Edge Burnishing - Finishing..

[BConklin]

My first attempt at leatherworking....

I've got a feeling the edge is supposed to have an evenly dark color - but I kind like the mottled look I got with spit, beeswax, a dremel with a felt wheel and an old, turned piece of ivory

The leather is finished with a 50/50 spray of mop and glow - a gentle heating with a heat gun - a light coat of kiwi neutral and a buffing with flannel

I'm calling it DONE!

Edited January 20, 2011 by BConklin

[RWP]

i like it too it gives it a really awesome antique look

[TwinOaks]

If you will read the tutorial by Bob Park (Hidepounder) you'll see that there is a step in which he dyes the edge. It's an aesthetics thing. Some darkening of the leather is normal when burnishing.

[JohnBarton]

Yes, this is how it is supposed to look. Edge finishing is not about the color in my opinion. It's about having nicely finished edges where the leather won't peel, split or fray and degrade the piece. I often finish the edges with something light like spit or oil and clear wax so that they will not get very dark. I find that the super dark edges are not always preferable against light stained pieces. Personally I think that what you have done here give this piece a wonderful UNIQUE character and it matches the body perfectly to my eyes.

I will often add in the right color of dye or even use a felt-tip marker when doing the edge-finishing to give the leather a slight tint that matches the body. I think that edge finishing is something that can pretty personal in the technique but when the end-result is a properly sealed and shape edge then it does not matter how you got there.

For the record we use a piece of a maple pool cue that i cut and sanded all the finish off. I put it in the drill press and shaped it with a file so that it has two grooves and a tip. Then I oiled it up good with olive oil and then spun some gum traganth on it. Then I took a leather strap and burnished the wood. Now we use this manually, in a drill and in the drill press. I also use buffing wheels on the dremel. And I have put a piece of leather in an orbital sander as well. And tried canvas in the oribital sander. All these things work and the key is to find the combination that you like.

Also what works is the chuck on the drill. Sometimes I will just use the chuck and let the metal go against the leather.

At the end of the day it's all about pressure and friction.

I play pool and when we put on leather tips we burnish the edges with a little spit and a piece of veg tan. I made a little tool with a piece of leather glued to it for this purpose and I can burnish a tip by hand in less than a minute and it has the most beautiful edge you could ever want.

[BConklin]

Thanks all - I did dye the edge - using the same dye I used on the rest of the holster. Actually - I see I did pretty much what Hidepounder describes. But I also agree with a poster later on in that thread who mentioned that much of this work can be done with a dremel. I used mine quite a bit and found it was very easy to control and shape the edge - to the point that I'm thinking I could leave my edger in the tool box next time and just shape with the dremel.

The more I look at it - the more I like the effect I got on this holster. I think there's a potential in future projects for more visual interest in the edge that would be lost if I dyed it all a darker shade.