Padding Leather - Bridles And Dog Collars?

[lcmattson]

How do I craft the type of padding seen in dog collars and horse bridles? Materials, methods...I don't know really anything about this topic. Any good insight out there?

Examples:

[dirtclod]

When i do that i cut a piece of chrome tan and fold it over with the seam in the middle glue it and glue again to what ever i'm sewing to and stitch it in. Cut some small pieces first to make sure everthing looks like you want. Then cut the size you need for where ever you want it to go.

[oaksidesaddlery]

I make quite a lot of padded items. They can look good, but they are a pain to make as the padding moves so much!

I use neoprene about 5mm thick as the padding and a variety of thinner leather to wrap around it (upholstery, basil, and the like). I will tack stitch this at the back to stop it unwrapping. You wont see these stitches as they lie between the two pieces of leather. (trade secret.... use double sided tape to hold it together). Think about how you want to finish the ends of the padded part as this makes a lot of difference to the finished article. Hold (stick) the padding to the front and stitch together.

To get a rounded effect to the front either skive the back edges down where the padding will be leaving it full thickness along the middle, tapering to half thickness along each side. Wet it and then, use a rolling block and a tool handle push the middle down until the back is level. (not sure if that makes any sense). Or the bridle in the picture has a smaller piece of leather inserted between the padding and the front to make it raised.

Hope that helps

Si

[lcmattson]

Thanks for the advice everyone!