hidepounder Posted October 30, 2014 Author Report Posted October 30, 2014 When you say glazed leather, I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to. I use NeatLac as a final finish and don't have problems with any bleed over. I still try to be careful, though. Could be the glaze finish you're dealing with just isn't that forgiving. An alternative way to burnish woould be to use Quik Slick, from Sheridan Leather. You apply it to the edge and then burnish with with either canvass or a cocobolo wheel. You won't be saturating the edge like you do with water/saddle soap, so there should be less bleed. It's a clear product as well and very easy to use. Let it dry a little before you burnish. Hope this helps..... Bobby
Members JSDing Posted November 4, 2014 Members Report Posted November 4, 2014 Another question! I'm fairly new to leatherworking and still getting the hang of things. I was burnishing the edges of 6oz veg tanned leather - undyed because I really like the beige color of natural veg tan leather. I beveled the edges, sanded a bit and applied gum tragacanth before slicking. However... I am getting dark water lines along the edges of the beveled parts, and the actual edge appears to be... white? Or much lighter than the rest of the leather for some reason. And it still doesn't feel completely smooth. What am I doing wrong? Should I wet it more? Apply more gum tragacanth, slick it more? Is there anyway to fix what has been done?
hidepounder Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Posted November 4, 2014 I never use gum trag so I'm not sure if that is a cause of what's happening here or not. It sounds like the "dark water" lines may be a result of using too much water and I'm suspicious that maybe the water/GT combination is what is what is leaving the white finish. If you're using gum trag you may not need to wet the edge with water at all. I use a piece of canvas to burnish with and I use saddle soap as my slicking agent. I've also had good success using Quick Slick by Sheridan Leather Outfitters and I don't use water at all with the QS. The rough surface could be a result of not burnishing enough or over burnishing. If you could show us a couple of pictures I might be able to help you more. Hope this helps..... Bobby
Members JSDing Posted November 4, 2014 Members Report Posted November 4, 2014 Hi Bobby, Thanks for the quick reply! At this point, I'm just looking for ways to fix this and make it not look so messed up. Please see attached photo - I have Fieblings Glycerin Saddle Soap. Is there some way to remove the gum tragacanth and re-burnish with the saddle soap instead?
hidepounder Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Posted November 4, 2014 I think the gum trag would block the soap. If you want to refinish the edge, sand it and then start over. In the photo, the edges just look like they weren't burnished enough, but it's hard for me to tell. What are you burnishing with?
Members JSDing Posted November 4, 2014 Members Report Posted November 4, 2014 I'm just using a little plastic hand-slicker.
hidepounder Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Posted November 4, 2014 AHHHAA!!! Now we're getting somewhere. I always burnish with 18oz cotton duck canvas. It's the same stuff they make the old wall tents out of. If you have a commercial fabric store in your area they will have it. You only need a piece that's about 8" square. A tent shop would happily give you a piece of scrap and it will last you a long, long time. The other thing I use are the cocobolo dremel burnishers that are made by Bear Man (on this site).At the very least, use a cocbolo hand slicker. Any of those products will produce far superior edges to your plastic slicker. Now, if you want to go a step further, let me know. I think I still have some canvas burnishing mitts ($10), a couple of cocbolo hand slickers ($30) and some canvas burnishing wheels that you chuck into a drill ($60). But picking up a piece of scrap canvas would be by the cheapest and fastest thing to do. Once you have the canvas, you'll see a marked improvement. You can start using saddle soap or Quick Slick to burnish with as well and you will be pleased with the results! Hope this helps..... Bobby
Members JSDing Posted November 4, 2014 Members Report Posted November 4, 2014 Hey Bobby, Thanks so much! I'll check out those burnishers you mentioned and hopefully make some better looking things! I really appreciated your help, it really cleared things up.
Members Pablo27 Posted November 6, 2014 Members Report Posted November 6, 2014 Bobby, just got thru reading this entire article and making myself a cheatsheet of all the great suggestions and tips you have given. As has been said before these posts by you are simply explained so that everyone can make sense of and put to use. This has taken an immense amount time and patience to help others and I am so grateful for professionals like yourself who share with all of us. Thank you so very much. Paul In God We Trust....
Members fatbob1945 Posted November 18, 2014 Members Report Posted November 18, 2014 Hello everybody, I receive quite a few PM's and emails requesting information on edges, finger cutting, tooling patterns and various other topics. Questions regarding some of these topics come up on a fairly regular basis, so I thought I would put something together that members could easily refer to. This article describes the way I finish edges and Johanna has posted it in the "Tips & Tricks" section on the main page. I hope that some of you will find it helpful. Finishing Edges Bob Very nice professional looking work sir!
Recommended Posts