How Do You Sand And Burnish Your Edges?

[chiefjason]

I guess I'll throw in my method.

I sand the edges with a dremel and sanding drum until they are even. Then I edge. Now for the time consuming part. I hand sand them starting with 80, 110, 220, then 800. I also only sand them in one direction. By the end they are pretty nice. Then I spray them with water and hand burnish them with a bone folder or some other tool I have on hand. After I vinegroon the holster I generally have to go back and possibly sand it with the 800 again. The wet raises the grain. Then I will use saddle soap and hand burnish again. Then I generally go back and wax the edge and final burnish with a piece of denim on a wooden dowel.

A lot of this is because I use vinegroon I believe. Burnishing with wax before grooning was keeping the groon from working. And trying to burnish grooned leather is difficult. But slicking it a bit with water allows the groon to work and keeps most of the grain down. I've tried other processes and they do not work as well for me. It takes time, but the finished result is very nice. IMO

And I have tried powered burnishing drums. I have the plastic one and a couple hand made wooden ones. I'm just not a fan of them. But I'm not putting out a lot of holsters either, To each their own though.

[Dwight]

Generally, . . . I make the belt, holster, pouch, . . . whatever, . . . it is fully "manufactured" so to speak.

I then dye the thing, . . . but I do a quick burnish on the edges first.

Dye it and let it dry, . . . usually leaving it at least 24 hours before I mess with it again.

Again, . . . burnish the edges, . . . using mostly a Dremel and the tools in the picture. I also have a similar rig on the end of a 1725 rpm motor, . . . used mostly for long pieces like belts, . . . works faster that way.

I do a final check out after the item is finished, . . . and usually "touch up" the burnishing. I only use water and beeswax during the earlier processes, . . . will use whatever is used for the final finish, . . . finger applied, . . . for any final touch up burnishing, . . . Resolene, Bag Kote, whatever is used.

I have never had a complaint on any of my edges.

May God bless,

Dwight

[renegadelizard]

Just an observation...

I think for the most part, edging is in the eyes of the maker...we spend alot of time considering edges and such while for the most part, i think, the customer really doesnt even consider it unless it is glaringly bad...take for example cross breed...they dont even attempt to edge, yet knowwhere have i read any criticisms concerning that...its amazing how anal we get in our pursuit of perfection when we (mainly this community here) are the only ones who really seem to notice...

[IngleGunLeather]

Just an observation...

I think for the most part, edging is in the eyes of the maker...we spend alot of time considering edges and such while for the most part, i think, the customer really doesnt even consider it unless it is glaringly bad...take for example cross breed...they dont even attempt to edge, yet knowwhere have i read any criticisms concerning that...its amazing how anal we get in our pursuit of perfection when we (mainly this community here) are the only ones who really seem to notice...

Amazingly true. I've been comparing mine to some of the off the shelf holsters looking for areas of improvement and I noticed on several that the edges weren't done. Take a look at the blackhawk leather holsters. They're done, but by no means does it look as good as some I've seen on this site. And their finishing sux and they use really thin leather. I think quality just goes down some when some companies go large scale and start looking at time saving methods. Additionally, I feel the average consumer doesn't even consider the brand of leather that the holsters are made from, ie HO or W&C. I think the vast majority price shop vice quality shop. Sorry for ranting, just got a lil fired up.

Edited October 10, 2012 by CountryTrash

[dickf]

Just an observation...

I think for the most part, edging is in the eyes of the maker...we spend alot of time considering edges and such while for the most part, i think, the customer really doesnt even consider it unless it is glaringly bad...take for example cross breed...they dont even attempt to edge, yet knowwhere have i read any criticisms concerning that...its amazing how anal we get in our pursuit of perfection when we (mainly this community here) are the only ones who really seem to notice...

To be perfectly honest, I totally disagree. The customer seeking custom gunleather may not know a whole lot of difference between mediocre from good, but they know good vs. great. If they dont, their buddy will and he won't hesitate to inform his friend.. Properly dressed edges are not only visually appealing, but are a sign of quality. They indicate the maker put in time to make sure they're rounded, waxed, and smooth so the holster lasts and performs. Your customer/end user is not the only one who will evaluate the holster simply based on aesthetics. Any successful and knowledgable holster maker will have a proper edge on their gear. I'm not saying that you don't share this philosophy, I'm just saying my experience reflects that the customer notices more than you might think.

Crossbreed was never interested in the leather. They came on the market for $50 with a 7 day turnaround time. You knew what you were buying was plastic fastened to a non molded piece of leather backing, and folks were okay with that. They filled the niche for cheap and fast (successfully, too I might add).

[chiefjason]

Actually, the edges are the main complaint I have heard about CB. Not many folks complain about them. But the one's that do talk about edges and poor cutting. I do mostly OWB hybrids, but I try to edge them nicely. A rough edge just does not wear well next to the skin.

FWIW, here is a quick pic on one of my current holsters I'm working on. This is sanded and burnished with water. I used a plastic clay modeling tool to burnish the edge. Basically, a round plastic stick. I have not molded the holster yet.

[renegadelizard]

To be perfectly honest, I totally disagree. The customer seeking custom gunleather may not know a whole lot of difference between mediocre from good, but they know good vs. great. If they dont, their buddy will and he won't hesitate to inform his friend.. Properly dressed edges are not only visually appealing, but are a sign of quality. They indicate the maker put in time to make sure they're rounded, waxed, and smooth so the holster lasts and performs. Your customer/end user is not the only one who will evaluate the holster simply based on aesthetics. Any successful and knowledgable holster maker will have a proper edge on their gear. I'm not saying that you don't share this philosophy, I'm just saying my experience reflects that the customer notices more than you might think.

Crossbreed was never interested in the leather. They came on the market for $50 with a 7 day turnaround time. You knew what you were buying was plastic fastened to a non molded piece of leather backing, and folks were okay with that. They filled the niche for cheap and fast (successfully, too I might add).

I drew this observation today after a friend of mine, an SF type, very gun smart and rather picky about his kit, was showing of his favorite IWB...all leather, horsehide he claimed, but it looked like cow to me...anyway, this was from one of the bigger manufacturers, im not gonna drop any dimes, but the edges were total crap....then he takes off his supposed horse hide belt, from the same maker, and the edges on it were total crap...they used edge coat on both and it was deteriorated badly, and it didnt look like it was burnished before painting....but this guy, a man who is dare I say spoiled when it comes to getting first class gear, absolutely loved it..though it was the best thing since sliced bread...hence the observation ...

bye the way, im gonna have to stop by one of these days and check out your angelus dip routine...i just got some in today and sponging/wiping it on isnt very easy...i got medium gloss leather and high gloss waterproof fingers...

[Lobo]

Much good information and advice here.

There is a market for high-end custom leather gear, and those customers will expect (and demand) the highest levels of work in every detail.

There is a market for budget-priced gear that is serviceable without much attention to aesthetics.

We all have to identify our market and produce accordingly. Under John Bianchi's able management Bianchi International grew from a young police officer making holsters one at a time on his kitchen table to a company that produced over 40,000,000 products prior to his eventual sale of the business. Bianchi's leather holsters featured edges done with some version of edge coating, a rubbery liquid coating material. Bianchi's leather products were highly regarded for decades. I understand that General Bianchi is now engaged in the production of extremely high-end western rigs, and I suspect that the methods used are different than those employed in mass production for a more general market.

Those producing custom orders, one or two at a time, may choose to concentrate a great deal of time and effort on every detail. Those producing dozens of orders every week for a more general market may choose to expedite some processes. The results will not be directly comparable in any way, but both serve specific market niches.

[renegadelizard]

Well said...

[RoosterShooter]

To be perfectly honest, I totally disagree. The customer seeking custom gunleather may not know a whole lot of difference between mediocre from good, but they know good vs. great. If they dont, their buddy will and he won't hesitate to inform his friend.. Properly dressed edges are not only visually appealing, but are a sign of quality. They indicate the maker put in time to make sure they're rounded, waxed, and smooth so the holster lasts and performs. Your customer/end user is not the only one who will evaluate the holster simply based on aesthetics. Any successful and knowledgable holster maker will have a proper edge on their gear. I'm not saying that you don't share this philosophy, I'm just saying my experience reflects that the customer notices more than you might think.

Crossbreed was never interested in the leather. They came on the market for $50 with a 7 day turnaround time. You knew what you were buying was plastic fastened to a non molded piece of leather backing, and folks were okay with that. They filled the niche for cheap and fast (successfully, too I might add).

I also agree.

You can't imagine how many $130+ holsters I've bought from certain 'Custom' holster makers only to find that the edges weren't even finished! The devil is in the details! I have two shoulder rigs and one crossdraw chest rig that both have 'raw' edges on the leather.

This is one of the main reasons I got into holster making. If I can make a quality holster for half the cost for my own use ... I'm happy with that.