Erystawi Report post Posted July 3, 2014 Hello! My dad want me to make him new accordion straps, sinse his 50year old straps are totally broken. Okey I said, and ordered two belt blanks 4cm x 130 cm , and some thin reindeer lining, and cotton wool, because thats what was originally inside the old straps (dont know about the padded leather, only it's thin and stiff). The reindeer lining is thin and super stretchy, skeptic it will work... Anyway, help, please! I want to reinforse the strap ends whit shields, so I make templates/pattern, and new 4cm straps is double wide than old, so I will have to narrow down at ends, -dad want me to use the original buckels. OK, always measure and make templates, so I am doing that, but oh my this is stressing me What would you do? Any tips and pointers? Please look at pictures attatched. On small straps, it's filled with some fabric (?) And all ends have some reinforsing inside looking like cardboard! My big consern is the padding, how to get that correct.. -Eva (probably will come back with thousands more questions, LOL) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 4, 2014 allright, I'm learning as I go, well, I've finished my first strap, one of the small ones at bottom, and learnd the hard way, that the old buckels have trouble handle the new thicker leather LOL, think I'll have to open up and skive down around the buckle... sigh.. but having fun and totally obsessed :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 4, 2014 Here is a pic Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted July 5, 2014 The cardboard papery stuff is just a filler. No strength so thicker leather can look after that. And like you have found, the ends need to be skived to reduce their thickness a little. Dampen the bends before you bend them. If you are using vegetable tanned leather, and thicker leather, you don't need to fold the edges of the leather over like the originals. The edges should be beveled with an edge beveller and then you can burnish them. See http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101&hl=+burnish%20+hidepounder&page=1 for how to. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 5, 2014 Thank you so much for tip! Yes, I bevel and seal, burnish, using ROC edgekoting. I have added "padding" on the small strap too, used some thick suede leather (?) inside the deerskin. Been searching around here on leatherworker, and one tip about using doublesided tape for holding together was awsome! Next will be the big shoulder straps, with big thick padding around, kind of like the english type saddle girths. This is the "big scare"! Eva Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted July 5, 2014 I am not sure where you are with your project. I would have considered a veg tan main strap. The filler you chose would have worked for me as well. For the under strap, I would have considered thin veg tan or chrome tan with thinned veg tan glued to the underside. Your replacement strap looks really nice! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 5, 2014 Thank you so much! At this point I am almost finished with the understraps, and soon starting on the big shoulder straps. I am using veg tan belt blanks I ordered, so it could be strong enough, and same bits from the belt blanks used for small straps, fitting in size as I go. I am thinking about stamping some design of some kind on the shoulderstraps, so I dye the veg tanned with black ROC dye. Will upload pictures on the way to the goal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 6, 2014 working in small steps, but this is what I have done so far. Very pleased with the short straps, I think they are OK The shoulder strap will be fittet a bit, tooled and dyed. The paddings are almost complete I think, glad I easy can open up and add more filling, thanks to double sided tape Have a happy day! Up here in Mo i Rana we have 27 degrees celsius! Hot hot hot, for northern Norway! Eva Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 10, 2014 allright, now there is only stitching toghther left!!! *sight* I have tooled and dyed it, made all the other parts, so sooner or later I'm in goal ...going a bit slow sinse we have warmt record up here in the north!! Eva Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted July 10, 2014 Looking great! Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted July 14, 2014 Well, now I have completely finished one of them :D here is a picture of old vs new strap had some errors and fails, but learing on my way, much fun! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted August 5, 2014 This is the finished product Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted August 5, 2014 Really nice! It's been a lot of fun watching this project come together. Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erystawi Report post Posted August 5, 2014 Thank you I had much fun and much learning on this project Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Alsaker Report post Posted August 7, 2014 Very nice and the post is timely. A friends husband plays the accordion and just broke a strap. They are bringing it to me next week to look at. Your work looks very nice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
