Sand Belt Edges After Bevel & Before Burnish

[superpacker]

I'm working on some belts in the 9-10 oz range, various US veg tanned leathers, and after I bevel, I normally go straight to burnishing when doing small leather goods. But on these straps I feel like I'm not getting a fantastic burnish and I wonder if it's because the edge is to scraggly after beveling and needs some sanding. Is it recommended to sand after beveling and before burnishing? If so, can you recommend a sanding process? 

[Dwight]

I use a $50 belt sander from Harbor Freight, . . . a little job that sits on the table, . . . I use 120 grit belts, . . . works like a champ.

BUT, . . . I sand before I bevel, . . . and keep all my beveling tools sharp, . . . get good edges that way.

You will probably throw away the first belt, . . . maybe the first couple, . . . until you learn just how to do it, . . . so be prepared for that.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Hildebrand]

Same as Dwight.  I make sure the edges are sanded and dead even before I bevel and burnish.

[Clintonville Leather]

Good advice here.  Might also want to use a larger beveler to round the edge more.

[battlemunky]

I sand after I bevel. Sometimes the beveler leaves a bit of an edge so I end up with a mastaba kind of shape so I either use a belt sander or an orbital sander, depending on size of the object, and work them that way. Then I slick them and then dye them usually. Every once in a while I dye before slicking.

[ScoobyNewbie]

What’s a mastaba?

[battlemunky]

 

None of my edgers round my edges so I end up with that profile to them until I sand them down. I basically have to sand down the roofline in that pic to get mine round. Well, there are two rooflines really, that need sanding since the edger take of the roofline above and replaces it with two.

I'm confusing myself now.

Edited October 26, 2018 by battlemunky

[immiketoo]

If you make your belts slightly oversized and then cut them to the width you want after everything else is finished, you have a perfectly smooth edge.  Then bevel and burnish.  Theres nothing smoother than a freshly cut edge.  Except a burnished freshly cut edge.