My wife bought me some leather, is it safe for the Glowforge?

[thatsmytrunks]

https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Scraps-Upholstery-Types-Crafts/dp/B076X73FL8

My wife bought me these scraps, is there any way to tell if they’re safe to laser?

[jbmanning5]

I think I’ve seen on Dateline how this ends…

You’d either need to test to see how it was tanned or get in touch with the supplier. I can’t search at the moment, but if you search you should be able to come up with the boil test for determining how it was tanned. Some people swear against using chrome-tanned leather. I personally don’t have an issue with it as long as ventilation is up to par. It doesn’t cut as nice as veg-tanned though.

[jamesdhatch]

@jbmanning5

I can’t search at the moment, but if you search you should be able to come up with the boil test for determining how it was tanned.

Here it is

How to test for Vegetable Tanned Leather

Veggie will burn up and create a black or gray ash. Chrome will burn leaving a greenish ash The water float test is done on a small strip placed in boiling water - chrome tanned will immediately curl up and eventually sink; veggie just floats there. (I swear I’m going to pin this somewhere …but then I never do.)

I agree about using chrome tanned. I’m less veggie-only than many.