I was recently asked to make a very small dog leash (for a 5 lbs dog), which I happily obliged. But it got me thinking of the limitations of the materials and hardware that we use in leathercraft.
I love data driven decisions, so naturally I bought a pull test device to do some of my own testing. It is NOT a $16k Tensile Testing machine, so just take these results as what they are...a guy in his garage having fun pulling things apart with a hydraulic ram.
I have been documenting the testing and results so far on our Instagram page (@canemtn), but wanted to share the results with this community as well.
Tested so far:
- 3/8" wide Biothane versus 3/8" wide Leather
- Double Cap Rivet post lengths in 4.5mm / 11/12oz Leather - Tested in Shear
- 3/8" Solid Brass Swivel Snap
To Be Tested:
- Double Cap Rivets - in Tension
- Solid Copper Rivets - in Shear and Tension
- Solid Brass Rivets - in Shear and Tension
- Stitching - Saddle Stitch versus Machine Stitch in Shear and in Tension (probably going to use Biothane to rule out inconsistencies in material).
- Every width of Leather I can think of.
- Every width of Biothane I can get my hands on.
If you have any ideas for things you would like to see pulled apart, please share!!
I plan to update this post as I have new results.
