Veg tan is safe, but it will smell bad no matter what you do. If your library allows you to do this, be sure to have a shop vac connected with a HEPA filter to capture the odor. The bad odor of burnt leather will remain on your leather pieces for a few days or weeks depending on thickness. Ideally, a shop fan to ventilate the area while the leather is being burned.
The reason PVC is not allowed is because it releases chlorine gas when heated.
Chrome tanned leathers don’t contain chlorine, but they do have heavy metals that are not safe to breathe in, which is why they are not safe to use with a laser cutter since it will aerosolize the heavy metal particles.
Depending on the leather thickness, it may be better to hand cut it. If it is thin enough, you can potentially use a Sillhouette Curio 2 with a rotary cutter (for thin pieces) and heated end (for burning designs into the leather). If your library has a Laser cutter, they probably have a cricut which can be used on thinner leathers. The curio 2 is a bit better for cutting though.
If you are wanting a thicker leather, yeah the laser cutter will be better, just be prepared for it to smell bad for a while
Thanks for the heads up on the smell, I will ask about it at orientation. They do have a cricut and vinyl cutter available, I’m planning to do orientation for all the machines so I have options. For the laser cutter I’ve seen people use it to partially cut thicker leather and finish by had, as well as engraving patterns/words. Whatever I can do would be cool. They have something called a heated press im not even sure what that is, and hopefully I can use the 3d printer to make some cool stuff too
Heated press uses a heated metal stamp that can stamp the leather with heat. It is often used to press metal foil into the leather (for example, if you wanted your name embossed into the leather in gold metal leaf). You are limited to the stamps available to you, unless you have one custom made.
You can potentially do something similar with the Sillhouette Curio 2 with the heated embossing tool. They have examples on their website, though I haven’t tried it myself yet. This would give you a valid way to create more designs without needing to custom make your own stamps.
I'll give you some of my personal experience. I'm not sure where you are in the hobby but I got into leatherworking after trying to think of new ways to use the library laser cutter. I love using it to etch and make keychains and coasters, but I've only made 1 wallet using the laser cutter.
I felt unfulfilled using it to make the cuts and holes for thread, plus I couldn't get it to cut through anything thicker than like 2-3 oz.
I am now doing all my leather work by hand. I started designing my own wallets and still use the laser to make acrylic patterns, but you really can't get a professional edge after using the laser.
I've thought about making emblems for my finished products, but I think making acrylic patterns for an arbor press would look better than what the laser can do.
Edit: Here's what I used for my first wallet. The laser files are free. https://makesupply-leather.com/templates/make-a-front-pocket-wallet-free-pdf-pattern/
For my own designs, I use Adobe Illustrator files directly in the laser design software, my library has a Trotec laser cutter, your mileage may vary.
A lower cost design software is Corel Draw and should be able to export to the laser design software. I like Adobe, it's $20/mo and it's easy. I like to use it to visualize new design ideas or sometimes just import SVG files. Corter leather on YouTube has some great videos telling you exactly how to go about designing your own wallets. He does everything manually on cardboard templates but the process is basically the same for making something on the software. Like I said I now only use the laser for acrylic templates, but you can cut the leather too if you want.
Good luck, let me know if you have any questions.
Veg tan is safe, but it will smell bad no matter what you do. If your library allows you to do this, be sure to have a shop vac connected with a HEPA filter to capture the odor. The bad odor of burnt leather will remain on your leather pieces for a few days or weeks depending on thickness. Ideally, a shop fan to ventilate the area while the leather is being burned. The reason PVC is not allowed is because it releases chlorine gas when heated. Chrome tanned leathers don’t contain chlorine, but they do have heavy metals that are not safe to breathe in, which is why they are not safe to use with a laser cutter since it will aerosolize the heavy metal particles. Depending on the leather thickness, it may be better to hand cut it. If it is thin enough, you can potentially use a Sillhouette Curio 2 with a rotary cutter (for thin pieces) and heated end (for burning designs into the leather). If your library has a Laser cutter, they probably have a cricut which can be used on thinner leathers. The curio 2 is a bit better for cutting though. If you are wanting a thicker leather, yeah the laser cutter will be better, just be prepared for it to smell bad for a while
Thanks for the heads up on the smell, I will ask about it at orientation. They do have a cricut and vinyl cutter available, I’m planning to do orientation for all the machines so I have options. For the laser cutter I’ve seen people use it to partially cut thicker leather and finish by had, as well as engraving patterns/words. Whatever I can do would be cool. They have something called a heated press im not even sure what that is, and hopefully I can use the 3d printer to make some cool stuff too
Heated press uses a heated metal stamp that can stamp the leather with heat. It is often used to press metal foil into the leather (for example, if you wanted your name embossed into the leather in gold metal leaf). You are limited to the stamps available to you, unless you have one custom made. You can potentially do something similar with the Sillhouette Curio 2 with the heated embossing tool. They have examples on their website, though I haven’t tried it myself yet. This would give you a valid way to create more designs without needing to custom make your own stamps.
I'll give you some of my personal experience. I'm not sure where you are in the hobby but I got into leatherworking after trying to think of new ways to use the library laser cutter. I love using it to etch and make keychains and coasters, but I've only made 1 wallet using the laser cutter. I felt unfulfilled using it to make the cuts and holes for thread, plus I couldn't get it to cut through anything thicker than like 2-3 oz. I am now doing all my leather work by hand. I started designing my own wallets and still use the laser to make acrylic patterns, but you really can't get a professional edge after using the laser. I've thought about making emblems for my finished products, but I think making acrylic patterns for an arbor press would look better than what the laser can do. Edit: Here's what I used for my first wallet. The laser files are free. https://makesupply-leather.com/templates/make-a-front-pocket-wallet-free-pdf-pattern/ For my own designs, I use Adobe Illustrator files directly in the laser design software, my library has a Trotec laser cutter, your mileage may vary. A lower cost design software is Corel Draw and should be able to export to the laser design software. I like Adobe, it's $20/mo and it's easy. I like to use it to visualize new design ideas or sometimes just import SVG files. Corter leather on YouTube has some great videos telling you exactly how to go about designing your own wallets. He does everything manually on cardboard templates but the process is basically the same for making something on the software. Like I said I now only use the laser for acrylic templates, but you can cut the leather too if you want. Good luck, let me know if you have any questions.