Burnishing edges on a holster

[LeatherCaptain]

Hi, ya'll. I just can't figure out how to get those glass smooth edges on my holsters. So far, I've been cutting, sewing, sanding edges, beveling edges, burnishing with water using a wooden post that i've got chucked onto an old motor, molding, dying, redoing edges, finishing.

So, my problem is, when i do the edges the first time, i can get them looking good. I use water on the edge and use a little bit of wax on the burnishing wheel to do the edge. But, when I mold the holster, i put it into the oven to warm up and help create a stiff mold and once the holster is done drying, the edges are looking bad. So, I come back after molding and dying to try and touch up the edges again but, i just can't get that really nice edge again. I usually just settle for what i've got at that point.

What am i doin' wrong and what should I be doing? I've read different post about this topic and it's easy to get a nice edge when the leather isn't molded or dry. But, once it's molded and dryed out, it's about crazy trying to burnish the edges.

Thanks a bunch!

[Shorts]

My suggestion is in the process steps. I prefer to burnish edges as the second to last step to finishing a holster.

Early in the process I sand the edges with several grits of paper. First is the evening out of the edges and beveling using the Dremel and the rough grit drum. Then I take 220, 320 and 400 by hand all the way around. Now I have a smooth leather surface that will burnish super fast once I get to that step. When 400 is done, then I go on with grooving, stitching and molding.

Then I take the fresh molded holster from the hot box and it goes straight to dye. Using dye for moisture I burnish the edge and then a light hint of beeswax. Then Resolene for topcoat and its done.

The steps I use takes a little more time but I think the results are worth it. All about the details.

[Lobo]

Monica has it right, in my opinion. Burnishing the edges involves compressing the fibers. When the holster is wetted after the burnishing this causes those fibers to expand, thus basically undoing the burnishing work. Using a heat source during the drying will make this effect even worse.

I like to do the final burnishing after the wet-forming has been completed, and prior to final finish application. For years I simply burnished the edges before the leather had completely dried after the forming process, essentially using only the water in the piece.

Now that I am doing more volume work, I have found it easier and quicker to do the burnishing after all of my work has thoroughly dried (I don't use a heat source, simply air-drying). I've also found that using a little wax is a big improvement, both in finish quality and in speeding up the process.

I use a 50/50 mixture of beeswax and parafin, simply rubbing the wax over the edges quickly, then put it on the burnishing tool where the friction and heat quickly transfers the wax evenly and forcing it into the exposed fibers.

I have the wax made up in pieces of about 2 ounces each. Each piece will easily do dozens of holsters, belts, etc. Send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll send you some to try out. I'm sure that you will like it.

Edited May 11, 2009 by Lobo

[LeatherCaptain]

So, it seems easy to talk about the way it should be done but, would anyone be willing to post pictures of your edges and the process you go through? I'm really curious to see what you guys have (don't extrapolate this any further than leatherworking )

Edited May 11, 2009 by LeatherCaptain

[Lobo]

So, it seems easy to talk about the way it should be done but, would anyone be willing to post pictures of your edges and the process you go through? I'm really curious to see what you guys have (don't extrapolate this any further than leatherworking )

OK, here are a couple of welted-seam holsters. One is undyed oiled tan finish, one is dyed. At the seam there are actually 5 layers of leather with the linings. These were done with the wax mentioned above.

Not perfect, but not too bad I think.

[hidepounder]

So, it seems easy to talk about the way it should be done but, would anyone be willing to post pictures of your edges and the process you go through? I'm really curious to see what you guys have (don't extrapolate this any further than leatherworking )

My process is a little different than the others posted here. First off, I agree with everybody else, you should do your burnishing after the holster is molded. Once it's molded and dry, this is what I would do:

01.) SAND EDGES - I use a mounted belt sander with a 150 or 220 grit belt and always move against the direction of the sander. All I'm trying to do hear is to insure that all the leather layers are even and all the reisdual glue and finish has been removed.

02.) EDGING - I use an edger to remove the corners of the edge.

03.) WET & SOAP - Wet the edge using a sponge and then rub glycerine bar saop well into the edge.

04.) BURNISH - I burnish with heavy canvas satuarated with Fiebings yellow soap. The canvas is wrapped around a wood burnishing wheel (I use the Weaver set-up)

05.) DYE - At this point I dye the edge with Fiebings alcohol dye. I use this because it is absorbed into the leather...it's not just bonded to the outside like an edge paint is. I also dye at this stage because I can get a nice neat, clean line because the leather is smooth and the fibers are all tight and bonded together. If you dye the edge before you burnish, you cannot get a nice clean dye line!

06.) HAND BURNISH - I use a clean cloth (old t-shirts are great) to rub the edge to remove any residual dye and to determine if a second coat is necessary. If not, I use a hand burnisher to rub any imperfections out of the edges and create an even smoother finish.

07.) POLISH - At this point I use a soft drum wrapped with cordura nylon (Mounted on the other side of my Weaver burnisher) and gererously impregnated with parafin, and burnish again. Once I'm satisfied with the finish, I polish to a high luster with a dry cloth.

08.) FINISH - apply the final finish.

Here are some examples of the my finished edges on a belt I completed this weekend, and a photo of the edge on a pad folio I posted earlier this year.

Here is my burnishing set-up:

This has worked pretty well for me, however, I'm always adjusting as I learn new tricks and techiques.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[LeatherCaptain]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your willingness to share your skills and what you've learned to help out others. Those edges look great.

hidepounder,

Out of curiosity, how much was that burnishing machine from Weaver? Their catalog doesn't have any prices...(I guess I could call). My current machine is an old electric motor that my grandfather had rigged up as a grinding wheel. I took off the grinding wheel and drilled a hole into a 6" bun for the bottom of furniture and then held a round file to it to create some grooves. It works alright but, I'm afraid it's just got way too high of a rpm and I only have the bun on as best of center that I can get. I tried a couple of different objects for a burnisher but, this was the best thing I could find. I just couldn't drill a straight hole through the middle of anything to save my life. I don't have a drill press and ended up having to buy a new hand drill because my other one, uh "stopped working" as a result of my frustration of trying to drill a straight hole in the center.

I think I may try putting a straight edge up to the wheel making it a sort of lathe where I can take a knive to the bun to get it squared off. The weaver machine just looks so much easier. Plus, by the time i've finished buying 75 buns, a new drill, drill bits, round file, bandaids, chamomile, tylenol I could have just spent the dough on a nice, new shiny burnishing machine that would have made life so much easier.

[Dwight]

Cornfused, . . . this is a very simple approach to most burnishing problems.

Get a Dremel tool.

You sand with it, . . . burnish with it, . . . and polish with it. It gives you some real personal control on the piece you can "see".

Enclosed is a pic of the rigs I use, . . . they were made by using a 1/8 in drill in the center of a piece of oak dowel for the shaft, . . . put into the Dremel, . . . sanded to shape using files and sandpaper.

May God bless,

Dwight

[ABC3]

Leathercaptain;

The Weaver burnisher & sander is $475. I purchased one a few months ago. The best thing they have IMO is the edger. It makes fast work out of the edging process.

[LeatherCaptain]

Leathercaptain;

The Weaver burnisher & sander is $475. I purchased one a few months ago. The best thing they have IMO is the edger. It makes fast work out of the edging process.

What is an edger? Is this an attachment to the burnisher?