Remember what worked on every edge
A personal finishing journal for leathercraft. Log your beveling, burnishing, and edge paint steps. Rate results. Stop repeating mistakes.
New finishing entry
Fill in your project details and the steps you used. Save it to build your personal reference over time.
Your finishing journal
All your saved entries. Filter by leather type or rating to find what worked before.
No entries yet. Save your first finishing log above to start building your journal.
Edge finishing guide
Common mistakes
- Skipping the beveler. Raw edges look unfinished and are harder to burnish flat.
- Wrong sanding order. Always go coarse to fine. Jumping from 220 to 800 leaves deep scratches.
- Too much water. Soaking the edge fibers makes them stiff and rough after drying.
- Burnishing too hot. Heat guns can scorch veg-tan and melt chrome-tan. Keep the gun moving.
- Edge paint on unprepared edges. Paint peels if the edge is not sanded smooth first.
Troubleshooting rough edges
- Edge feels fuzzy after burnishing. Try a finer sanding grit before compound.
- Edge paint is cracking. You may have applied it too thick. Thin coats work better.
- Burnish is not holding. The leather may be too dry. Lightly dampen before compound.
- Edge is uneven. Check that your beveler is cutting at a consistent depth all the way around.
- Color is blotchy on chrome-tan. Use a leather conditioner before edge paint for even absorption.
Leather type differences
- Veg-tan burnishes best with water and friction. It responds well to heat and compounds.
- Chrome-tan is harder to burnish. Edge paint is often a better choice than friction alone.
- Horween chromexcel has oils that can resist edge paint. Wipe with acetone before painting.
- Bridle leather is dense and waxy. It burnishes nicely but may need extra passes.
- Suede edges cannot be burnished traditionally. Use edge paint or leave raw with a clean cut.
Printable log template
Prefer paper? Print a blank log sheet to fill in at your workbench, then transfer to the tracker later.