This is one of those rare life hacks that actually lives up to the hype. When I say you can burnish leather twice as fast using this, I’m not joking. This has changed the game for me and many others who have tried it.
Credit where credit is due, though; I picked up this trick from Ikki Leather (who I believe got it from someone else). He’s an awesome crafter, though so give him a follow if you aren’t following him already.
How to Burnish Leather with a Tokonole Pen
- Buy a Marker – There are a few available but ideally you want a squeeze marker. I prefer Grog, but you can also get a squeeze style from Molotow or Montana markers.
- Fill the marker with a 50/50 mix of Tokonole and water. If it’s still a bit thick, you can add more water to thin it out. You need it to be able to squeeze through the felt tip, but not so liquid that it just pours out freely and makes a mess.
- Use the marker to apply the Tokonole to your leather edges. Not only does this skip the step where you first burnish with water, but it also reduces staining on the grain side.
- Burnish as you normally would and repeat as necessary.
Pair this with a Leather Burnishing Machine
If you have a few extra dollars, pair this with a burnishing machine to make burnishing leather almost effortless. I use a cheaper machine I got off of Amazon. I did a video on it here:
Looking for More leather craft tips?
Check out a few of my other posts and video!
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