Help with edges

[Danne]

This is how I do it, when I burnish edges. But I prefer to paint my edges with edge paint.

1. Make sure you don’t use too much glue, use water based or solvent based contact cement and a thin layer. If you need, you can prime with a thin layer, and add another. But NEVER a thick layer of glue. Press together really firm.

2. Let dry (time depends on glue) if you don’t let the glue cure, you will push in the glue when you burnish and get a very visible glue line.

3 Flush cut or sand edge flat.

4. Bevel edge.

5. Wet the edge with water (use a brush) to raise the fibres for later sanding, and let dry.

6. (Optional) Crease

7. (Optional) dye edge, I didn’t do this on the test piece here.

8. Wet edge with water and burnish with canvas or other heavier fabric.

9. Sand with 800 grit.

10. Put a burnishing agent on the edge, I prefer Tokonole. And burnish.

11. Burnish with canvas or other heavier fabric.

12. "Burnish" with 1200 grit sand paper (wet and dry) and keep burnish until your sand paper ”clogs up” don’t move it to fresh sand paper. When your sandpaper start to clog up you will burnish, you hear it on the sound from the friction.

13. Keep doing step 10-12 until all imperfections are gone.

14. Melt paraffin wax on the edge.

15. Burnish with a soft cloth (Like t-shirt)

The edge is smooth as glass, unfortunately I can’t take any good photos that really show how smooth the edge is.

[Landry]

4 hours ago, Danne said:

This is how I do it, when I burnish edges. But I prefer to paint my edges with edge paint.

1. Make sure you don’t use too much glue, use water based or solvent based contact cement and a thin layer. If you need, you can prime with a thin layer, and add another. But NEVER a thick layer of glue. Press together really firm.

2. Let dry (time depends on glue) if you don’t let the glue cure, you will push in the glue when you burnish and get a very visible glue line.

3 Flush cut or sand edge flat.

4. Bevel edge.

5. Wet the edge with water (use a brush) to raise the fibres for later sanding, and let dry.

6. (Optional) Crease

7. (Optional) dye edge, I didn’t do this on the test piece here.

8. Wet edge with water and burnish with canvas or other heavier fabric.

9. Sand with 800 grit.

10. Put a burnishing agent on the edge, I prefer Tokonole. And burnish.

11. Burnish with canvas or other heavier fabric.

12. "Burnish" with 1200 grit sand paper (wet and dry) and keep burnish until your sand paper ”clogs up” don’t move it to fresh sand paper. When your sandpaper start to clog up you will burnish, you hear it on the sound from the friction.

13. Keep doing step 10-12 until all imperfections are gone.

14. Melt paraffin wax on the edge.

15. Burnish with a soft cloth (Like t-shirt)

The edge is smooth as glass, unfortunately I can’t take any good photos that really show how smooth the edge is.

Thanks this is very helpful information and yes the picture shows how glass like your edges are. Very nice I will try this and see how it goes what do you use to die your edges?

[Danne]

36 minutes ago, Landry said:

Thanks this is very helpful information and yes the picture shows how glass like your edges are. Very nice I will try this and see how it goes what do you use to die your edges?

The few times I have burnished edges, I have used Fiebings oil dye (don't mix it up with Fiebings edge kote, which is in my opinion a edge paint that is not that durable)

You might want to burnish the edge with water one time before you dye the edge. It depends on if you crease the edge or not, and what type of creaser you use. The creaser iron I used here round off and "seal" the edge transition which make it possible to dye the edge before burnish. But if your edge is just sanded your dye might seep up into the surface of the leather if you don't burnish the edge first. 

If you want to try painting edges I have a tutorial for this here. There are a couple of popular brands for edge paint, but I have only used Fenice and Uniters and I use the same technique with both of the brands. 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Danne