Finishing Edges On Natural Veg Tan.

[zaynexpetty]

I have tried a new approach to edge burnishing which is so quick and simple. Why buy expensive heating equipment when a canvas clad DIY burnisher creates ideal heat for melting in wax?

I make my own leather dressing from beeswax, neatsfoot oil (50/50) and a dash of eucalyptus oil to inhibit mould. This makes the beeswax workable and leaves a waterproof surface with a good shine.

After bevelling and sanding the edges, I stain if desired, apply the beeswax mix and then use the canvas burnisher. I do not use water or gum trag as these cool the edges. That's it! The beeswax penetrates the edges and hardens with the heat, leaving a smooth, shiny finish.

Lois

Ooooo, I like the use of eucalyptus in your mixture! I am a big fan of essential oils and had been wondering in what ways I might integrate some into my leather working. Do you think that substituting Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Neatsfoot in your mixture would do a similar job?

Thanks!

[zaynexpetty]

with regard to wetting the edges, rather than using a dauber, which tends to hold lots of liquid, you could try using a Q-tip dipped in water and roll it over the edge to dampen it...this works for me, and the Q-tip seems to provide lots of control in terms of the amount of water applied and where exactly the water is applied (so you don't wind up getting any excess water onto the grain/flesh of the leather where you don't want it...just an idea, hope it helps

ps if I'm burnishing thinner leather, I'll touch the Q-tip onto a paper towel briefly just so I don't over-apply the water

I had it in my mind to not use q-tips any more because I had tried using them to apply gum trag to the edges with messy results in the past, I never thought to use them with water. Great suggestion! I also will keep the advice for burnishing thinner leather in mind.

Thanks!