Edge painting

[Bodra]

Hi guys, i need your help. I've made my first watch strap by glueing 3 pieces of thin leather ( cca 1.2mm ), but i dont like how the edges look. I want to "hide" those 3 layers of leather and make it look like it's made from 1 piece of leather. I couldnt find answer for my problem anywhere, i dont know what type of leather i am using but it's not veg tanned like you guys use the most....i find my leather in nearby craft shop and even they dont know what leather they are selling... duh... (it's cheap tho...1kg for 20$ (( not cutouts)) . I tried burnishing it with water, beeswax, sanding with 1000 grit wet sandpaper and nothing....it's looking even worse! Will this product resolve my problem? http://goodsjapan.com/seiwa-leathercraft-edge-enamel-black-leather-edge-dye-dressing-lacquer-finish-799-p.asp

 

Here is a picture of my strap. Looking forward to hear from you

 

 

[MonicaJacobson]

Once you've put wax, etc. on the edges, paint won't stick for more than a month or two. You might want to start over with a clean edge. Also, if the leather isn't very good you might still not get a clean edge with edge paint. But it will help a lot. People use it on exotic leathers, which often have rough edges. 

[Grey Drakkon]

I dunno, with the way the rest of the leather looks, that might just be what you're going to get with that stuff.  I say accept it as part of the look, maybe do an overstitch for decoration over the edges or something.

[beltbuckles]

i was never good at edgepainting (hopefully this will change really soon)   but i have heard that you need to use edge paint and do many many layers for it to come out decent.. its a process... unless you use an expensive machine to do it Insert other media

[TheCyberwolfe]

It would appear that what you have bought is a suede, not a top-grain leather like that which is normally used by folks here. If that's what it is, yeah, it's never going to burnish and you'll want an edge paint like the one you linked.

If you don't want to buy a filetuese, then edge paint is a process of layers - apply a coat, sand it smooth, apply another coat and repeat until you have the edge you want. I don't know how well it will work with the leather you have here, or how long it will last on something that's just glued together instead of stitched along the length.

Experiment and post your findings!