Help with getting a nice frayed belt edge with fibers

[blackandblue50]

I am trying to reproduce an edge style that I like, not sure how to go about it though. I sanded down the edge but now I just have a rather ugly looking tan/grey edge without many loose fibers. How can I get the edge to look more like the reference photos? Those have a really nice raw frayed look and that great dark grey color that contrasts well with the black of the belt.

 

My work in progress: https://imgur.com/a/dvh5fHu

What I am aiming to achieve: https://imgur.com/a/09rb6ez

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[DieselTech]

40 minutes ago, blackandblue50 said:

I am trying to reproduce an edge style that I like, not sure how to go about it though. I sanded down the edge but now I just have a rather ugly looking tan/grey edge without many loose fibers. How can I get the edge to look more like the reference photos? Those have a really nice raw frayed look and that great dark grey color that contrasts well with the black of the belt.

 

My work in progress: https://imgur.com/a/dvh5fHu

What I am aiming to achieve: https://imgur.com/a/09rb6ez

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I would try some 60 or 80 grit sand paper. That should give you the desired effect you are going for. 

[blackandblue50]

25 minutes ago, DieselTech said:

I would try some 60 or 80 grit sand paper. That should give you the desired effect you are going for. 

Thanks. I used 80 and 100 to get it to where its at in my photos. I can try 60 as well. Any recommendations for the coloring?

[DieselTech]

6 minutes ago, blackandblue50 said:

Thanks. I used 80 and 100 to get it to where its at in my photos. I can try 60 as well. Any recommendations for the coloring?

That leather might be to tight grained to get the desired effect. But 60 grit might be worth a try. 

That gray color is from the tanning/dying process I believe. Your leather might not have them gray tones under the black like the other belt you pictured. 

[blackandblue50]

5 minutes ago, DieselTech said:

That leather might be to tight grained to get the desired effect. But 60 grit might be worth a try. 

That gray color is from the tanning/dying process I believe. Your leather might not have them gray tones under the black like the other belt you pictured. 

are there any dyes or other processes that could yield the same effect?

[SUP]

Diluted black dye might give you that dark grey color. You could try it on a piece of scrap first.

Edited March 9 by SUP

[TomE]

Bridle leather has prominent fibers and might lend itself to this look.  I assume this is related to stuffing the leather with fats and waxes.  Rough edges are likely to wear smooth(er) so it might be difficult to preserve the look. 

[Bert03241]

Please post your pictures here and not off site were they will get lost thanks

[Northmount]

@blackandblue50

Please post your photos here.  3rd party hosted photos frequently disappear due to changes in the host's policies, host out of business, users moving files, deleting files, closing their account or the account expiring.  When this happens, the post becomes worthless to all future users who are researching or looking for help to solve a problem.

If your files are too large to post here due to file size restrictions, you need to resize your files to fit.  Follow this link for some helps and suggestions.  https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/15122-how-to-post-pictures-on-lw/?do=findComment&comment=551171 There are lots of Apps, software, and online tools available on the web, or even built into your device to enable you to reduce your file sizes.  800 pixels in the longest dimension is quite adequate.  Smart phone screens and many monitors don't display high res files in high resolution.  People that live on the fringes of the internet appreciate smaller file sizes and high res photos may take from 10 minutes to hours to download.