The edges of my bag are starting to crumble, what should I do?

You may have noticed this before with purchased bags, or even with your own handmade bags, for example on a leather strap, the top edge of your shopper or bucket bag: After a lot of wear and use, the edge has developed small, fine cracks.

This is not uncommon with leather accessories, but of course there are still some tips and tricks you can try to prevent or correct these flaws. 

There can be several reasons for the edges to break: 

• Inferior edge paint or base coat is used. 
• The edges are in constant motion, so they are compressed and then stretched again. 
• The edges are relatively thick because the leather is a bit thicker. 
• Base coat and edge paint may have been applied too thickly. 
  

We know this much: It's definitely not the quality of the base coat and edge paint that's to blame, as we're already using the highest-quality products on the market. This assumes that the base coat and edge paint are still usable. In addition to following the storage instructions (protect from frost and temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius), you can easily check this by looking at the consistency of the liquids: They shouldn't be viscous and shouldn't have formed lumps. If this isn't the case, you can still use the products. 

Accordingly, the reason for broken edges is often a combination of the remaining factors: Thicker leather and correspondingly thicker edges with a generous application of liquid break, especially in places with a lot of movement.

What you can fix – our top tips:

• Sand the affected leather edge thoroughly to create a flat surface . A cordless sander is useful here, as you'll need to "remove" a lot of material. When sanding, be careful not to press too hard on the edge, as this will likely "widen" the already thick leather edge even further. Sand diagonally from the side, if possible. 
• Glue the edges together firmly, so that the edge itself is already stable and no longer flexible. The glue also makes the edge more rigid. 
• Apply only one or two thin coats of base coat. Sand generously between coats so the next coat adheres well and doesn't "build up" too much material. 
• When painting the edges, try to use as few coats as possible and spread the liquid as evenly as possible over the edge, making each layer as thin as possible. Here, too, you should sand thoroughly between coats. 
• If you have one, you can use a heated edge creaser to "iron" the edge again so that the individual layers of edge paint blend together. 

As you've probably noticed, we're repeating the tips we already shared in the Basics Guide as "basic knowledge" on how to proceed. Because long story short: There are no shortcuts here 🙃

Edge finishing is hard work, and people often try to achieve their goal faster by applying thicker layers or using shorter sanding steps. Let's be honest: #guiltyascharged #beentheredonethat 😜

 
But now you know how to avoid broken edges in theory . Happy crafting! 💗