Burnishing Pre Dyed Black Leather Strap.

[JAZZMAN]

Hello everyone, i have bought a pre dyed black leather strap blank to make my first leather belt project. It is one inch wide and has cut edges, can i still burnish the edges of it in the same way as i have seen on tutorials. Should i use an edge beveller and if so which size should i buy and can i do it with just water. I have a cheap burnishing tool coming from china, hope that will be ok to use as it was only 99p. If i bevel the edges will this remove the dye or should i just burnish the edges without bevelling first. Hope these questions do not sound too stupid but i really do not know hardly anything about leatherwork yet, i have a lot to learn.

[Dwight]

Quite honestly, . . . the questions are not perfectly answerable on a forum like this. There are simply too many variables.

What kind of leather is it? Was it spray dyed, or drum dyed? How thick is it? Does it have a finish on it?

All these answers will lead to a "means" of giving you your answer.

What I would do is take that strap to a cobbler shop or other leather worker, . . . let them look at it, . . . professionally advise you.

Then get in the habit of finding out what you have, . . . it'll really help you in the long run.

May God bless,

Dwight

[JAZZMAN]

Thanks for the reply Dwight, here is a link to the leather i bought, naybe i should have bought a natural one then i could have done all the treatments myself, should you normally dye a belt before burnishing then or do it after dyeing, wow do i have a lot to learn.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200954815153?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2648&var=500179930925&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Dwight]

Well, . . . vegetable tanned leather is the type you want for a belt. It looks from the description to be drum dyed, which is usually pretty thorough.

The word that bothers me is the "bridle" description. That usually means that it has been given a thorough oily treatment to withstand the rigors of being outdoors. That would match the description below for suggested used.

OTOH, . . . it says it is good for stamping, . . . so it may work out for you.

I use a # 4 edging tool for my belts, . . . which would work for this, . . . and, yes, edge first, then burnish. Seeing as how it is pre-dyed, . . . once you have decorated it to suit yourself, . . . put a couple of coats of Kiwi shoe polish on it, . . . polish it really good, . . . you should have a really nice dress belt.

May God bless,

Dwight

[zuludog]

So you've made a start? CONGRATULATIONS!

The burnisher is obviously made to a price. You could improve it by getting it as smooth as possible with fine sandpaper, especially in the grooves. Then treat & polish it with linseed oil, or furniture polish, or leather treatment grease like Nikwax. Fondle it in your hands! It's not unpleasant and the warmth will help the polish etc to soak in.

Do not use vegetable oil as this tends to dry sticky

Do not use mineral oil, eg engine oil, as this can damage wood and leather

It will get better the more you use it

Here is a method for edge finishing; I'm sure other people will have different techniques

Go round the belt with a sharp knife to trim any bumps or ragged edges. If it's pre - cut you should be OK, but it's worth checking

Bevel the edges, ie the corners of the cut edge. I suggest a size 2 or 3 edge beveller

Round off and smooth the edges as much as possible with medium abrasive paper.

Cutting exposes the inside of the leather, which is porous, so you need to seal it, usually with gum tragacanth. Some suppliers have their own concoctions, but gum tragacanth is the most common, and is good enough. It takes a few minutes to dry

Burnish the edge.

Apply edge dye. Ordinary leather dye is too thin for that, you must use a special edge dye. Get black; it will suit your belt and be OK for most of your projects in the future

Finish off the whole belt with polish or leather grease; you'll soon find out what you like

You can get special applicators called daubers, but I manage well enough with cotton buds.

Yes, the dye & gum are more things to buy, but once you have them, they'll last you for many projects

Warning! Be careful with the jars of gum & dye; they'll make a helluva mess if you spill them!

I very much recommend that you practice on scrap leather. I've looked up your source, and at 50" you should be able to cut off 2 or 3" and practice on that

For your interest, visit http://www.goodsjapan.com Towards the top left corner of the homepage under Categories you'll see ' Leather Craft Items'

Have a browse, you'll see the range of things available, and some are a bit different to Tandy et al.

[JAZZMAN]

Hi Zulu, yes i have heard of goods Japan on Ian Atkinsons you tube chanel that you mentioned before to me, how long is delivery from there? I also think i have learned ny first lesson and that is that from now on i am going to buy undyed leather so i know exactly what reatments have been done, but it should still make a belt, i will be happy with it if it is just usable for the first attempt. Also thanks again Dwight for looking up my belt and responding to my post. I have every intention of sticking this out but i cannot deny that it is one of those things that takes a lot more skill and knowledge than most people including me realize. However like most things in life i am assuming that the harder something is to attain the better the payoff in the end.The sweetest fruit being on the highest branches and all that.

[zuludog]

I haven't bought anything from goodsjapan myself, but I read a review somewhere, possibly on britishblades. Apparently they're reliable, well packed, good quality, and delivery is 2 - 3 weeks. But there was a warning, though not a problem with goodsjapan themselves.

If you order anything, order one item at a time, with a gap of 3 weeks to a month or so inbetween; that way it's classed as personal use

If you order several items together , HM Customs will hit you with import duty

When I started to make things I hadn't realised how involved leatherwork would be if you wanted to do the job properly

You will make mistakes; it's called gaining experience, and is all part of the fun. Think of that pencil case you're going to make!

What is an expert? Someone who's made more mistakes than you!

[JAZZMAN]

Wow, thaks for the warning zulu, i never realized you would have to pay import duty on things like that, it is not something i know anything about, the pricking irons seem to be the main thing on there website i might consider buying as they seem to be well priced and good quality,thanks again for the good advice.

[zuludog]

Ah well....at the moment I have a cold, and I'm trying to frighten it away with Scotch. Problem is, when I've been drinking I tend to get a bit philosophical or rambling.....

I've just searched Google for leatherwork courses (I think!) and have come up with several references. Keep searching

diamond awl.co.uk

theidentity store

tannerbates.co.uk

craftcourses.com

cherrywoodproject

leprevo.co.uk

there are others, just work your way around; sort out these references yourself!

Where abouts in the UK do you live, JAZZMAN?

I think you would benefit very much from going on a course. Be warned, they vary from expensive to very expensive and then you have the travel & accommodation as well

On the other hand, you can read & read, and surf & surf, but there's nothing like being taught by an experienced instructor. If you want to do this, do it properly Surf the Net, there are lots to choose from

I learned so much more in one day at the Identity Store than I had in months of reading

What I hear I forget

What I see I remember

What I do I understand

When I said I was going to drink a bottle of whisky down to the label, I meant the top of the label, not the bottom!

[JAZZMAN]

Hey zulu, sadly going away on a course would be out of the question, the reason i have come to leatherwork is because i have a degenerative disease in my spine which severely restricts my mobility, my wife is my full time carer and has to help me with getting up and down stairs on and off buses that sort of thing, i also have other health issues which would prevent me from travelling long distances. I am not telling you this to look for sympathy(i did the feeling sorry for myself bit when i had to give up work ten years ago) i am merely explaining why that would be out of the question. Are we talking good single malt whisky, i love glenmorangie myself when i can afford a bottle that is.Oh yes i am in West Yorkshire, where are you?