Gum Tragacanth

[sequoia]

How do you apply gum tragacanth to the edge of a piece of leather? I am building a pair of California Holsters and I want to apply the gum Tragacanth but there are no instructions on the bottle.I tried painting it on with a brush but that does not seem to do the trick.

 

[Harold1950]

I use a sponge paint brush, a small one and also one of the applicators you can get at Tandy that is just a piece of wire handle with a stiff cotton ball on one end. But the simpliest thing I use is a tooth pick, just dip it in the bottle and run it on the edge. I usually seal/finish the edge a small portion at a time. Hope this helps.

 

[BrownBear]

I've got a cheap artist paint brush on which I shortened and squared the bristles to about half length. It gives the right combo of stiffness for working the gum down into the grain and load carrying so I can do lots of edge in one stretch. Once it's on, I go ahead and edge burnish before it's completely dry.

 

[Birdman]

after ya apply the gum let it dry a bit and then burnish the edge with a smooth piece of bone or antler. That will drive all the end grain fibers together and smooth out the edge real nice, give a more professional look if thats what your after.You can also dye the edge the same as the body of your work or if your careful to be a contrasting color if ya like, before ya apply the gum