The Wear Of Burnished Edges

[kayrunp]

Hello,

I made myself a bracelet. I burnished the edges with water and canvas and then waxed them. I got them to a nice smooth finish. After wearing the bracelet it's gotten hairy again. Is this the wear of this type of burnished edge or did I not burnish enough?

Thanks,

KP

[Chief31794]

KP,

Just my thoughts, any item will wear over time, that being said, it should take a long time or very heavy use for leather to start showing wear. I assume that by wax you used beeswax. For heavy use, you might try some wyoslick. Gum tragacanth is an old standby but many people don't particularly like it, if you use Gum Trag then you need to make sure you dye the edge first as most dye won't penetrate the Gum Trag. I haven't tried the Wyoslick but it is not supposed to stop dye from penetrating.

Hope this helps, perhaps someone will chime in with more.

Chief

Edited December 5, 2012 by Chief31794

[IngleGunLeather]

I recently started using Bob Parks' method, so I couldn't tell you how long a burnished edge should last. I assume one of the main factors would be what type of use the edge is exposed to. I see you mentioned water and canvas. Try adding the glycerine soap to the mix. If you don't have any and don't want to wait on an order, go to the grocery store and pick up a bar of Neutrogena Glycerine Bar Soap. I've got the Fiebing's Glycerine on order, but went to this in the mean time while I'm trying to get away from Gum Trag. Here's Bob Parks' tutorial.

[Chavez]

This is a mystery to me I'm afraid. I've had my belt edges fray up in about a week where the belt touches the buckle. The belts were finished using Bob Park method.

After refinishing them using the same method, the edges are still in good condition and its been half a year of almost everyday wear=)

I guess it depends on leather quality and density, finish used (e.g. resolene, gut trag, fish glue, lard) etc.