Slicking cased leather ?

[Gezzer]

Does anyone do it  before tooling and is there any benefit  ?  Top grain not edges .

[bruce johnson]

Yes, it compresses and evens the top grain depending on how wet the leather is and how much pressure you use. A good lubricant like casing mix or saddle soap will slick the leather without much pressure and less burnish effect.

    I didn’t always do it on firm areas like backs. I did it on most areas where I might be getting into looser fibers like down the sides or into the shoulders. It made the cuts and tool burnish more uniform.

   On things that weren’t tooled I did it pretty soon after I got started and used increasing pressure to really glaze and slick the surface. It really makes a nice feel and finish surface. Kind of like that broke-in feeling of a wallet you’ve been carrying for a year - except you saved a year’s effort to get that same feel  right off the bench. 
 

[Gezzer]

Thank you !