Begging For Help Finishing Exotic Edges

[Blueboost]

Make or break a real opportunity for me..

I’m a watch strap maker. I’ve been at this for a while now and make some nice straps. That said, there are still some areas that antagonize me that I really wish I could perfect. I’ve searched and tried just about everything.. Now I’m begging for help!

I’m having a hard time creating a perfected edge on some of my layered straps. Top layer is alligator/croc, center is a tapered wedge of veg tan, the bottom is a pig lining.

Are hand rolled edges even possible on this hide? Am I better off rolling or painting? These straps are time consuming, spending even more time creating rolled edges might be cost prohibitive. I have blended myself a good edge coating, but the leather itself seems impossible to get even, so my edges look like this. What can I do?

Ive tried gum trag, sanding, detailed sanding and shaping with dremels.. I'm not getting anywhere!

[walletman]

Hi looks like a colored sillican

just guessing

hope this helps

bob walletman

[dirtclod]

I don't if this will help you or not. The way i do my edges is i sand them then wet lightly, burnish with a piece of deer horn and do a final burnish with a piece of cardboard from a cold drink, beer or cracker box. If i have a piece that doesn't want to burnish i i rub a little past saddle soap on and burnish again, most of the time that fixes things.

[Dangerous Beans]

It's difficult to see exactly what's happened there but is it possible your using too much pressure?

The different leathers your using will give at different stages.

It also depends on how each leather is tanned as to how much pressure it can take when slicking.

I'd be inclined when making a laminate like this to oversize it, glue everything in place then trim to size when dry.

The glue will give yet another dimension to the slicking so I'd burnish with heat not pressure.

Just go over it with a glazing iron lightly and edge cote it.

Does that sound like it might help?

Nige

[Emmet]

You really need to go with a heated tool to burnish the exotics burnishing just by rubbing won't get you there.

[Blueboost]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm unfamiliar with heat burnishing edges. I'll have to do some searching on that.

I don't if this will help you or not. The way i do my edges is i sand them then wet lightly, burnish with a piece of deer horn and do a final burnish with a piece of cardboard from a cold drink, beer or cracker box. If i have a piece that doesn't want to burnish i i rub a little past saddle soap on and burnish again, most of the time that fixes things.

thanks! Since I use edge coatings on these particular watch straps, would you be comfortable applying that on top of dried & burnished saddle soap edges?

I'd be inclined when making a laminate like this to oversize it, glue everything in place then trim to size when dry.

The glue will give yet another dimension to the slicking so I'd burnish with heat not pressure.

Just go over it with a glazing iron lightly and edge cote it.

Does that sound like it might help?

Nige

Yes it does. That was my thought, to make the whole piece, then cut it out all at once rather than cutting and adding the pieces together as I go. The reason I haven't done this sooner is everything looks very flush until I put the edge coating on. I think the veg-tan is yielding to the edge coating and sanding quicker than the croc upper and pig lower.

Thanks for the replies, any input no matter how big or small is welcomed and appreciated!

[billymac814]

There's a seller out of china that sells brass tips for soldering irons to do the heated edges. I've ordered one about a week ago, I'm waiting for it to arrive. That may be an inexpensive way to get an edge iron.

[edd]

There's a seller out of china that sells brass tips for soldering irons to do the heated edges. I've ordered one about a week ago, I'm waiting for it to arrive. That may be an inexpensive way to get an edge iron.

Have you received your soldering tips yet? I'm thinking about ordering a couple to try.

[DHauser]

75/25 mix of Feibings leather glue and water. Sand the edges flat first. Apply solution, let it dry completely. Sand and shape edges. Apply liquid again, let dry. Sand lightly with wet dry sandpaper.

Apply Gum Trag, burnish the hell out of it.