Hello All,
Very happy to have found this website and signed up for the courses. Tremendous value and really enjoying them so far.
I have been experimenting with Philip's method for edge finishing which in the video example requires very little sanding - it would seem that any heavy duty sanding is actually not productive to developing a fine edge.
However I am wondering what is the protocol when you are glueing say 4-5 layers of leather together and sanding is needed to even them out either because your glueing or cutting are not 100%.
It seems at that point there is no other option but to sand the edges down until they are even. Up until now I've always done a first sanding with 150 grit sandpaper until all edges are even.
Would love to hear Phil and other members take on this.
I agree with the posts above about using techniques allowing you to begin edge finishing with a smooth edge.
However, if you find yourself with a gap between layers that would be too onerous to sand smooth, you can fill it with whatever edge paint you are using, then proceed to the whole edge. This adds steps. I consider it strictly damage-control mode and do not recommend it as a standard procedure.
I don't know Fiebing's edge paint, but I can attest that Uniters achieves a smooth edge much quicker than the Fenice I had been using.
@matthewodette28 Hey Mathew! Don't know how I missed this post. Thank you for your compliments too.
Pretty much what @Hemanth is saying to be honest.
You can also look into using a small leather plane with a devilishly sharp blade. This will be difficult if using rubber based adhesives however.
You can then follow up with a very fine sanding. 1000-2000 grit is not out of the question if you want to push the envelope towards the smoothest edge possible.
You can also burnish with that fine a grit, as the sandpaper will eventually clog up and start burnishing to a fine polish.
Burnishing like many other things is a skill of diminishing returns. I favour getting the smoothest edge for the time invested.
It's very easy to spend twice as long to get a 10% smoother edge, then 4x that to get another 5% etc.
But as I like to say, the best edge finishing technique on Instagram is an application of Tokonole, followed by burnishing heavily with Photoshop.
To be honest everyone has their own edge methods depending on resources and the outcome you are aiming for. But once you start with 150, the fibres get so riled up that its pretty time consuming to get it back to a refined smooth edge ... If you still want to pursue that method, try buying a belt sander and changing up the motor for it run slower.
Yes proper cutting and glueing are certainly very important. However it is hard to be absolutely precise all of the time without much practice.
Interestingly I was trained by a former Hermes artisan and her method is to use 150 grit sandpaper to get the edges even, hot crease, dye the edge and then sand with 220 grit until the edge is smooth and rounded and then to dye again, add beeswax and polish.
This method requires literally hours and hours of sanding to realize an equivalent edge to Philip's method.
I have yet to try Uniters but I imagine it might be much better than what I am currently using (Fiebing's).
While my teacher was excellent and a true master, I do sometimes believe that more experienced artisans can get stuck in their ways when better products/techniques become available. For example she was a big advocate for Blanchard tools and having purchased many I believe there are currently higher quality and cheaper options now on the market.
Like you said, sanding is a useless pursuit to get fine smooth edges. Since you are gluing 4-5 layers you can try increasing your pattern dimensions to accomadate a 1mm trim. So glue 4-5 layers and then give the edge a trim with your knife/blade. One thing you would want to look out for is to keep your blade as perpendicular as possible ... when the thickness increases you tend to slant onto one side more.
In my experience. Don't use anything lesser than 600 grit sandpaper (silicon carbide not emery) for edges.