Search the Community

HI Guys! New to the forum. Just wanted to drop a few tips on how I have FINALLY found what works for me on burnishing my leather edges on my gun belts. STEP 1: Smoothen out the 2 leather belt edges after you sew them together with a DREMEL and the "grinding stone" attachment that comes with it. Make one full pass around the belt to get the two layers as even as possible. Once even, go around the belt again with the Dremel grinding stone real slow until it begins to burn the leather and compress the fibers (you will see the leather edge turn dark where it is getting burnished). You will mainly see the leather get smooth and burnished on the second pass. Be patient with this. STEP 2: Get some Duck Cloth (Can buy at Joann's or any fabric store. It feels like light canvas) If you have heavy canvas, that works great too as HidePounder suggests. STEP 3: Soak the Duck cloth in dish washing soap real good and rub the edges of the leather with the duck cloth and liquid glycerine saddle soap (available at Tandy Leather Factory). Keep the edge nice and wet with the dish washing soap and saddle soap and use lots of elbow grease. STEP 4: After you have gotten the edges smooth from Step 3, then use an alcohol based dye for the edge (Fiebings) and finsih the edge. I don't have much money for the bells and whistles so I just wanted to share what worked for me. The dishwashing soap and grinding stone helped me a lot and Im happy with how my edges look now. Much better. Also, remember that it takes practice, persistence and PATIENCE. Elbow grease as well. But keep at it, the hard work pays off and will give you a quality edge worthy of the craftsman name.