What’s your opinion of the edge?

[canonitr]

Just finished up a dual color  bifold card case .. as it was 2 colors, I didn’t want to burnish the edges into a single edge..

I do not have gum trag, so I applied a home made concoction to the edge and used some flannelette cloth (for cleaning firearms) to rub the edges.. at least it kept the 2 distinct colors

[Dogmatic]

Fantastic! Love it!

[canonitr]

does it need to be shinier?

i used 3/3/1 of  coconut oil,  beeswax and  pine resin, as i was wondering if :

the oil to absorb into the edge,
the beeswax, when rubbed, gets liquefied and seeps into the fibre
and pine resin to "glue" down the edge fibres without too much burnishing involved..

the concoction was a failed attempt for thread wax... decided to re-purpose it instead

[Bolt Vanderhuge]

I see more fibers than I would want to see. If it were mine I would sand the edges with some 400 grit then burnish then sand with 600 grit and burnish again.  The sanding should be quick. For a wallet it should take about 1 or 2 minutes to go around the whole thing. 

[bikermutt07]

I think it looks cool. 

[canonitr]

@Bolt Vanderhuge , you mean the overall edge or the hairy bits that is visible ⅓ the way up from the left side?  Not sure if it’s the pine resin picking up fibers in my pocket .. but then again, I didn’t quite burnish the edges for fear of loosing the distinct line between the leather .. like you mentioned, i will probably try to sand it to a higher grit after this .. hopefully this removes the fibers

thanks @bikermutt07!

[battlemunky]

So, what are you shooting for in the look of the edges and the amount of work/materials you use @canonitr? If you are wanting to avoid the shiny look, then you can just sand them using a higher grit sandpaper. If you are wanting shiny, hit them with a burnisher of some sort, even a piece of sanded wood will work. The whole point in finishing edges is to get the corners of the leather rounded so they don't get fluffy from knocking into things throughout their lifetime and to also close off the edge from moisture penetration as much as possible. I don't know what does that better than burnishing or painting but as long as those things are occurring, your edges can look however you want them to. Also, oils usually make getting a burnish tougher but may help seal the edge against moisture. You don't need gum trag or toconole or anything, water works pretty well on its own. Soft and fluffy rags aren't the best for burnishing I find, maybe for using after you get the burnish perhaps.

Personally, I like how yours look a lot. As long as that is what you were shooting for. They look neat and clean.

[VabaX]

I use water and a piece of 125gsm paper for burnishing. theres no need at all for anything fancy or any special product. You wont lose the line between the leather by burnishing, thats not possible. if anything, a very fine sand and a burnish will make it more distinct. a good burnish will make the edge nice and hard too, so the fibers wont wont get roughed up by scraping the edge on something

burnish first, seal/oil/wax later. I do my burnish until its as glossy and smooth as I want it, then I apply resolene to just the edge.

a good trick i learned is to do several burnishes with sanding with 800 grit in between. each step removes more and more un-evenness and makes it super smooth by the end, like a mirror. 

just with burnishing with water, i find its best to let the burnished edge dry out fully once done before sealing with anything, otherwise it can remain a bit blotchy looking if water is still trapped in it

Edited October 8, 2018 by VabaX

[canonitr]

@battlemunky that is the look I am going for, tho I am not decided on whether it should be glossier .. thought I see general consensus is that people like shiny things.

It was my wife’s idea to try the 2 colors 

@VabaX I tend to be heavy handed when burnishing .. squashing the edge.. been trying a lighter touch , but tend to have some furry bits left.. like what you and bolt mentioned, I probably have to do a tad bit more sanding between the burnishing..

[johnv474]

You could try using a little white paper glue like Elmers or Fienings leathercradt cement.  I have used a more expensive edge treatment that leaves a bit of sheen but I swear it looks, smells, and acts like those glues.

[Stetson912]

I can't say for sure but I think there's enough contrast that properly burnishing then would still show both colors. If you are in doubt take some scrap of each color and glue them together. Trim edge and burnish and see if it works out. 

I'd say the edge is ok but not quite to the finished stage. 

[canonitr]

15 hours ago, johnv474 said:

You could try using a little white paper glue like Elmers or Fienings leathercradt cement.  I have used a more expensive edge treatment that leaves a bit of sheen but I swear it looks, smells, and acts like those glues.

i've thought about the same thing too .. though i think that elmers, on the edge of the leather, tend to darken it a lot, and a number of comments i've read, is that it doesnt look burnish nicely with the other parts of the edge....

but of course, those are just the bit that squeezed out... if the whole edge was evenly coated with a light application of elmers, it might possibly look ok?

13 hours ago, Stetson912 said:

I can't say for sure but I think there's enough contrast that properly burnishing then would still show both colors. If you are in doubt take some scrap of each color and glue them together. Trim edge and burnish and see if it works out. 

I'd say the edge is ok but not quite to the finished stage. 

doesn't shine enough, sadly.. but, overall, i am quite happy with how it turned out as it kept down the edge fibers..