Grindaur

Yes I have my issue is that I seem to always have a point at which I lose concentration (or my hand slips, or...) I even tried applying painters tape to the edge, but the frizzies that occur when removing the tape created a different issue. I am working somewhat in the blind on finishing edges of the bands as the leather working club has been shutdown since early in the COVID problem. I have made straps off and on for several years, but it has only been in 2020 that I worked on burnishing the edges (and using veg tanned leather). Before that it was finished leather usually with a pronounced pull up and the edges were left raw as the band was for a TOOL watch.

Yes they can be very fiddly. The tape will remove a lot of that, my doing a better job of planning the tooling will be a big help as will ATTENTION TO DETAIL. As I was learning to do basket weave stamping I made a lot of examples of what not to do. Early on I made with a file and a piece of stainless rod a simple leather weave stamp, Since then I have tried four attempts at improving on it, but SIGH... the first is still the better of my stamps. More time and attention is needed, so perhaps a fifth generation is called for.

I agree with using the narrower tape, for working on watch straps you need to plan on having a piece at the edge of the leather overlap at each end, otherwise I have had only positive experiences with this tape.

tried the 1/2" my wife had, a little too large in that it would not go over both stitch lines. Going to go with 1/4", it did hold well for burnishing the edges though and NO STICKY MESS! This is a win for me.

I have checked out the tandy offering and am ordering a roll of the 1/4", I have 1/2" seam tape (from wife) I plan to use today, will post when I get done stitching.

I have a constant battle when making my leather watch straps in the glue and it's application. I have tried Barge and battled with nasty strings that seem to be made by a psychotic spider, Eco Bond which seems to migrate to the edge if I get within 2 mm of the edge when I apply it. Both make my burnished edges difficult to look finished. I noticed my wife was using seam tape on a sewing project yesterday and wondered has anyone used such a double sided tape to bond until you have stitched the leather?

In response to Chris623 here is the initial two color band removed from watch to show, along with the new skip space modification of Danne's design.

I enjoyed working on this piece, it was the second in a series and I am in the process of making a third. The leather is not rolled over as asked by one, but rather I use my French Edger to taper the edge, die it , wet it and buff it to shape with a wooden buff tool I made that goes in my lathe. No the edge is not done with edge paint but rather is in this attempt a water based ECO product. The latest version, I have gone from the woven design to a custom cross hatch design modified on what Danne presented. AlamoJoe, I have been considering doing a piece like you suggest but I do not have the proper edger, and the club which does is still closed due to the Corona Virus. Orange stitching is something I had thought about but I have had little luck in getting a thread mail order that is the orange I am looking for. Same could be said of the dye until my Fiebings order came in, I love the orange that I got. Will try to complete version three this weekend and hopefully start on my Halloween strap I have been thinking about.

Here is another photo showing the clasp and some of the leather working. This was a basket weave using the Tandy Leather X811 stamp. Since posting I have found that Fiebing's does make an alcohol based orange die (and red too) my Tandy store does not carry them. So it is off to eBay I go.

My apologies, the photo was taken for Watch You Seek, I will endeavor to get a properly sized photo, as WUS does not have the restrictions on post sizes,

Just finished this first attempt at a strap for my Planet Orient watch. But I could use some information. Where do I find a source of supply for an orange and red ink based die? The orange die is one of the ECO dies from Tandy. I HATE IT. The Fiebing's black is so much easier to work with! Really need a die that goes beyond the surface with it's color.

Will be interested in seeing what the unfinished projects look like. I took some time yesterday and today (after having an oppsie on a work in progress) and made yet another strap. So far I have no issues with it (knock on wood). Being an old man I have issues with attention and/or start to take short cuts as my mind starts to wander. I am now trying to recognize the onset and find alternative activities rather than make another sad end for a cow hide. I downloaded some designs from ElkTracks.com and ordered a set of stamps, going to try something other than basket weave, and I cannot get to the tools that I was using at the club as it is closed. I do think I need to up my leather weight from 2/3 to probably 5/6 before I attempt this as on a stupid sample of my own design I cut right through the leater.

Yes we survived (no I am lying I am a Zombie that likes to leatherwork)! I did quite a bit of stitching on leather straps in 2016 and 2017. All on oil cured leather, did not start working on tooling any leather until a about mid Jan of this year. Then we took off for south america for 21 days so I have not been tooling for a lot of time. Keep in mind I show examples of my better work. Some of the basket weaves curve and wander very realistically (if you ever saw my childhood baskets I tried to make. The frustrating thing is there always seems to be some point on a project where my senior moment happens and there goes the masterpiece. Lately it has been in the gluing, there are straps where it looks like I was trying to glue the edges not the faces together. Well the good news is the Herman Oak belly I purchased was quite large so I should have plenty of leather to practice on.

Just retired in January and no sooner got back from my retirement cruise than to find that there was nowhere to go because of the social distancing that is needed to combat the virus. So I decided to revisit an older hobby, strap making. Did some simple straps as I waited for the new tools and supplies to arrive, then got started on tooling some leather straps. As can be seen from the photos I have a way to go in learning this hobby, I am looking for this site to provide some of the needed information while I await the reopening of the leather worker club here at Sun City.