Adjustable Edger

[bstomper]

I've searched the forums for an answer to this question and haven't been able to find one. I've been using an adjustable edge creaser to mark ornamental lines either side of stitching on a job I'm doing. I'm having trouble getting it to "stay in the tracks" and think I might be pushing to hard trying to get a good mark. Or are the adjustable ones just a bit hard to control in general? My main question is do I need to dampen the leather first or not? I've tried both ways and have found that I get a deeper mark when it's damp but the edger is a lot more controlable when the leather is dry. Am I after a deeper mark or is it more just burnishing a line that doesn't need any real depth at all? Does it help to heat up the edger or is that just a matter of personal preferance? Also if anyone has advice on making one of these things work around tight corners (1/2" diam.) I'ld love to hear it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Tree Reaper]

The leather should be cased, same as tooling.

Depth is personal preference but you will usually want a good impression for the dye or finish to sink in.

Make sure you hold the tool at the exact same angle all the way around the work piece.

Corners are tricky and require slowing down and concentration.

Sometimes a swivel knife can be used to make these lines.

Kevin.

[impulse]

I've searched the forums for an answer to this question and haven't been able to find one. I've been using an adjustable edge creaser to mark ornamental lines either side of stitching on a job I'm doing. I'm having trouble getting it to "stay in the tracks" and think I might be pushing to hard trying to get a good mark. Or are the adjustable ones just a bit hard to control in general? My main question is do I need to dampen the leather first or not? I've tried both ways and have found that I get a deeper mark when it's damp but the edger is a lot more controlable when the leather is dry. Am I after a deeper mark or is it more just burnishing a line that doesn't need any real depth at all? Does it help to heat up the edger or is that just a matter of personal preferance? Also if anyone has advice on making one of these things work around tight corners (1/2" diam.) I'ld love to hear it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Try this:

Lightly score a line with an adjustable stitching groover whilst the leather is dry.

Case the leather then go over the line with your edge creaser, making sure that the adjustment matches that of the stitch groover.

This will help you stay "in the tracks". Heating the creaser may help at this stage, but try it cold first as it can be tricky to get the right temperature.

Cheers

Lois

[bstomper]

Hi thanks for the replies. I'll experiment with the stitch groover idea. I don't really want to heat the tool as I've read a few horror stories about the cheaper ones (which mine probably is) melting. Is the idea to use the tool to burnish a line or just make a groove for the dye or finish to sit in?

Cheers