Laser Cut tool holder for Leather tools

[Nicolas Silva]

This is a tool holder I cut to hold some of my leather tools.It is made from 1/8" (3mm) veneered mdf plywood.
It is based after a test tube holder I saw.
It took about 20 minutes to cut out. It probably took just as long to get the four legs glued in.

[David Somers]

Nice Job! Very sharp looking!

Dave

[Chris DeGerolamo]

Looks good....now show us some lasered leather

[Nicolas Silva]

Sure that's easy. Here are a couple. The black one has a silver color fill after lasering.

IMG_0523.jpgIMG_0525.jpgIMG_0334.jpg

[Josh Borlovan]

Nice job! I can't wait until my shop is finished so I can start neat projects like this and actually have room to fit them.

[Nicolas Silva]

Thanks Josh. I hope you'll have lots of fun. I've used the laser for work, work, work. I'm finally semi-retired so I am finding more time to work on projects just for fun.
The wallets are what I make and sell on ebay and etsy. There are so many more people sharing just-for-fun projects and I hope to keep being one of them.

[Michele Welch]

Wow, great job! Can you possibly share the settings you've found that create such a great burn on the leather? I would love to try this again with some setting assistance from the wonderful minds here!

Sure that's easy. Here are a couple. The black one has a silver color fill after lasering.

IMG_0523.jpgIMG_0525.jpgIMG_0334.jpg

[Nicolas Silva]

On mine it is 30% of 45 watts and 100% speed.

[Deane Donaghy]

Hi,
I intend to have a go at making some leather gun holsters soon using veg tan leather with my 50W CO2
Do you do anything to the leather after it has been engraved, like scrubbing to remove any charring.
I did a couple of tests and the finish results were average, but the detail was ok.
Would you care to share your tool rack files as I have some coming soon and your rack will keep them nicely organized.
Can you direct me to a source of the silver color fill.

Thanks.

[Nicolas Silva]

You've hit on it. You can always just wash the leather afterwards. Otherwise, if dying black, no need to do anything.
The color fill is regular acrylic paint. FolkArt makes several metallics which are good.
Sorry, the tool rack turned out to be a seller so I'm keeping that one to myself. shouldn't be too hard to lay out yourself.
Cheers!

[Bert Kemp]

I do it 2 ways one 1- I apply a couple coats of leather sheen this makes it easy to wipe off the soot with a damp cloth, but tends to wipe away the sheen also.
2.I found could apply a coat of clear shellac to the leather and then wipe the soot off with a damp rag and it worked a lot better, and gave the leather a nice shiny coat. I tried amber shellac also.

Nic would share the cdr file for you tool holder.?

[Khalid Nazim]

Hi Nicolas,

The tool holder and laser engraving are really cool! How did you color fill the laser engraved portion on the black wallet?

Regards
KN

[Nicolas Silva]

I apply a finish first to act as a barrier. Laser then use acrylic paint. Wipe on, wipe off and let it dry.
Then apply the same finish over the engraved area to seal it.
You can use SuperSheen or LeatherSheen for the finish. Both are an acrylic finish.
Cheers!

[Khalid Nazim]

Nicolas,

Thanks for the details on color filling. I will try that out. I also make and sell Laser Engraved journal covers on Etsy. Google Kustom Kalligraphy.

@Deane
I use Veg Tan leather that I first stain and finish with Tandy's Eco Flo Professional Finish. I then engrave and cut the leather in the laser (25% power at 500mm/sec speed - 80W machine). I then use a sponge with several drops of Eco Flo Professional finish to wipe off the soot. Finish the leather first and then engrave. Also start your engraving from the side that is farthest from your exhaust port and move towards it.

Regards
Khalid

[Nicolas Silva]

...snip.... Also start your engraving from the side that is farthest from your exhaust port and move towards it.

Regards
Khalid

Very nice work Khalid. This is a VERY good point. It sure does seem to keep the soot down compared to top down.