Canvas Burnishing Wheel

[Art]

Smallest thing I've tried is 6oz which worked fine. I don't have irons for anything smaller. I use burnishing ink first cold and then Yankee wax with the hot irons. For small stuff and holes, I'm back to hand burnishing or using a rotary tool in the drill press or just a smooth elk antler tip.

Art

I do have those burnishers that fit on bayonet attachments. What type / weight of leather are you burnishing with them?

---Chris

[monkfinch]

Art,

Are you using burnishing ink on wearables?

I've been trying various things to get a decent finished edge on 10 oz. english bridle and harness leather. Hand burnishing produces the best result, but I cannot scale that. When I bought my finishing machine, I was told the irons were for sole leather and admittedly I never tried them. I will test them out with some Yankee wax today.

Lately, I've been finishing my straps with Fiebings oil based dye, letting it dry then rubbing the edge with a stick of bees wax. I then burnish on an industrial felt wheel. The result is acceptable, but I am eager to improve this process.

---Chris

Smallest thing I've tried is 6oz which worked fine. I don't have irons for anything smaller. I use burnishing ink first cold and then Yankee wax with the hot irons. For small stuff and holes, I'm back to hand burnishing or using a rotary tool in the drill press or just a smooth elk antler tip.

Art

[Art]

Chris,

I apply the burnishing ink cold and the Yankee with hot irons. However, I don't use Yankee on wearables. I use beeswax or carnauba wax as a top wax. The carnauba is very hard, and the beeswax somewhat soft, the carnauba definitely requires a hot iron, beeswax you can use cold. I am thinking of mixing beeswax and carnauba, but the carnauba works for now.

So:

Wet Edge

Trim edge or sand

Cold Burnish edge

While still a damp edge (not wet, damp)

Apply Fiebing's oil or spirit dye for the color you want

let dry some, should still be a little damp from original wetting not from dye

Apply burnishing ink, it is just ink with some wax in it, again let dry

Heat burnishing iron, when hot apply carnauba wax and or Yankee to iron, irons need to be hot enough to melt the wax as it goes on the iron, but not hot enough to throw the wax off, you can usually smell carnauba, it has a sweet smell, if you can't smell it the iron is either too hot or too cold

Hot burnish the wax top coat, use neutral carnauba or Yankee if worried about rub off, but carnauba is pretty hard and doesn't rub off easily.

Sounds complicated, and it is a little, but it leaves a nice colored edge.

For the production environment, an enamel painted edge might be easier. Burnish cold then paint.

Art

Art,

Are you using burnishing ink on wearables?

I've been trying various things to get a decent finished edge on 10 oz. english bridle and harness leather. Hand burnishing produces the best result, but I cannot scale that. When I bought my finishing machine, I was told the irons were for sole leather and admittedly I never tried them. I will test them out with some Yankee wax today.

Lately, I've been finishing my straps with Fiebings oil based dye, letting it dry then rubbing the edge with a stick of bees wax. I then burnish on an industrial felt wheel. The result is acceptable, but I am eager to improve this process.

---Chris

[Sylvia]

Hey Monkfinch, why not make some! Whatyathink! You could corner the whole market.

I'd buy one for say.. half it's value.

Kevin LOL

LOL you buy the canvas and send it to me I'll make you several for twice it's value.

Seriously though, I'd have to see the seam on this but it looks like a tube with draw strings on both ends. Extremely easy to make, even if it has a lapped seam.

[Brewerkel]

I am having a hard time locating this type of burnishing wheel to use with my Sutton finisher.

I spoke with someone at Shoe Systems Plus and they said this type of wheel is obsolete / no longer available. The wheel covering is duck canvas and appears to have drawstrings on the side to secure it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

---Chris

I think we had a box of those around in the 1990's. I haven't seen them since we moved the shop. Do you know what size your wheel is? They had numbers like 6,7 or 8 on them as I recall. If I can find them in the warehouse, you can have whatever is on hand for a couple bucks each plus postage. I recall they were really cheap cotton canvas. The stitching on them was worth more.