engraving adventures, check out OMTech laser engravers. They have the perfect lineup of laser machines to make crafting as smooth as butter. Whether you're an at-home craft wizard or a small business hero, OMTech’s got your back.

Happy engraving, my crafty friends!