So, you want some performance enhancing tips that’ll juice your edge paint finishing skills into the major leagues? Look no further than this cheater's guide to leather edge paint perfection!
Now, let’s cut the fat and get right to the tips shall we? I’ll start with some of the more obvious ones to get you going.
Clean cuts = easier finishing, less layers and less time.
Not everyone realises this fact, but a clean cut edge from a sharp knife leaves a perfect edge on which to build a foundation for edge paint.
Leaving a rough edge for your first layer to go on, will still leave a rough edge after your paint has dried.
Attempting to level this type of edge with lots of heat weakens the edge paint, and leveling with abrasive paper will have you sanding all your paint off before it resembles anything remotely flat.
Get it right from the beginning, and you won't have to go back to the beginning later on.
However, It’s not always practical to work from a clean cut edge. An example would be gluing and stitching in a bag gusset to the rest of the bag. These two parts cannot be cut out together, only separately.
In a case like this, edges can be leveled by using a sanding block, a drum sander in a rotary tool, or by carefully trimming with a very sharp blade.
Do whatever you can to smooth out your edges before applying the first layer of paint, then you'll find it easier to do some of the following tips.
Use a thin coat on the first layer to prevent inconsistent absorption.
Some very porous leathers are quite thirsty and tend to draw in edge paint faster in some areas than others.
This can lead to a surface that is less than ideal.
You can often see this as a channel down the centre, random low spots, or a rough surface in general, even with a perfectly clean cut edge!
In the example shown below, one thick layer of edge paint has dried on a piece of 3mm acrylic plastic.
There is no absorption going on here, as it is a non-porous material.
As a result, the edge paint has dried perfectly, without any sanding or smoothing. In fact, it probably wouldn't require any finishing at all had it been on a leather project.
To mimic the effect seen on the plastic edge above, one trick is to use a paper thin coat of edge paint to seal the surface, so the next layers cannot be absorbed inconsistently (at least not AS inconsistently).
You can use a primer for this too if you prefer, or even a 50:50 mix of PVA glue and water. However, I've always found the edge paint itself to work very well.
The edge paint should be thin enough where you can still see the grain of the leather in the edge. You are merely filling voids and sealing the edge.
Move the round awl back and forth, working the paint into the exposed grain. It won't be shiny anymore as it soaks in. Wipe off any excess upwards along the edge away from the face side or rear side.
Once dry, which should only take only 5-10 minutes, lightly sand the edge with fine grit (>800gr) paper in one direction. Only a few swipes should be needed, otherwise you'll go back to a bare edge again.
Once this is done, the first layer can go on, a little thicker this time.
You're not done sanding until you reach perfection on every subsequent layer.
Let’s say your second layer has just dried and you begin sanding the edge with your abrasive paper. After 20 mins, you inspect your work in the light, and find about 90% of the surface has a nice consistent matte finish from the sanding. But there are a few low spots here and there that haven't been touched.
‘The next layer will fill that in’ you think to yourself, and go about applying layer number 3. Unfortunately, finishing the previous layer to 90% has left a 10% debt for the next layer. But guess what, you finish that layer to 90% too.
This leads to 6 frustrating layers of paint on an edge that needed 3 at most. But guess what, layer 6 doesn’t look any better than layer 4, and now you're debating whether or not to even bother with layer 7.
Finally, you give in and consider changing brands of edge paint. O12r taking up golf.
The trick is to look carefully at your edge in the light after sanding the paint, making sure it has a uniform matte surface that doesn’t have any (ANY!) low or high spots, which present as shiny spots that reflect the light.
If there are any imperfections, keep sanding until there aren't. Then you may apply another layer of paint if needed.
Always wipe the edge after sanding
This is an obvious one when you think about it, but all too often crafters miss this part of the process. It's not enough to sand your edge, blow on it, then start applying the next layer. Even a brush doesn't always remove the dried edge paint dust left behind.
If you don't wipe the edge with a cloth or tissue after sanding, the dust left behind weakens the bond for the next layer you put on.
This can result in your edge paint coming away. Usually by peeling off later on during the use of the product you're making. This is more common in areas where the product flexes, such as the centre fold on a bifold wallet.
A damp, or even a dry cloth will work to remove any dust, just don't use any solvents to clean it.
When using heat to smooth the final layer, use a clean polished spatula.
If you wanted to smooth the icing on a cake, you wouldn't choose a brick. Trying to smooth something with a rough tool isn't going to work.
Using a hot creasing iron and a spatula tip from an electric creaser machine (fileteuse) is common practice after you have finished sanding your final layer nice and evenly.
The heat softens the rough texture left behind by the abrasive paper and gives a nice uniform shiny (depending on the paint) surface.
Regularly cleaning the spatula tip (the most common tip to use) will give you more pleasing results with less headaches.
As you can see in the image above, the surface is smooth and there are no chunks of dried on edge paint sticking out.
To achieve this finish, I regularly rub the spatula back and forth along a scouring pad, often called Scotch Brite (a 3M product).
The spatula should not be in the creaser handle or be hot. Be sure to brush, or at least blow off any debris from the heating element (the wire coil) after cleaning. Otherwise there will be smoke pouring out of it as it heats up. Ask me how I know..
I have experimented with mirror polishing the spatula using a buffing wheel and polishing compound, but I found it made no improvement to the leather edge paint finish compared to using the scouring pad.
Plus, edge paint seems to stick to a mirror polish more easily, I'm not certain why that is.
As you clean your spatula tip, don't forget to rock the spatula left and right as you clean it on the pad, you normally use the sides of the spatula at a 45° angle to smooth out edge paint rather than the flat sides. This stops the spatula imparting too much heat and sticking to the paint, thereby ruining it.
Use the minimal amount of heat to smooth your leather edge paint.
Even though some brands of leather edge paint say you can use heat on them, none of them imagine you are trying to use heat to move edge paint around like it's playdough.
I usually see people trying this combined with enough heat to spontaneously combust their project.
I half imagine someone will walk into their workshop one day only to find a pair of shoes, a leather handle and a giant burnt patch where someone used to be.
A little wisp of smoke coming from a patch of paint stuck to your spatula is not uncommon, however, billows of smoke as you make contact with the edge, combined with darkening of the paint colour is a sure fire way to have peeling and/ or cracking later on.
Heat, in my opinion, is reserved for the final layer of leather edge paint after it has been sanded. Using just enough heat to get the job done and no more.
Now, most leather edge paints are made using a polyester resin as a base, together with drying agents, mattifiers, pigments and other proprietary ingredients.
If we look at the heat resistance of most polyester resins, they can take around 80°C before thermal decomposition begins.
Now, many times your spatula will get hotter than 80°C (176°F), but you are constantly moving the tip along, so the edge paint isn't absorbing all that heat. In a similar way, my finger isn't absorbing 1,400°C (2,550°F) if my finger goes through a candle flame quickly. If I go slow, or hold it still however, I can sing opera.
Get professional guidance on the most effective finishing steps for the perfect edge.. every time!
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So no need to spend hundreds on a questionable hot creasing machine, or thousands on a well known brand if you don't want to.
I also share uncommon information and some rather odd tricks for correcting mistakes, preventing spills, and of course the 'precision bottle hack' that almost serious crafter is doing now.
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Thanks for reading! And if you have any leather edge paint hacks you'd like to share, comment below!
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