Create Those Impossibly Perfect Leather Edges Using The Same Fine Craftsmen Techniques That Others Don’t

Master the intricately detailed work of finishing edges, including burnishing, painting, and creasing, so you can conquer any project, even the more difficult ones that use softer and thinner leathers.

Continually Improving Your Technique

When I first started leatherworking, I thought it would be easy. I recently came to the craft after having done years of woodworking, including traditional mask carving in Japan. I was making Noh masks, which are wooden masks used in a performing tradition that has spanned thousands of years. Carving in this style is an exacting skill that requires patience, precision, and thought. I spent an entire year making ONE wooden mask.

Later, when I moved back to the US, I was working on my own project in a shared art space and saw someone doing leatherworking. At the time, leatherworking seemed simple in comparison to carving. I assumed it would be a cakewalk. Now that I have done leather craft for many years, I know that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

There are so many skills to master in leatherworking: sewing, cutting, painting, designing, etc. While you can get decent results fairly quickly, to truly strive for the best takes a considerable amount of patience, precision, and thought.

Despite how challenging and time-consuming leatherworking can be, the payoff is amazing. A finely crafted leather bag or wallet generates envy and awe from everyone, even strangers on the street. I was once at a job interview, and one of the hiring managers asked, “Where did you buy that bag?” I beamed with pride when I told him that I made it myself.

When we first start learning the craft of making leather goods, we all want to make expensive high-end bags like we see at the Hermes and Louis Vuitton stores. We think that if we’re clever enough with our design or original enough with the material, we can make it happen. We think we can start selling our work online, and people will fall over themselves and throw money at us. But the truth is that very few craftspeople are willing to elevate their craft to a point where their work is so good, and its quality is so evident that they can command those prices. To achieve that bespoke luxury level of craftsmanship, you’ll need to commit to continuously improving your technique, not just your design and aesthetic.

So, how do you start doing Fine Leatherworking?

Transitioning from mediocre work to truly fine craftsmanship requires learning higher-caliber skills. It can sometimes mean unlearning bad habits that have built up over time. The good thing is that you can start at any time, focusing on one skill or one aspect of your work at a time. Piece by piece, you can improve and achieve excellent work.

Over the years since I founded my business, the number one question that I get from my customers who are looking to improve the quality of their work is: How do I create professional-looking edges? Below is an example of what I’m referring to:

You can mess up your sewing piece together in places, you can mess up measuring some parts, but when you screw up your edges, it’s all there for everyone to see. Here is an example of imperfect edges on an otherwise nicely constructed wallet:

I thought that finishing edges was a laborious process, and for a while, when I was first starting out, it was. I devoured all of the information that I could, and I sought out the best teachers who would let me peek at their secrets. And when I started meeting professional leather craftspeople and saw how quickly they were able to produce great edges, I was truly amazed.

The secret to finishing leather edges

When most people think of finishing edges, they only think of the last part, the painting. However, painting is merely the last step in a multi-part process to get the perfect edge. Each step is very doable, but the trick is knowing how to complete them with precision in order to make all the next steps that much easier.

Once you can see how each step builds on top of itself, you’ll be able to repeat the process again and again consistently to create perfect edges every time. You’ll even be able to get yourself ‘unstuck’ if you mess up part of your work.

Below is a photo of an edge that I prepped poorly for a blog post. I was trying to work with new materials while attempting a new construction method, and it was not working as I had intended.

Here is a photo of the finished edge that I was able to recover from my previous mess below:

Introducing Finishing Leather Edges, the online course for leather craftspeople who want the same quality edges found on luxury and bespoke leather goods

Now, you can learn how to finish edges well, not just by fixing up your mistakes but by using all of the intricately detailed work to create perfect edges.

Here is what the course includes:

A five-part tutorial showing the same processes used to finish edges on luxury leather goods
Several variations on the techniques to tackle different kinds of leather, like thin vs. thick leather and vegetable tan vs. chrome tan leather
Detailed videos, photos, and content so you can see how each process really works
Specific practices to help you master these new skills
Free updates FOREVER. With every update of the Finishing Leather Edges course, you’ll continue to have access to current content and new additions

Join Finishing Leather Edges and learn to create those impossibly perfect leather edges

When you can master the intricate, detailed work that includes skills like burnishing, painting, and creasing, you are building a solid foundation for your craft.

Getting each aspect right will create the perfect edge, and perfecting your techniques will allow you to work your way out of a jam when you need to.

Join now for only $49

If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to call or email us.
1-415-800-2978
store@fineleatherworking.com
We’re happy to help!

Try the Finishing Leather Edges Course for 30 days risk-free

You can use this course for 30 days, and if it does not help you finish your edges, we’ll give you 100% of your money back, guaranteed.

When you start the course, I’ll ask you to send me a picture of your edges before you learn the techniques. If you try the techniques and finish the course, your work will still not improve. Just send me a picture of your results, and we’ll refund you.

You can watch hundreds of free YouTube videos, wasting hours or even days, and still not make better edges. We value your time, and if you waste it while you’re watching this course, our guarantee will essentially pay you back for that time. No other online course on leatherworking will do that for you.

The materials and techniques in this course comprehensively address finishing edges for nearly any leather that you use. It’s built on my own past experience and the advice given to me by master teachers from around the world.

Our customers often remark that we run our leather store business differently from similar businesses. Not only do we offer some of the highest quality tools and materials that you can find anywhere, but we also offer advice, how-to guidance, and inspiration to help make you a better leather goods maker. We put the same effort into making this course. Just look at what Cory K. has to say about our store experience:

Thank you so much for the follow up. It’s nice that there are companies that actually care that their service/ product is correct and appreciated. I’ve worked in the sewing industry for quite a while and most of the “service” companies in the sewing industry are very old school and could care less whether what they build or sell works for you… thank you very much for checking in and caring about what you do.

Hear what others have to say about Finishing Edges

Prior to launching this course to all of our customers, we conducted a closed beta version for a select number of students. Here’s what they had to say:

Thanks so much for the invite to your class. It had so much information, and I learned so much that I didn’t know. I’m totally changing everything I’ve been doing so far.-Bobbie S.

Thanks for the great course. It was very informative and educational, and applies to all aspects of leatherwork, which I liked.-Marco S.

Thanks for all of your efforts on this course, which are really over and above.-Francesco H.

Why Invest In Leatherworking Lessons?

When you buy this course, you are not just buying videos, pictures, and text; you are buying results. We spent months researching the content and distilling the information to create the best course possible for you to learn the material. No free YouTube video or blog post will offer you that. Teaching people how to make fine leather goods isn’t our hobby; it’s our business. When you purchase a course from Fine Leatherworking, you will get a return on your investment.

Join now for only $49

If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to call or email us.
1-415-800-2978
store@fineleatherworking.com
We’re happy to help!