treq10

I make straps with English Bridle leather, too. This is my process: I use a mixture of beeswax and candelillia wax (80/20). My process goes like this: bevel edges, sand if necessary, rub plenty of wax over the edge (it should completely cover the surface), then burnish on drill press, then burnish again with canvas. It's quite a lot of work, but by going through all these steps I achieve a burnished edge that doesn't fray and won't unravel over time. If you want dyed edges, you need to sand and burnish with saddle soap before dyeing. Then after applying dyes you can add wax and burnish again. This is basically Bob Park's method which is excellent. I don't dye my edges because it would put my products at too high a price point, but if I were to, I'd take this route. It took me a long time to get the process that works for me. After figuring out how to properly burnish, I realized why so many manufacturers just use edge paint. It saves so much time. But what silverwingit said is true. No burnished edge retain its smoothness for years and years on straps that go through a lot of flexing. I think that's ok. Acrylic edge finish doesn't last forever either as it'll chip off with long wear. At least burnished edges can be easily re-burnished. Hope you nail it. There's not much in leatherwork that is as satisfying as a beautifully burnished edge.

I'm making belts with W&C English Bridle. The flesh side is already very smooth, but I have noticed that over time it can start to come loose. Is there any way to finish these in such a way that the flesh side will remain intact over long periods of time (years even?) I have seen Ian Atkinson use Tan-Kote to finish the flesh sides. What does this do? Is this recommended here or are there better methods? Lastly, should the flesh side finishing be different on tooling/veg-tan leather vs. a finished leather like English Bridle or Traditional harness? Thank you so much for your help! -Dave

I'm making belts with W&C English Bridle. The flesh side is already very smooth, but I have noticed that over time it can start to come loose. Is there any way to finish these in such a way that the flesh side will remain intact over long periods of time (years even?) I have seen Ian Atkinson use Tan-Kote to finish the flesh sides. What does this do? Is this recommended here or are there better methods? Lastly, should the flesh side finishing be different on tooling/veg-tan leather vs. a finished leather like English Bridle or Traditional harness? Thank you so much for your help! -Dave

I thought English Bridle is just veg tan leather that is drum dyed and waxed at the tannery. If you want natural colored bridle, what you're asking for really is veg tan leather that has gone through the hot stuffing/waxing without dyes. All you have to do is order an undyed vegtan (tooling/skirting leather) at your desired weight and then apply wax/conditioner/finish on your own. If I'm wrong, please allude me to this as I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'm looking to make straps and belts from undyed veg-tan leather. I really like the color of natural veg tan with patina accents from conditioning/burnishing. Would really like to source sides or backs that are smooth on both grain and flesh sides. Anyone have any recs on an American manufacturer? I've been using W&C English Bridle with good success and am considering their tooling/carving/holster leather as an option. I've been looking for other tanneries, too, and would really like to hear your recs before I make a choice. Thanks! -Dave

This is very helpful. I will try these methods. Thank you!!

Hello, I just purchased a Skirt Chaser from proedgeburnishers.com to use with a drill press. I mainly make strap goods on W&C English Bridle and will be using this burnisher to finish the edges. I'm worried that burnishing darker leather will leave residue on the burnisher and will transfer to the lighter leather. I want to be able to use this burnisher for both darker and lighter leather and was wondering if anyone knows of a good solution to this problem (if it's a problem at all). These are $50 a pop and I would really prefer not to have to purchase another one. At least not yet . Thanks! -Dave

Hello, I've been leaving my edges undyed on straps made with W&C English Bridle leather, but I'm realizing it's too unrefined. What do you use to dye the edges of darker W&C English Bridle leather? I'm worried that the factory dyed section of the leather (both grain and flesh sides) won't take the edge dye and I'll be left with very uneven looking edges. I am mainly concerned with dark brown and black leather. I want to dye the edges black. My workflow would be: Bevel, sand, dye, burnish, seal. Thank you for your help! -Dave