Black leather - would it work to engrave a logo?

[hannahmw9]

Hi friends!
I’m trying to engrave a company logo on black leather… will that work or will it barely show up?
Interested in any experience the community has on this!
Thanks!

[dklgood]

Welcome to the forum.
There are leather experts here in the forum that may have a better answer, but my suggestion is to do a small test engrave on your particular material and see if you like the results.

Here is a similar question and the answers provided. Engraving on natural black leather

[GaryZ]

I think you might find the result underwhelming. I would recommend trying stamping/embossing instead. You can achieve a nice depth and look that way. There are a number of examples in the forum of those who have made stamps from acrylic, Delrin, etc.

[bill.m.davis]

I was about to say the exact same thing. I think stamping leather provides better results than trying to engrave it.

[bansai8creations]

Hi,

Is the leather thru dyed? Or just a natural veg with a surface treatment dye?

I etch a lot of thru dyed leathers, including black. And agree with above statements that it’s a little underwhelming, but it’s possible, and depending on the line width of the logo, it actually could look really nice though with mostly contrast difference between the smooth top grain and the matte/rougher etched area…

And if not thru-dyed, you may also have more color contrast between the etched and unetched that might look better, or not.

Really the best way is to test with scraps–even from the same tannery, hides that are supposed to be the same may respond differently, or the artwork a lower power may work better than higher power for another…

And for stamping, it’s great option for veg tan, but it over 6oz, you’ll need heat as well as the tonnage on the press (even with “casing” --dampening the leather) to create a lasting impression…

I don’t have a picture of an example on black leather on this device, but will attach a couple when I’m at my studio PC that has them!

[ekla]

Barely show up. Stamping would definitely look nicer on black. But if you’re going for super subtle maybe you’ll like the look. Test on a scrap and see.

[bansai8creations]

Here’s a couple examples–the horizontal strap is oil tanned cowhide, 1" wide (or tall in this orientation), and with the wrinkles, not as good as many. The lower etching is about 1 3/4" wide and on a bison (may be veg tanned as it burnishes nicely, too, but likely oil tanned).

So it’s subtle, but it can look really good as a textural difference–but all depends on what the client wants!

[kanati]

made the mistake myself. Bought a big chunk of black leather hoping to recover the center console in my vette and engrave the vette logo… Could barely see it.