How to Make Chrome Tanned Edge look better?
Here’s the classic coin purse I recently made. I used soft chrome-tanned leather for the entire exterior, along with two pieces of thin goat skin for the inner pocket.
As I focus primarily on creating patterns for small leather goods, my skills in achieving beautiful craftsmanship are still developing. Previously, I used vegetable-tanned leather for my projects, but due to the design of this coin purse, I needed a thinner and softer leather. So, I opted for chrome-tanned leather for this project.
It’s generally easier to achieve a good finish with vegetable-tanned leather because it is easier to cuts, burnishes, and sands, allowing for nicer edges.
As you can see in the photo of the coin purse, the edges aren’t very neat, and I’m unsure how to improve them. That’s why I posted the photo on Facebook, seeking advice and tips from the experts.
Here’s what I gathered from the comments on my Facebook post:
1. Burnish with Tokonole. I tried using Tokonole for burnishing, but unfortunately, there wasn't much improvement. It seems that Tokonole or similar products are effective for chrome-tanned leather only if it’s stiff enough.
2. Burnish with water: I also attempted to burnish with water before applying Tokonole, but I didn’t see any improvement there either.
3. Applying layers of edge coat or edge paint is currently the best way to achieve nice edges on chrome-tanned leather! However, using a high-quality brand of edge paint can save you a lot of headaches.
Update on October 3, 2024: The edge paint and edge paint pen I ordered have arrived, and I immediately tried them on my coin purse. This is just the first layer! I’ll wait for it to dry before applying the second layer. Stay tuned for more updates!
Test use - Layer 1
It turns out it dried quite quickly—in just five minutes!
Layer 2
Layer 3
Watch my first time using edge paint.
This is how the purse looks before and after applying the edge paint!
What do you think?
Before
After
4. Use Leather Edge Burnishing Bits Using this, sanding the edges of soft chrome-tanned leather, including the irregular edges and corners, becomes very easy. I have not owe any of this, I will invest one soon:) Hope it really do the work!
You can find this here.
I haven't purchased edge burnishing bits yet, but I plan to very soon. I'll continue to share updates on this tool with chrome-tanned leather, so please subscribe to stay informed!
After all, what I think is to use light veg tan 3-4oz. Which is much easy to work on, and the result should be much satisfying.
You may find these links for 3-4oz vegetable tanned leather.
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Let us know what you think in the comments!
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