Does anyone have experience with engraving jute/burlap? I engraved a bag a a month ago and now it looks like the engraving is rubbing off/fading a little. Wondering if there’s anything I can put on top to seal or protect it. Thanks!
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Welcome to the forum.
The process of engraving is burning away layers of the material, not changing the pigment of anything. Maybe Scotchguard or something would stabilize the burlap.
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Thank you! Just ordered Scotchguard Fabric Water Shield.
Burned carbon will not be attached, but come off when loosened, and even fibers that are scorched are more fragile and likely to break. In the case of colored fabric the laser may change the color, but uncolored burlap might be an issue unless there was polyester woven in that would melt at least a little,
Scotchgarde would wrap the carbon bits to the fabric similar to the melted polyester. Alternatives might be to use the Glowforge to make stencils or to use sublimation but that is a whole 'nother rabbit hole.
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Yes it binds the carbon to the fabric and repels water. It will also bind smudges and fingerprints nicely so care is needed.
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Thank you for your help!
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I use shellac for fabric sealing from fading. But as said above, scotchguard also works well.
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Thank you! I will try out shellac as well and see how it works!
Same thing happens with wood and leather, it is not as obvious though because it is not rubbed on and handled on a daily basis as a tote would be.
The first time you get over happy with gorilla tape to remove masking and remove the entire center of a large engrave forcing a line up and re-engrave attempt, you will remember it.
Ask me how I know.
Sealing those also helps.
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Oh no! Well that is good to know. What do you use to seal leather?
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TANDY sells a leather sealer, so I imagine any place that deals with leather resources would as well.
That sealer also allows you to smooth the fuzz on the inner surface.
Not sure if burnishing and gum to remove the fuzz actually seals leather and I have never made a large enough project to get into that aspect (leather earrings for the most part).
Others here are very leather aware and can maybe chime in with opinions.
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Got it - thank you so much! I haven’t experimented with leather yet, but I am eager to try it out!
Tandy sells a few different ones but leather sealers often contain waxes and/or oils. I wouldn’t recommend them for fabric.
For burlap i’d try light coats of a clear acrylic artists sealer spray like Krylon Workable Fixatif or Crystal Clear Matte.
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Yeah, but we were discussing leather by that point.
Always worth a mention if you see an Uh Oh, though, and your pointing to a possible jute sealer answers the original question for @laurschmaur .
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Oh i missed that, sorry.
Feibings Resolene (wipe on) and Leather Sheen (spray) are both pretty nice. I’m not a fan of the Tandy branded finishes.
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Hi there! What were the settings you used to get this?
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Here is a post I did on options and settings:
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Hi! The below is what I used. I coated it with a couple layers of Scotchgard afterward per the advice from this post 
Speed: 800
Power: 32
LPI: 225
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Thank you so much! I’ll be trying this today! 