Burnish Edge Before Or After Stain/finish?

[SouthernCross]

I plan to stain and finish my latest project with Tandy's All-In-One stain & finish. Am I supposed to burnish my edges before or after I stain/finish?

Also, I plan to use gum tragacanth on the edges to help with the burnishing.

[Deno]

Always Burnish before finial finish. In your case you will want to for sure if your using the all-in-one. Just make sure you don't get any gum trag on the on the grain side (out side). Happy New Year. My best to you, Deno.

[richard55]

i know you have to burnish before you dye but i always burnish mine after i dye then i aply the finish on it

i dont no if it the writh way to go but it is for me

[hidepounder]

I do it both ways.It really depends on the project. I would normally burnish and dye before applying my final finish to the project, however sometimes necessity dictates that you finish and then work the edges. Do what is most beneficial. If you are using gum tragacanth it is important to keep in mind that the gum tragacanth can prevent your finish from penetratng the leather. For instance if you are going to dye the edge you must do so before using the gum trag. I don't use it for that very reason. I prefer to burnish and then apply dye to my edge becasue I can get a cleaner dye line. Hope this helps.....

Bobby

[Ferg]

I do it both ways.It really depends on the project. I would normally burnish and dye before applying my final finish to the project, however sometimes necessity dictates that you finish and then work the edges. Do what is most beneficial. If you are using gum tragacanth it is important to keep in mind that the gum tragacanth can prevent your finish from penetratng the leather. For instance if you are going to dye the edge you must do so before using the gum trag. I don't use it for that very reason. I prefer to burnish and then apply dye to my edge becasue I can get a cleaner dye line. Hope this helps.....

Bobby

Bobby,

I follow your procedure for burnishing edges with great results. I seem to have the best luck finishing the piece before I dye the edges. The Neat-Lac seems to help my unsteady hand from messing up the finish side of the piece. I have never used the gum tragacanth since your method works.

"Ain't Broke don't fix it."

[katsass]

As always, this is FWIW: Personally I wouldn't use the all-in-one, and I don't use Gum Trag. I was taught (many years ago) to cut my leather, tool if you're going to, dye (and allow to fully dry), assemble, finish the edges and finally. apply your finish. There are times that you must burnish an edge prior to assembly, however. I use Fiebing's oil dyes mostly, and an acrylic finish. To get a nice even color on the edges I'll dye them before (and at times) during burnishing. The moist dye often assists in obtaining a nicely burnished edge.To ensure a straight and even line for a contrasting color on the burnished edge I use a small piece of hard 1/4" felt, (the little 1" felt buffing wheels for Dremel tools work very well) saturate it well with dye and run that perpendicularly across, (either or both) the unfinished or burnished edges. Very similar to the instructions of my Al Stohlman's 1960 book on how to make holsters. Here is the only pic I can quickly find that shows a contrasting edge on one of my holsters, done that very way. Hidepounder and Fifty Years are right on, in my book. Mike

Edited January 2, 2011 by katsass

[RobDude30]

Definitely listen to the guys above as there is a lot of experience talking there. I tried the eco dyes and finishes when I was first starting out and never had any luck making even a half decent looking project with it. I could never get a finish that was colorfast and wouldn't rub off. I started using the Fiebing's alcohol and pro oil dyes and have never looked back. I also tried the gum trag in the beginning. While it does do the job, you can get a much better looking and lasting edge by using Bobby's method. I still occasionally use gum trag on the flesh side of some of my projects if I need to smooth it out.

Back to your original question: I have always cut out the parts, put them together, molded/tooled if necessary, roughed in my edges by sanding to get them shaped and even, then dyed the item, then burnished and finished the edges last. However, I am working on a project right now that I have burnished my edges prior to dyeing. This is the first time I have done it this way and I will let you know how it turns out. I'm curious to see what happens. I always seem to get the dye all over my hands and burnishing tools and cloths when dying first so I thought I would try it this way in an attempt to keep everything clean.

BTW as the last steps in my process, I apply a couple of light coats of acrylic finish, then stitch, then apply one last light coat of finish. I usually use a contrasting color of waxed linen thread, and this order of things helps to keep the thread clean.

YMMV

[SouthernCross]

Thanks for the tips, gentlemen.

I think my local Tandy store just wants to sell me stuff, as they insisted that gum trag was a necessity and the best thing going for finishing edges....

[RobDude30]

Here's the holster that I have been working on today. My edges are getting better. I'm pretty happy with this one. Not as smooth as it should be, but some of my better work none the less. This was done using mostly Bobby's method (glycerin and saddle soap) with some beeswax rubbed in as the last step. Excuse the crappy cell phone pic.