Beveling edges - I just keep getting worse at it, and it ruins my projects

[Toffe]

Hello all!

I've been trying my hand at leatherworking (after years in model ship building) for a little over a year now. I started out with a cheap large tool kit and have been slowly substituting the tools I use most (or use less often but need to be better quality) for better ones. That's made a huge difference for e.g. stitching (Japanese French-style prickers, a much better diamond awl (can't find a flat one), better needles and thread...), and I'm happy with the quality of leather I have available here. My results are at the point where people I'm not related to are asking for commissions.

HOWEVER, my edge finishing, particularly edge beveling, actually seems to be getting worse over time. I paid too much for a proper Japanese edge beveler (I'm currently in Brazil, so for anything not made locally or in China, triple the price due to shipping and import duties), #1 for 1-1.4mm leather, it came sharpened plus I've stropped it with the sorta-sandpaper that came with it, and I'm following the usage instructions plus guides I've seen online. The moment the beveler touches a project, the project turns to trash.

I'm careful to hold the leather flat, either carefully with the edge of my hand, or with a steel ruler if I'm beveling a straight edge. I only work dry leather, all veg tan, 1-1.4mm thick, sanded (low grit sandpaper, should get around to buying higher grit too), normally before stitching. With a light touch, nothing happens until the beveler gouges a chunk out. With a stronger touch, I get the string of edge leather coming out the back of the beveller, but am left with a very noticeable line in from the edge where the side of the beveler has touched the leather - this can't be avoided since I can't twist the beveler any further away from the topside short of beveling along the edge of a table (which would have its own problems). Typically I get a sawtooth pattern along the bevelled edge this way as well, as the beveller catches on the leather surface and gouges bit after bit. If I make multiple soft passes, the edge typically just looks like it's been gnawed at by an elderly cat.

Is this:
- My incompetence?
- Tools not sharp enough (and I don't seem to ever be able to get anything sharp enough - my half moon knife is practically useless now no matter what I do with whetstone&strop)?
- Tools wrong size or type?  (the ones I had from the kit are multiple sizes, but give the same issues as described but to a greater degree)
- Wrong technique?
- Wrong leather?
- Something else?

Could there even be a different technique or tool I could be using to avoid beveling at all? For example, I realised I hate burnishing by hand, so I got a burnishing attachment for my dremel-ish tool, and that works well.

[fredk]

I use these to bevel my edges; 

They are sold on ebay as leather edge bevellers, BUT also as finger nail cuticle trimmers. You can also find them in the local shops in the beauty/nails section

They are cheap; I buy them 10 for $5  but in the shops they are dearer. They are very sharp and take off the leather a thin string. 

[SUP]

You get the same cuticle trimmers on Temu too. They work great and that is what I usually use now as well. You can change angles and they are lot more manageable.

@Toffe you should be able to get them very easily from China.

 

[Mablung]

Can you post some pics of the issues? That might help. Also, when you strop on the abrasive that came with the beveler, are you making sure to strop both sides of the edge, so that any burr gets polished off properly? You may also be putting some tooth back into the edge that is making it cut inconsistently, by stropping on some kind of abrasive rather than a corner of leather with polishing compound rubbed into it. I’ve also used scrap thread with jeweler’s rouge rubbed on it liberally, for both my stitch grooves and my beveler. 

Edited February 18, 2024 by Mablung

[DieselTech]

I'm thinking the sawtooth bevels are from a dull edge beveler. 

Another trick to sharpen a edge beveler is: Lay a harness needle on the table & cover the needle with a piece of sand paper of fine grit. 

Then pull your edge beveler over the top of the harness needle & sand paper. Then you can flip your sand paper & add green rouge to the sand paper & pull your beveler back over it, till its polished. 

[Northmount]

15 hours ago, Toffe said:

it came sharpened plus I've stropped it with the sorta-sandpaper that came with it, and I'm following the usage instructions plus guides I've seen online. The moment the beveler touches a project, the project turns to trash.

I'm careful to hold the leather flat, either carefully with the edge of my hand, or with a steel ruler if I'm beveling a straight edge. I only work dry leather, all veg tan, 1-1.4mm thick, sanded (low grit sandpaper, should get around to buying higher grit too),

Sandpaper removes material and leaves scratches.  It is a step in sharpening.  It is not stropping.  Stropping polishes the surface removing the scratches left by sandpaper (or sharpening stones).  Normally the sharpening process starts with coarse grit to get rid of any damage or nicks.  It the edge looks good, start with finer grit as it doesn't need to remove a lot of material.  Work your way up to finer grit.  After you have a good edge with very fine sandpaper, then it is time to strop to polish and remove the scratches left by the sandpaper.  There are various grades of stropping compounds as well and when used in sequence, result in a very smooth well polished surface.  Do a little research to see best recommendations for stropping.  Sandpaper is not part of stropping!  Leather or paper or cardboard are good bases to apply the stropping (polishing) compounds to.

 

[Toffe]

Thanks fredk and SUP for the tool suggestion!

15 hours ago, Mablung said:

Can you post some pics of the issues?

And since I was ultimately able to hide the worst bit with the cover, here's the final (minus some more sanding and burnishing) result:

15 hours ago, DieselTech said:

Another trick to sharpen a edge beveler is: Lay a harness needle on the table & cover the needle with a piece of sand paper of fine grit. 

 

Ooooh, that explains the thin metal bar that came with the beveler.  Will give that another go.

Thanks all for the tips about stropping, and sorry for misusing the terminology - I do have a strop, leather on a wood paddle with a polishing compound, that I use after fine-grit sandpaper or the whetstone (depending on what tool I'm trying and failing to sharpen).  It works on straight edges but won't get both sides of the beveler.  I'll try Mablung's tip of scrap thread with polishing compound later on, and cardboard perhaps.

I have gone through lots of guides and videos about sharpening but have never gotten an edge that I'm fully happy with.  I'll keep trying then.  In general all the blades I've got here ultimately use low-quality steel and won't hold an extremely keen edge under any conditions, but the beveler at the very least is decent carbon steel and is worth giving another go, and another, and another...

[DieselTech]

6 minutes ago, Toffe said:

Thanks fredk and SUP for the tool suggestion!

And since I was ultimately able to hide the worst bit with the cover, here's the final (minus some more sanding and burnishing) result:

Ooooh, that explains the thin metal bar that came with the beveler.  Will give that another go.

Thanks all for the tips about stropping, and sorry for misusing the terminology - I do have a strop, leather on a wood paddle with a polishing compound, that I use after fine-grit sandpaper or the whetstone (depending on what tool I'm trying and failing to sharpen).  It works on straight edges but won't get both sides of the beveler.  I'll try Mablung's tip of scrap thread with polishing compound later on, and cardboard perhaps.

I have gone through lots of guides and videos about sharpening but have never gotten an edge that I'm fully happy with.  I'll keep trying then.  In general all the blades I've got here ultimately use low-quality steel and won't hold an extremely keen edge under any conditions, but the beveler at the very least is decent carbon steel and is worth giving another go, and another, and another...

I may be totally wrong, so keep that in mind. But to me it looks like you are scratching your leather with 1 side of the beveler leg. 

To me it looks like you need to roll/lean your edge beveler away from the leather. Towards the outer edge. 

Also to me them bevels show classic signs of a dull beveler. 

Like I said I may be totally wrong & off my rocker. 

Hope I helped in some constructive way. 

[tsunkasapa]

Based on your photos it is definitely a dull edger. And the line on the face is from a sharp point or edge scratching the leather.

[fredk]

You can use sand paper to tidy-up the edges. I sometimes have to do that. The worse the edge the greater the grit. eg. a really bad edge needs 200 grit, a not to bad edge needs 600 grit 

dumb question; are you using the edger the right way up?