Will elephant leather burnish?

[Levins7]

Hi all,

I just finished making a wallet with an elephant outer piece.  Before I start rubbing on it, will elephant edges burnish?

Thanks, JC

[Tugadude]

Surely you have some scrap from the project you can experiment on?  Burnishability (a new word?) is a combination of factors and the way a leather is tanned has an impact in addition to the source of the leather itself.  So the answer might be yes and might be no depending upon the tannage.

[bermudahwin]

41 minutes ago, Levins7 said:

Hi all,

I just finished making a wallet with an elephant outer piece.  Before I start rubbing on it, will elephant edges burnish?

Thanks, JC

Depends entirely on the tanning method.

I have used elephant years ago, veg tanned and it polished well.

I would not back that statement for other tannages.

H

[Levins7]

First, I don't have any scrap.  I bought the exact size I needed as a test for making a wallet with it.

Second, it is veg tan.

I'll give it a try and see what happens.

[Bennyleather]

How'd the burnishing go?