Testing out cutting and etching fabrics: denim and light cotton

As jamesdhatch said pleather should not be lasered. There are some synthetic leather substitutes, often called vegan leather, that are laser safe. You can find laser cut examples on the web, but I have been unable to find a source that sells in less than factory-sized quantities.

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I’ve seen pix of etched fleece, and it looks great, but usually fleece is a synthetic (basically plastic) so I’m worried about laser-ing it, that it might be prone to catching on fire. Which would be bad.

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Nice experiment. Have you tried cutting cotton fabric with a fusible layer attached? It would be stiffer, and could then be ironed on to a project.

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I think it can be said that 100% cotton, wool and linen will cut perfectly however you want it cut. Heavier weights would stand up to some light engraving. I think I have some fusible stuff in my sewing kit. I’ll have to see what it is made of first and try it out. Great way to cut out patches, iron on and then sew around.

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I think for the most part that thin fabrics like this can’t really be worn after engraving. show pieces sure, and cutting is fine, but the engraved stuff always seems to just fall apart.

We have almost as many tattoo shops as Starbucks. Not sure how many doctors/dermatologists (strange how cheap it is to get one, but incredibly expensive and longer to get it removed).

But then again, we have probably more pot places than Starbucks.

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Did you see the TV show (or maybe it was a podcast/you tube) where the guy had his tattoo removed?

I think during one of his several sessions, he had to stop the attending to regain his composure. Ouch.:cry:

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You might be talking about the YouTube channel SmarterEveryDay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0B7F5UbTOQ&t=33s

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I like that guy. He does a great job of explaining the process and physics.

He is not the wuss that I was referring to, but I enjoyed this guy’s video better.

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I wonder, can you fit a pair of carefully folded jeans into a Glowforge? Without the tray probably?

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True, but the focal point will be the biggest issue. Something will need to elevate the jean surface to be close to the 0.5 inch range.

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Yes, you can do this. They would have to be folded tight and arranged so the air scoop for the air assist doesn’t whack anything. Not my jeans probably, but some hipster’s with vintage denim that is thinner.

You would have to get it so that it is all one height.

People will get pretty creative with the limitations.

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Closest thing I have found so far is https://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Tex-Kraft-Fabric-18x54-Natural/dp/1607057506

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That looks pretty interesting. I may pick some of that up for a few experiments. Thanks for the link.

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If you pre-iron on some fusible adhesive, this would make making appliques super easy.

Edit: the more I think about it, what could have been done with the poinsettia fabric is if you’re old school and have carbon paper around, stick that under the fabric and trace the outline with a spoon handle or some other item hard enough to make a mark but smooth enough to not snag the material. If you don’t have carbon paper, you could put the fabric on a lightbox, a bright window or a monitor displaying the color white and trace the cut path on to thin paper and run trace on that. By creating a paper trace outline, you can repeated test fit it to the fabric using the camera and tweak it as needed until it’s prefect without having to learn Inkscape.

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Great ! Now I need to find a spot to start piling up another type of “stuff I want to laser”… One or two piles away from being in an episode of hoarders…:neutral_face:

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I now have a case of bamboo cutting boards sitting in the living room I just found for a great price and after not getting more last month when I made some for my kids, I jumped on them. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Where?

Amazon. They were selling off the last of Home Depot’s holiday stock. 3 boards for 9.99! I found it by googling Home Depot cutting board and Amazon was the first listing.

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Thanks! It’s the first set I’ve seen that doesn’t already have some kind of name or logo burned into it.