Coaster making question

[MADMAX22]

OK so I wanted to make a set of coaster for a friend and was wondering how you guys like to do it. I know you could just cut it and do your design and finish it and be good to go. However......

Have any of you used the boiling technique to get a nice hard coaster?

Any tips for making a little fancier of a coaster, say with a lip around the edge and maybe some 1/8" neoprene on the bottom or something.

Thanks for any input.

[RobRipley]

Did you have in mind an actual raised lip to trap spills? You could get a similar effect by carving a border, beveling the inside edge, then using a background tool to make a 'catch pocket' for liquids. Of course, this depends on the design you're using.

If you want a non-slip bottom, I use cork sheeting from Michael's; the kind used to make bulletin boards. Once the tooling and any spot dying is done, I cut the cork slightly larger then the coasters and use Barge cement to glue it to the leather.

When the glue is set, I cut the cork close to the leather, then sand down until it's flush. I finish up with Edge Kote and burnish the edge with beeswax and a bone burnisher.

I use three coats of spray Neat-Lac over top to finish. Between the cork and the shellac, the coasters come out quite rigid without any further treatment.

Hope this was useful.

[MADMAX22]

Did you have in mind an actual raised lip to trap spills? You could get a similar effect by carving a border, beveling the inside edge, then using a background tool to make a 'catch pocket' for liquids. Of course, this depends on the design you're using.

If you want a non-slip bottom, I use cork sheeting from Michael's; the kind used to make bulletin boards. Once the tooling and any spot dying is done, I cut the cork slightly larger then the coasters and use Barge cement to glue it to the leather.

When the glue is set, I cut the cork close to the leather, then sand down until it's flush. I finish up with Edge Kote and burnish the edge with beeswax and a bone burnisher.

I use three coats of spray Neat-Lac over top to finish. Between the cork and the shellac, the coasters come out quite rigid without any further treatment.

Hope this was useful.

Thanks for the input. I have never made one before so I kind of was wondering how everyone else made them. Ill give your method a shot. Thanks for the info.