A leather handbag is already a beautiful, unique item, perhaps you would like to personalize your leather and let your creativity run wild. It's great that you've found your way here, because here we would like to give you tips and differences between the various leather engravers , but also how you can engrave your leather yourself.
Leather engraving has been used for many centuries. This process involves engraving beautiful decorations, coats of arms, logos, names and much more onto the leather .
Nowadays, this is usually done with a laser engraving. So you can engrave your leather relatively easily with just a few tools and little effort. Engraved leather goods in particular, whether
- Purse,
- Men's or women's wallet ,
- Leather goods intended as gifts are often engraved.
Engrave leather yourself: Pay attention to these points
Then you have to pay attention to a few things and familiarize yourself a little with the properties of leather . There are differences as to which type of leather is better suited for engraving than another.
- So all you need is a soldering iron or a laser that is suitable for engraving.
- Of course, you also need a piece of leather that you would like to decorate.
Accessories such as cell phone cases are often engraved . You can give your loved ones a very individual gift by engraving a leather case for them, for example.
Are you a businesswoman or businessman who would like to make and sell engraved leather goods? Then you can easily decorate the leather and sell it.
Engraving leather: These methods are available
In leather engraving, there are different methods to bring designs or lettering onto the product. The most common engravings are made using
- Laser,
- Engraving knife
- and embossing stamps.
But you can also use a soldering iron and you can even paint your leather.
Laser engraving
Leather engraving with a laser beam is one of the most precise engraving methods. Almost any desired design can be selected and burned onto the leather. One advantage of laser engraving is that the leather does not need to be fixed in place, as the laser works without contact, meaning that no pressure marks from staples can occur.
A small disadvantage of laser engraving, however, is that the design is not as easy to see on dark leather as it is on light leather .
Engraving leather with the engraving knife
With this type of engraving, the design is cut, or rather milled, into the leather using an engraving knife or a high-speed milling knife . The engraving knife fits in the hand like a pen and is easy to use. With a little practice, you can simply let your creativity run wild.
Possible alternatives to engraving leather
Stamping/Embossing
If you want to have ornaments, lettering or other designs embossed into your leather, you should contact a specialist. They will "stamp" the desired design into the leather using an embossing machine . You should consider this if you want to use elaborate patterns and designs.
If you want to add initials or a small message to the leather, you can do it yourself at home. For this you need a leather embossing stamp . These are available in many different variations, whether letters or attractive shapes, you can find almost anything.
The desired lettering or your own design is then hammered in, so to speak. The embossing stamp is placed on the leather and pressed into the leather with a small hammer.
Painting leather
Leather is so versatile that you can even paint it. Acrylic leather paints are best, plus a few brushes and the right idea for your project, and you can let the Picasso in you run wild.
Pyrography with a soldering iron
Do you also know those bread boards with a name or a picture on them? Perhaps you have even decorated one yourself with a soldering iron. Leather can also be worked wonderfully with a soldering iron.
The pattern is burned into the leather, making the drawn lines dark, as is known from the embellished boards.
What do I have to pay attention to if I want to engrave leather myself?
There are many different ways to have leather engraved. Basically, you first have to choose a motif.
Do you want to use the engraved leather goods as gifts or would you rather sell your finished products?
Then you should have a corresponding motif embossed on the leather . Once you have chosen your motif, you will next need a sketch.
If you are a talented artist, you can simply draw the motif yourself on a template , otherwise you can simply print the motif out with a printer.
It is important that you make sure that the motif is printed in mirror image . The reason for this is that the motif will then be transferred to the leather.
To do this, you have to rub the template with acetone , which will transfer the color of the template to the leather. Now you can start engraving the leather.
In the next step, you have to decide which method you want to use to engrave your leather . Since you don't need a template for the stamping and punching method , we'll show you the next steps with laser engraving and the soldering iron.
If you decide to use a soldering iron , you should practice a bit before you start engraving leather. Once the soldering iron has heated up, you can start straight away. Remember that the more pressure you apply to the soldering iron , the darker the engraved areas on the leather will be.
If the effort is too great for you, you can simply have the laser engraving done by a specialist dealer for little money. Of course, engraving leather also requires a little manual skill . Practice makes perfect.
Which leather is best for leather engraving?
Basically any leather can be engraved, but there are leathers that are better and worse suited for this.
If you want to write on your leather , it will certainly be important to you that the writing can be read. With dark leather , it can be difficult to read the writing , as the engraving makes the leather darker in the corresponding places.
Expert knowledge: If you want to engrave leather, it is best to use light-colored leather. You can also engrave artificial leather, but you should make sure that the artificial leather does not contain any PVC compounds , as these cannot be lasered.
Leather branding or leather engraving works on many different types of genuine leather such as smooth cowhide or robust buffalo leather, but also on artificial leather without PVC compounds.
PVC is the abbreviation for polyvinyl chloride. Before engraving leather, you should check whether your artificial leather contains such a substance. If so, you should engrave the leather using a method other than a laser.
Conclusion
It doesn't matter whether you want to get creative yourself to personalize your leather handbag or whether you want to have it done by a professional. You can even do leather engraving at home and it's a great way to personalize your favorite handbag or give your loved ones something lasting in leather.
FAQ
Can you engrave artificial leather?
Yes, artificial leather can also be engraved very well; laser engraving is particularly often used for this.
Where can you have leather engraved?
A shoemaker can engrave leather, but if you do an internet search you will quickly find many companies that specialize in engraving leather and other materials.
Find out what else we have to offer and read on!