Flesh side slick finish

[Cactusman]

I tape the fleshside before tooling. Once finished when I remove the tape the fibers are loose no longer a tight even surface.  Hasn’t been a big deal … I slick it with gum and move on… until started doing bags. Now, I want a nice nice nice finished feel/look and not sure I am getting everything out of slicking that I can or want. 

Why are the fibers so loose at the end of the tooling process when I pull the tape off?

Other than lining the leather, how best to finish the flesh side?

Thanks,

David

[fredk]

You could burnish it with a beeswax & carnauba wax mixture.

Warm the mixture, warm the leather, apply wax and rub well in whilst playing a hairdryer over it. Then burnish the heck out of it with a good rag

[Burkhardt]

Are you using packing tape? I do and if so it can be bad, I see a lot of people use the blue painters tape that I don't think is quite as sticky and getting off it sooner then later.

[Michael Sheldon]

I've done quite a few pieces with Tokonole. Just spread on thinly and burnish.

[Dwight]

Take a sponge . . . lightly dampen the flesh side . . . LIGHTLY . . . and use a wide putty knife . . . or something similar to flatten the fibers . . . then a light coat of resolene . . . cut 50/50 with water.

Makes a nice finish . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Gezzer]

I dampen lightly and use glycerine saddle soap and  glass slicker .  Makes for a pretty good finish .