How To Finish A Edge On A Pre Dyed Piece

[Jimbosmith]

Hello

Im new to leather working and i have probably a really basic question. I normally on my veg tanned pieces bevel and then burnish the edge but i normally do this before dying the leather.

I bought a pre dyed belt blank as it was fairly cheap so i thought i would give it a go. My question is can i finish the edge as i would normally? With the bevel and then burnish, i have some edge coat but none of the dye that it is dyed in.

i have used the screw type fixings for holding the buckle and keeper which i tried stitching for the first time :D

I have also added a round to the end of the belt.

http://www.huzza.net/media/catalog/product/cache/1/large/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/3/j/3jc010_2_.jpg
What sort of stitch is this also, i want to try add some detail to the belt.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Jimbosmith

[Halitech]

From the edge it looks like veg tanned so you should be able to burnish the edges. The stitching looks like standard saddle stitch to me

[Jimbosmith]

Thankyou, i thought the same, unfortunately i dont have much to play with otherwise i would of just tried on a test piece. Although i have plenty of scraps to practice the stiching.

[Jimbosmith]

Finished it up today, thought i would give practicing the stitching on another project. The rivets are the screw kind so i can always rework the piece, i think i want to make the keeper tighter, and burnish it properly but i will know better when i wear it for a while.

Any tips on burnishing the edges? i used gum trag and a wooden burnish tool is it supposed to take alot of effort haha

[Halitech]

I started wetting with water and running the burnisher over it then coating it with beeswax and doing it again. It doesn't take a lot of pressure, it's the friction that causes the edges to become smooth, not pressure

[Jimbosmith]

Hmm ok, i will give it a go i think ii was maybe applying too much gum trag and working it too soon so that it became almost a lubricant.

[Halitech]

thee is a nice tutorial in the how do I section, might want to check that for ideas as well

[silverwingit]

You might try wet molding your new keeper to a nice rectangular shape. The 90 degree corners will conform to the shape of the belt and it will look much sharper.

Michelle

[Jimbosmith]

Thanks for the tips, i will take a look at wet moulding for the keeper

[terrypen]

Hidepounder has a pdf file that you can download for finishing edges.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101

[Jimbosmith]

I have ordered some new tools, a new edge beveller no3, some canvas and other parts mainly scraps to practice wet moulding and stitching on. Thanks for the help everyone, Only my second project and i already have big ideas haha, just need to get the skill first.