Laser Engraved / Etched Moleskine Notebooks
When you’re engaged in something as arcane as making daguerreotypes it’s important to keep notes. I always have one of my little notebooks with me so that I can jot down the UV reading, EV reading, and other information about a daguerreotype that I’m working on. I thought that it was high time for me to customize these books.
I’ve recently become a member of TechShop Durham and, consequently, have access to all manner of exotic tools. One of my favorite tools at Tech Shop is the Epilog Laser Engraver.
These images are cut right into the surface of the leather. The one on the right was run at a higher power and, thus, has burned straight through to the cardboard. The one on the right was run at lower power so it has retained some of the epidermis. Did I mention that they smell like death after they come out of the machine? That should wear off soon.
Lest you think me some sort of mad genius, I should point out that this is not a new idea.
The next step is to try a mashup old world gold tooling techniques with modern laser techniques. Since the laser is nothing more than a heat beam I’m curious to see if it will activate the size on the leather through the gold leaf. I’m sure Gavin would like to know!
Fun!
