Cutting Off Excess Binding After Sewing

[Michu]

hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm hoping somebody will share their technique for cutting off excess binding after sewing it around edges. I've tried this using all sorts of sharp cutters, including seam rippers, scissors, and thread nips. So far, amazingly, the best cutter is the seam ripper, because it's got a little plastic ball underneath that keeps me from cutting into the threads. attachment=64912:Bad-cutting2.jpg]

The problem is that if I kind of hesitate, or the leather sort of grabs the cutter and stops my forward motion, I get a nasty notch in the binding. Does anybody have a technique that works well most of the time? What tool do you use?

I'm including a few photos of botched cutting and one that's fairly good. It's particularly difficult in cramped areas and inside curves. Practice will help, of course.

I hope to hear from you.

thanks, Michelle

Edited August 6, 2012 by Michu

[TwinOaks]

A razor knife works very well.......after being sharpened and honed a bit.

[amuckart]

I've seen others use small French edgers for this kind of thing.

[Leatherimages]

First, it looks like you've done the sample shown with a binding attachment, it's so tight. That part looks great!

If you are using an attachment, you should know there are ones with a trimmer also. I've love one of those myself.

So while I don't have a binder or do much of it, even the French method, it is much the same as I do when trimming the boot top liner after stitching the top and liner together.

I leave a 3/8" margin beyond my piping and trim it afterward.

For trimming, I mostly use a #2 common edger, which I've modified to be easier underneath on the item surface.

Common edgers are the ones that have like two long toes with the trimming blade being in the crotch.

What I did was shorten and blunt the "right toe", That toe slides along under the liner as I cut it away. I keep an upward pull on the material so I don't hang up as I cut along the edge. I think you'd want a healthy 1/8" (maybe like 4mm) margin to trim away, to have a fingerhold on the cutoff.

When I come to a corner I have to keep my attention on where the blade is and not out at the end of the toes making the turn.

Find the sweet spot and keep your attention there while you cut close alongside of the stitch line.

This weekend I trimmed the liners on several pair of boots, and gave my #2 French Edger a try, as Bro. Muckart suggests. It went of ok, but I'd want to practice more before I took ownership of the tool for that.

In either case, a sharp tool is key.

Common edgers can be sharpened on the edge of your strop board to good effect. I have 1200 wet/dry sandpaper on one side, and rouge soaked horse butt on the other. After working along the corner edge on both left and right edges of the sandpaper side, I turn the strop over and repeat on the rouge side.

Then, (and this is important) I run a lace with rouge on it over the top of the blade edge (just once) to remove any burr that developes.

I do the same on my small french edgers. A burr will mess you up everytime.

I hope this helps. A keen eye and steady hand will be signs of mastery.

Go for it,

Paul

Edited August 6, 2012 by Leatherimages

[Michu]

Thank you, Paul! I think I may have a #2 Edger. If I don't, I'll buy one. Perhaps Bruce Johnson may have one for sale, not sure where else to find one, Tandy perhaps?

I understand exactly what you mean by holding the excess tightly. I've decided to make up about 8 sample corners to just work on cutting off the excess binding. I don't use an attachment. I do it by hand by spreading Barge cement on the binding and letting it dry for a couple of hours, then putting glue only the the actual edge, not the flat parts leading into the edge. For corners, I've just practiced getting the leather to sit tightly. Then I hammer it. I'm amazed at how nicely it sews, flat, etc. My only attachment is a seam guide/fence.

** I watched Tandy's video on how to sharpen Edge Bevelers, so I'm familiar with how you explain the sharpening process -- I believe you're right that sharpening the tool is key, and keeping the blunt toe in close against the seam.

I GREATLY appreciate your help, thank you!

Michelle

[RepairSaddles]

On 8/6/2012 at 10:39 AM, Leatherimages said:

First, it looks like you've done the sample shown with a binding attachment, it's so tight. That part looks great!

If you are using an attachment, you should know there are ones with a trimmer also. I've love one of those myself.

So while I don't have a binder or do much of it, even the French method, it is much the same as I do when trimming the boot top liner after stitching the top and liner together.

I leave a 3/8" margin beyond my piping and trim it afterward.

For trimming, I mostly use a #2 common edger, which I've modified to be easier underneath on the item surface.

Common edgers are the ones that have like two long toes with the trimming blade being in the crotch.

What I did was shorten and blunt the "right toe", That toe slides along under the liner as I cut it away. I keep an upward pull on the material so I don't hang up as I cut along the edge. I think you'd want a healthy 1/8" (maybe like 4mm) margin to trim away, to have a fingerhold on the cutoff.

When I come to a corner I have to keep my attention on where the blade is and not out at the end of the toes making the turn.

Find the sweet spot and keep your attention there while you cut close alongside of the stitch line.

This weekend I trimmed the liners on several pair of boots, and gave my #2 French Edger a try, as Bro. Muckart suggests. It went of ok, but I'd want to practice more before I took ownership of the tool for that.

In either case, a sharp tool is key.

Common edgers can be sharpened on the edge of your strop board to good effect. I have 1200 wet/dry sandpaper on one side, and rouge soaked horse butt on the other. After working along the corner edge on both left and right edges of the sandpaper side, I turn the strop over and repeat on the rouge side.

Then, (and this is important) I run a lace with rouge on it over the top of the blade edge (just once) to remove any burr that developes.

I do the same on my small french edgers. A burr will mess you up everytime.

I hope this helps. A keen eye and steady hand will be signs of mastery.

Go for it,

Paul

Paul, would you attach a picture of your edger that you modified? I am having the same issue as the OP and I believe I understand what you are talking about, but a photo would be really helpful! Thank you! 

[Rockoboy]

I am not sure either of these posters are still on the scene. As you can see, this thread originated in August 2012.