Watch Strap Making

[Etienne]

Hi everyone,

I would like to up my game regarding watch straps and start making multilayered ones (I currently only use 1 layer and the leather flesh side touches my wrist)

I think single layer straps look good, but they don't seem to feel as great on the skin as the multilayer and lined ones. Also, they frequently bleed a little bit of dye the first 1~2 weeks (although that could just be because i don't seal them with enough finish..)

Anyway, I have a couple of general questions and was wondering if any of you would be willing to share their wisdom on the topic:

1- What leather type and weight to use, 2~3 Oz ? I currently use 4-5Oz but I have the feeling that this would be too thick.

2- How to glue the two layer together while preserving the flexibility if the strap

3- How to stop the strap from wrinkling on top (very often if I bend my straps upwards, opposite to the curvature of the wrist, permanent wrinkles seem to appear at the surface.

3- Where to find the buckles (tandy only seem to have bigger handbag type buckles or country pins and stuff..)

Thank you very much for your help,

Etienne

[HippieLee]

for number 3, http://www.ohiotravelbag.com/

and I will wait patiently for answers to 1 and 2 as I'd like to know as well lol

[rawr66]

I just started getting into watch straps and made a couple so far. I've been looking for a place to buy buckles, but the only place I've seen any is on ebay. I've ordered a few and they're on the way so hopefully they work out. If you're interested in NATO/ZULU straps at all you can find the hardware here; it's the only place I've been able to find hardware for those kinds of straps.

[Troy Burch]

I've got some watch strap buckles I'd like to get rid of. Message me if interested. Sorry for the crappy pics. My pictures zoom and blur on this site. It's only happens on here and I don't know how to stop it.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Troy Burch

[ramrod]

i use 2 - 3 oz for the top and bottom. i also use scrap leather or a polyester filler to place inside of the strap for a little bit of bulk. you have to use it judiciously as it can get too thick real fast. i use contact cement on all of my straps but i have never had mine wrinkle up on the top or bottom.

what i do for construction is place the top layer flesh side up and place my filler on it - kind of like building it in reverse. i place my filler on the flesh side of the top layer and glue it down. i usually coat the bottom layer with contact cement and make the bottom layer wider than the top layer and trim it later. when i place the bottom layer on the filler i usually stretch it a bit - kind of like "preloading" it. what that does is give the strap a gentle curve that will take out any wrinkles that might form. stitch the perimeter.

[nautical172000]

A good place for anything watch related is www.esslinger.com.

[Etienne]

Wow thank you for all your replies!

Ramrod, what leather brand are you using? Currently I bought mainly regular (some would probably say cheap) craftsman oak from tandy and was satisfied, but I think I would like to try something higher quality. I just don't know what brand to try...

As a side note, the only leather distributor I know in my area is tandy, some my options are kinda limited I guess.

[Christianlikeswhiskey]

Oh the battle to find buckles! I have been down this road and have asked everyone where to find them! It is a bit of a hunt but I get mine through Ali Express, Ebay, Amazon... The hardest part is finding metal strap keepers in the size needed for a watchband! I use 4-5 oz Horween Dublin for my straps and skive the buckle end. Horween does a great job with the finish on the underside of the hide so I do not double up the strap.

Good Luck!

[ramrod]

etienne - i use the same as you....i've also got some calf and shark that i purchased a long time ago. calf is mostly for the lining. interestingly, my aunt who passed several years ago, had a box full of straps. most of them are about 12" long and about an inch wide. the box had about 3000 in it. i don't know what brand they are - or even why she had them (possibly to make bracelets), but i skive them down to 2-3 oz. and use them. they'll last forever.

i've also used horween and i love it. i bought some scraps from a member here just to try it out, but i know i want more. it's great stuff to work with.

i'd post pictures but i forgot how to do it.

[AndersenLeather]

I just made a watch strap with a filler.

I used 1 mm 2-3 oz leather for the upper and 1-2 oz for the back (skived down)

The filler was made with 5 oz.

it was glued together with normal contact cement.

The strap is very flexible and comfortable.

This is my first strap with a filler so the process is not perfect.

[AndersenLeather]

[Etienne]

Wow Jonasbo that's really impressive work! The final result looks stunning!

I have 2 questions for you:

1- did you use cement glue all over the leather pieces surfaces or only the edges? (is the filler only glued to one side)

im asking the question because I imagine the 3 layers bottom, filler and top would make a pretty stiff multilayer sandwich if they cannot slide one over the otheer.. Maybe I'm really thinking too far about it but I cannot stop my engineer brain from picturing that

2- how did you finish your edges? Just before sewing or after and did you dyed and burnish or simply burnish.

I cannot wait to try that technique myself!

[AndersenLeather]

Thanks

1- I used glue all over the surfaces and on both sides of the filler. I think you are overthinking it. The strap is not stiff at all even with everything glued together.

2 - the edges was finished before the stitching was done. I used normal black dye on the edges before burnishing.

If you got more questions feel free to ask again.

One thing I always do before a new project is to make small "proof of concept" of the details i'm unsure of.

[HippieLee]

Great looking band, Jonasbo. Thanks for posting all the pics!

[iWERKS]

I just started out making my own straps about a month ago (and still have lots to learn). I've been using leather in the 4-6oz range, double layered so that the strap is approx 4-6mm thick. It really depends on the watch it's going on and if it thick strap matches it. For buckles, I like to use either the OEM buckle that came with the watch, or something a bit less common. I found this ratcheting divers clasp at strapcode.com which I'm using on the Breitling. They sell many other style of buckles but they're not exactly cheap.

Here's a few i've made

Edited April 15, 2015 by iWERKS

[ramrod]

etienne - you can glue up the strap on both sides and it will not always be stiff. you don't need anything to "slide past" anything else.

one thing i've noticed is that iwerks and jonasbo put only one or three holes in the strap. i use one in mine. that's all i need. i'm not gonna grow or shrink so tht the strap won't fit.

nice watches guys....i'm in love with the speedmasters.and breitling is on my list also....the makara is brass? sweet!

[iWERKS]

Thanks ramrod. My obsession with watches and leather straps is what led me here. I put three holes in my straps because usually the first hole I punch is either too big or to small lol and having two holes looks odd. Being pretty new at this, I was afraid if I put more than three holes, they will start to get out of alignment/spacing. Get my "plan B" logic?

The Makara is CUSN8 bronze. Great watch for the price. Photos really can't illustrate how light emphasizes the hexagonal shape of the case for a split second when the light hits it at the right angle.

[jwallace]

Hello there,

I figured I'd weigh in as well, although many questions have been answered!

1 - Leather type and weight - This is purely subjective, but all my straps are made from 4oz. leather. As far as type, I have pretty much stuck with Horween leathers because I like the temper; they are not too stiff but not too soft. I also began by dyeing my own veg tan tooling hides but it was definitely my least favorite part of the process. Now I just buy finished leathers.

2 - The glue shouldn't have much impact on the pliability of the strap. I've skipped gluing and went straight to stitching and found no real difference.

3 - I'm not sure how to get away from wrinkling at the top. I'd love to be able to bend a strap back to its original shape after I've worn it, but experience has taught me just to leave it with some curvature and not mess it up.

4 - I order my buckles on eBay from zhuoleistore. She has a great variety and -- best of all -- they're cheap and on-par with the quality of other buckles I've bought from Esslinger, Jules Borel, etc.

I hope that helps!

[ramrod]

The Makara is CUSN8 bronze.

LOL...i'm such an idiot (bangs head on desk). that's actually what i meant. seems there are more bronze watches on the market lately. it's on my list.

thanks for that buckle link, jwallace. i've been looking for a site to buy some.

sweet! a seiko diver. are you on the SCWF site?

Edited April 17, 2015 by ramrod

[TomG]

Nice bands. I do have a couple of questions. I've only made a couple of 2 ply straps and wasn't real happy with my quality. Mainly the stitching.

1) Do you make it oversize and trim it down after gluing together and then sew?

2) Do you hand sew or are you using a machine?

3) What weight thread did you use?

4) is there any benefit or difference between sewing across the strap at the pin or not?

Thanks in advance.

[AndersenLeather]

1) I made mine 2 mm oversize and trimed it down after it was sewn together. I think you could go down to 1 mm.

2) Hand sew

3) Fil au chinois thread size 632 (0,51mm in diameter) 8.5 spi

4) It does not mean much. Some say that sewing across will weaken the strap but I don't think that straps that have been sewn across has a tendency to break. I don't do it though

[iWERKS]

TomG

1) I make mine about 0.5mm wider which gets taken down by sanding/burnishing the edges

2) Hand sew

3) I used the waxed nylon thread from Tandy as well as 4 ply waxed linen thread. I believe it's around to 0.8mm in diameter. The linen thread comes in more colours but I'm finding that it's starting to become fuzzy. Might just be cheap thread. I heard nothing but good things about Tiger thread. I will try that next.

4) I've never considered any advantage/disadvantage to sewing across the strap at the pin. If I choose to, it's purely for appearance.

[jwallace]

@TomG:

1) I make mine to fit. It's all a preference, but I have found that trimming small amounts of leather off is always nerve-wracking for me if it's already stitched. I'd just hate to go through all that work only to slice it too close.

2) Hand sew.

3) I use 0.6mm Tiger Thread and it really is the best stuff I've used. It's expensive as hell but the difference is that remarkable.

4) I've been told that sewing across the pin isn't really advised because it weakens the leather in that spot, essentially perforating it at a high stress area. While I could see that being problematic on a strap that might see some actual pull and stress, I just don't see strapping it on one's wrist coming close to that level of stress.

Nice bands. I do have a couple of questions. I've only made a couple of 2 ply straps and wasn't real happy with my quality. Mainly the stitching.

1) Do you make it oversize and trim it down after gluing together and then sew?

2) Do you hand sew or are you using a machine?

3) What weight thread did you use?

4) is there any benefit or difference between sewing across the strap at the pin or not?

Thanks in advance.