ethanv Report post Posted June 24, 2015 hi gang, I'm working on my first project (multi-pouch festival belt) and have gotten to the stage where I need to start finishing some edges. about this time is when I realized the leather I'm working with probably isn't veg tanned and therefore doesn't want to burnish worth a damn I'm pretty sure what I have is chrome tanned. this is the stuff: http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/home/department/cowhide/9112-71.aspx. it doesn't curl up in boiling water and after burning it the ashes have a mossy greenish cast to them (thank you, internet). it's fairly floppy despite being about 3mm thick. I've tried burnishing a few test scraps with a wooden burnishing tool. both dry and wet, it seems to make the edge rougher than before I started. that might just be because it's tough to hold straight and apply enough pressure, though. I haven't tried using a wax yet, but I'm not convinced I could generate enough friction to seal it in anyway. is burnishing just not an option for this type of leather? I don't think I have enough material on each piece to roll the edges over. I did a little searching through the forums and did find http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=63759&p=413429, which would be one option. what other types of finishes would work here? cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grmnsplx Report post Posted June 24, 2015 Certainly burnishing is not an option here. Your best bet is to use an edgepaint or fold your edges. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nuttish Report post Posted June 25, 2015 You can sand it smooth enough. Some chrome tan will burnish adequately with a piece of bone or bakelite where wood doesn't work. I have no idea why. Someone mentioned something sciencey about dielectrics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted June 25, 2015 You can paint it with a thicker quality edge paint like the Giardini that Lekoza sells, possibly using an iron to open the leather to accepting the edge, roll or double roll the edge, bind the edge, or finish the edge with a corded welt. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ethanv Report post Posted June 25, 2015 edge paint (which I'd not heard of before) seems like it might be a winner. I'd like to hear more about how I'd go about sanding something this soft, though. do you just sand the edge flat and then seal it with something like edge paint? it seems like it'd be too fibrous to actually sand to smooth finish. do I even need to sand it if I'm going to apply edge paint? how do you deal with all the fibrous bits on the unfinished side near the edge? I'll be popping into my local tandy this weekend, but I've not always gotten the best advice for them (e.g., telling me I can burnish the chrome tanned leather they just sold me with a simple wood slicker...). so, I want to be pre-armed with the right questions/needs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted June 25, 2015 Sand off the fuzzies, and buy decent leather in the future. Good leather won't have all that crap on the back. The paint will not paste down the straggly stuff, you have to trim it close (sharp sandpaper will do) and maybe put some gum tragacanth on it to get it to lay down. Then paint it. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nuttish Report post Posted June 25, 2015 ... buy decent leather in the future. Good leather won't have all that crap on the back. Aaaanyway. I didn't initially look at your leather. I just did. This is nothing to do with better or worse, it's a question of whether the operation you want to do is appropriate to the materials. It's also not really a question of whether the material is vegetable or chrome tanned. 3mm is ~7/8 oz, which is thick enough to stand up on its own with a stiffer temper than you've got. I don't think you're ever going to get a satisfactory burnish on that material. Too stretchy and floppy. I'd take a run at practicing edge painting if you've got your heart set on finished edges. I just looked up what a festival belt is. Not sure you even need to finish the edges. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ethanv Report post Posted June 26, 2015 yeah, I'm not positive that edge finishing is super necessary here but I thought it might help with wear over the long term. in most spots the leather's going to be doubled-up and stitched together, anyway. I was mostly looking at the flaps covering the pockets, since they'll be handled regularly. I'll look into some edge paint this weekend and experiment Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nuttish Report post Posted June 26, 2015 The flaps will be floppy. Not sure what you mean by edge finishing helping with wear. You might consider backing them with a bit of stiffer material or making them of two layers inside out and then sticking a piece of interface in whatever stiffness seems appropriate on the inside. You're essentially making a handbag, so you might consider how internal structure will enhance the usability of the piece. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRP430 Report post Posted September 9, 2020 The best thing I have seen is tokonole, and uniters edge primer and edge gloss. Both are available at Rocky Mountain leather supply and youtube covers them adequately. Sanding initially is key. The products are remarkable. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
