Edge Finisher

[Red Cent]

Has any one tried the Fiebling acrylic edge finish? I tried it yesterday and was surprised by the thickness of the liquid. The stuff will really show up your pits, bumps, and the failure to completely sand. Dries to a brilliant shine. Almost too much of a shine.

Not much later I flexed/bent the edge and it held very well. No cracks or anything.

[Red Cent]

Another item that surprised me. The owner of Zack White had given me a small bottle of clear acrylic to try. Worked very well. Went to the store for supplies and they sold me the wrong stuff. The stuff they sold me was a bag kote. Rather watery and looks very milky. Goes on with a hint of milk color but dries clear. Works super on edges.

You folks ever use bag kote on your edges?

[Red Cent]

Forget the Fieblings Premium Edge Finish. That stuff peels and flakes.

[Shooter McGavin]

Edge finish? You mean elbow grease and dye?

[Red Cent]

You mean work?

Who does not use some kind of "finish" on the edge? The leather will come "undone" when you mold it into the shapw of the gun, much less when you sew.

[camano ridge]

Not sure what you mean by the leather comming undone. I have been making holsters off and on for forty years. I burnish the edge of the mouth and muzzle end before i stitch once main seam is stitched I burnish all edges using only a wipe down with a wet cloth. I then dye the edges, when the dye is dry I burnish then apply a beeswax mix burnish a final time. Nothing else is applied to the edge and i have never had the leather com undone. I do glue my pieces before stitching.

[Red Cent]

Interesting. I would think that the leather needs something to hold it down. I do the edges somewhat like you describe but I do finish with a thin coat of clear acrylic. Very flexible and, I thought, protects the edge from "roughing up".

[Shooter McGavin]

cut, glue, sew, sand, bevel, wet mold, dry, dye, dry, wet edge with sponge, saddle soap, burnisher, sealant, ship

Edited December 31, 2013 by Shooter McGavin

[Red Cent]

Sealant? What type of sealant do you use?

[Red Cent]

Here is an example of edges coated with acrylic.

[Shooter McGavin]

Same sealant I use on the rest of the holster/belt, which is Weaver Leather Kote diluted 50/50 with water

[Red Cent]

It is confusing for someone who has only used a couple of edge coatings/finishers/kotes......

There is edge dye, edge kote, edge ink, edge acrylics, and heaven knows what else. Some use saddle soap, glycerin bar soap, plain water, and saliva. Probably more.

No finish at all sounds counter-intuitive but I do not question experience. From this thread I gather I could get the edge glass slick by sanding thoroughly, water burnish and beeswax/parafin burnish then buff and be done. Right?

Edited January 1, 2014 by Red Cent

[malabar]

Yep. Pretty much. Sanding is key. The layers have to be flush, and without gaps at the edge. I round my edges right after I mold the holster. I have an Osbourne edger that I keep razor sharp, and it leaves a polished edge on the wet leather. When it dries, I re=wet the edge, rub it with glycerine saddle soap and burnish. Then I apply a tiny amount of wax (50% paraffin, 40% beeswax, 10% carnauba), and reburnish the edges. Comes up rounded and silky smooth.

[chiefjason]

I edge damp. Do a bit of burnishing when I'm done edging. I've found if I edge damp and immediately burnish by hand I don't really need all the sanding I used to do. I do all the other work including dying the edges. When I get to burnishing I wet the edges with liquid glycerin saddle soap. Run everything on the burnisher in my floor drill press. Usually go back over it with a 50-50 beeswax and paraffin wax. Rub that in by hand. Then one or two coats of mop and glo over it.

I've used the black edge finishes. They are OK. But I can get similar results with the above.

Oh, and I have the burnisher at the bottom of the page in the link. The hole/holster master. Picked it up on ebay from him. This guy knows what he's doing. I can burnish IWB straps, 5-7 oz straps, backers for my hybrids, holster edges, belt slots, and belts with this one burnisher. Money very, very well spent. Could not be happier with it.

http://www.proedgeburnishers.com/drill-burnishers.html

[Red Cent]

Hey Chief. I made my own burnishers from a 1" dowel rod. After burnishing some junk leather pieces covered with saddle soap and a touch of water, they are glass slick.

Lot of different ways to achieve the perfect edge. I have the liquid glycerin along with the bar soap and all threst of the stuff. Never used the glycerin. Use it as lube for the thread. I gues I shouldn't worry so much. No complaints yet.

[chiefjason]

Red,

I've made some, bought the nylon ones, had my FIL make several smaller cocobolo ones. Nothing holds a candle to that new one I bought. Nothing. I can burnish with it by hand, sometimes just grab it out of the drawer if I need to touch up a spot quick. If you get the urge for a new toy, look into them.

And yes, 100 ways to skin a catfish. I'm loving the liquid soap. Heck, I've started using pro oil black for my edges and it seems to help burnish too.