Edging questions

[p95loser]

I am new to this and will be purchasing a Tandy edge beveler. What size do you recommend for veg tanned leather holsters? I was thinking 2 or 3.

Also, can I just use water and the nylon edge slicker to get a pretty good edge, or do I have to use that gum taracanth?

Anyone have any experience with the freehand stitch groover? Is this what you use to make those grooves along the top and bottom edge of the holster?

[pete]

a 2 or 3 should suite you just fine. MAYBE a 4 for really thick pieces but try the 2-3. All it's supposed to do is knock off the edge and round it a bit.

Water or spit is good (spit is better but you'll get a little dry if it's a big piece!) but don't waste your money on a plastic edge slicker. A piece of canvas or a rough washcloth works great. I like to wet and rub the heck out of it with a bar of saddle soap. I use the amber(glycerine) . Then slick.

have fun!

Regarding the freehand groover- they are fine for specific lines but get a" saddlers groover" It's a little more but you will love the adjustment/tightening feature not on the cheaper one. Just tighten with your fingers- no screwdriver necessary. WELL worth the difference.

pete

[Jordan]

All depends on how much edge you want to take off, the larger one will round the edge over more, the smaller will make the edge flatter, also depends on how much you slick the edges as slicking compresses the leather. If it is for you water or spit works just as well as gum trag in my opinion, I also suspect leather weld is just white glue. I would say middle of the road for size and water for slicking as I usually struggle with cottonmouth.

[p95loser]

OK, size 3 it is... And a rough washcloth or maybe some denim to slick the edges.

Is the saddler's groover what people use to get those lines along the top and bottom edge of the holster? I know its used to recess stitches, but is it also use for those little detail lines as well?

[Jordan]

There are 2 types that I use one is a freehand stitch groover looks like a pencil. the other is a wood handled adjustable type that follows the edge of the leather as you pull it along. Also there is an edger that burnishes a line rather than cut the leather

Edited May 29, 2008 by Jordan

[pete]

Maybe I mis-understood the question. If you want to scribe a line then dividers are what you need. If you want to make an actual groove for the stitching to sit in then a saddler's groover is it.'

pete

[p95loser]

So could I use the dividers to scribe a line and recess my stitches a little? Is this also know as a creaser? I just sunk a lot into tools and would like to consolidate if possible for now.

Edited May 29, 2008 by p95loser

[Shorts]

Easiest lump of tools and material I purchased was the Starter Kit from Tandy that came with the Al Stohlman book, plus the 4 tools. From the beginning I only use a stitch groover that ran along the edges. I even groove the stitch lines of the gun by carefully tilting the groover to the side so the bottom of the rod doesn't mark the leather. This month I just purchased a free hand groover. That thing takes some practice! So if you go with that, don't test it out on a workpiece

I don't have a creaser, I'm not really sure how to use it, so, at this point, I don't see it necessary to purchase. What I do need and use to make my holsters is a punch awl, stitch marker (the spur looking tool) and stitch groover, that's it. Scratch awl is nice to have to make small marks and trace lines.

For burnishing, as they said, spit works. I started keeping a little cup of water, dip my finger in or wool dauber and damp the edges as I slick. I use a wooden dowel to burnish edges. I cut grooves in it. What I did notice, if you use a dowel, give it a couple holsters before the surface of it is broken in so to speak. As you use the dowel more and more to do it, it also becomes slick and your edges get better. Of course, they also get better cause you practice :D So, I do the initial seal and burnish with water, and then I follow up with beeswax, then buff with horsehair. Then seal the edges when you seal the rest of the holster.

[Billsotx]

To bevel edges on gun leather I like a round bottom edger because those TLF bevelers give you a flatten almost concave edge; of course you can modify the TLF from concave to round bottom with a file and then re-sharpen it if you're tight on funds. (Who isn't with the Saudi's taking over the world.) I use a creaser instead of a groover for those deco creases at the mouth and muzzle of the scabbard. Some folks like a groove but the crease is most often seen on high end gun leather like Milt Sparks. You'll find the free hand groover more versatile than the edjustable model, but you can free hand with it too. They both take some practive as previously mentioned. It takes a while to get the knack of grooving and creasing for that matter. I use a free hand creaser for every thing; some folks call them ticklers. For practice just mark off some lines on scrap and then groove or crease them. Do curves, switchbacks, and 90 and 45 degree angles - it's usually easier to move out from the angle than stop at it. You can get a bunch of practice on a little bit of scrap. For a round bottom edger check out Horse Shoe Brand Tools Horseshoe Brand Tools ,

his edgers round bottom edge beveler were larger than the norm in my experience. He's a straight-up guy to deal with.

In burnishing moisture is the key and then the number of passes not how hard you rub. Lots of passes and speed gives you the friction for a glass like edge. Make the first 10 passes in the same direction and then rub back-and-forth. Pay attention to the way the edge begins to lay down or fuzz up as there's a grain and if your first 10 or so passes are with the grain you'll get your burnish going much quicker. Don't get it to moist or you'll be rubbing for a while. Experiment with various medium, canvas, denim, the handle of an edger, a piece of antler, a wooden dowel a piece of brown paper sack, the backside of wet/dry sandpaper. You'll find a favorite, but there's no one way. Leather is not all the same and that's a good reason to stay with one tanner and pay attention and make notes if you use different types and kinds of leather.

Not trying to be the teacher or the preacher: If you spit on your burnished edges I wouldn't advertise that, some folks won't appreciate your humor ... lol!

[Shorts]

Not trying to be the teacher or the preacher: If you spit on your burnished edges I wouldn't advertise that, some folks won't appreciate your humor ... lol!

Aw, but that's like cookin' with 'love' right?