Work in progress - dog leash

[Raksha]

First time making a dog leash. And just to set the pressure I need it to be good enough to be a prototype for a small online shop. Soooo... Here we go. 
Need to burn the thread ends, could not find matches  And work to get the bloodknot to look nicer. 

Have not finished the handle, just marked the stitch lines. I am unsure if I should stitch on both sides of the bloodknot here to. 

Material: 3,5 mm veg tan. Treated with gum targ. and satin shine. Tread is waxed something... Linin? Can't remember. 

The goal is a leash that looks and feels nice and solid, made for dogs from 20kg and up to... say 50 kg. What do you think? Am I on to something? Or..?

 

 

[roo4u]

well i dont tend to make leashes out of vegtan...it will get a bit stiff if it gets wet and is not conditioned well.  my preference for leashes is 9-11 oz latigo or a nice bridle leather in similar weight although you can go one weight lower for smaller dogs.   it looks to me like the slits for your braids are a bit long...it makes it look loose and untidy.  also there is no need to stitch if your braid is snugged up a bit....i did occasionally use a rivet on the end if the customer asked or it was an exceptionally heavy leash to be used for schutzhund or similar as sometimes the heavy leather needs to wear in before it sits nicely in the braid.  perhaps others can comment on the stitching as i am no pro there.  i believe if you search on this forum you will find a link to a tutorial on how to do those split braids that explains it well...  good luck :-)

[Raksha]

Thank you veg tan is the only leather I have acsess to, but it is quite soft no. 

[Matt S]

Hi Raksha, your lead looks good and and solid. If you could get those bleed knots flat (perhaps by hammering) it would make them seem even neater.

One word of warning, I have found that that style of hook can come undone under some circumstances. I strongly recommend that you switch to a sliding trigger hook as opposed to that pivoting style.

[alpha2]

Take some tape and wrap it around the jaws of needle nosed pliers, to protect the leather, and use that to correct the way the bleed knot lays. They should look symmetrical. If you pull the bleed knots tight, all you need is a couple of stitches in the end tab, or a rivet to keep it in place. Also, if you keep the bleed knot close to the snap hook, you don't need stitching at all at that end. You really don't need to do anything with the tab, but it looks more finished if you tack it down. Veg tan works fine for leashes, but you need to condition it. I use a mixture of neetsfoot oil, parrifin and beeswax. Wipe it on well and let it soak in. Nice and soft and fairly water-resistant. Yours looks good for a first one!

Jeff

Edited June 29, 2018 by alpha2

[Raksha]

6 hours ago, Matt S said:

Hi Raksha, your lead looks good and and solid. If you could get those bleed knots flat (perhaps by hammering) it would make them seem even neater.

One word of warning, I have found that that style of hook can come undone under some circumstances. I strongly recommend that you switch to a sliding trigger hook as opposed to that pivoting style.

Thanks! The hook is requested by the buyer. He had bad experiens with what we call pistol hook in same way.  And I prefer this type because the pistol type will freeze in the winther   But yes, you have to check them. 

3 hours ago, alpha2 said:

Take some tape and wrap it around the jaws of needle nosed pliers, to protect the leather, and use that to correct the way the bleed knot lays. They should look symmetrical. If you pull the bleed knots tight, all you need is a couple of stitches in the end tab, or a rivet to keep it in place. Also, if you keep the bleed knot close to the snap hook, you don't need stitching at all at that end. You really don't need to do anything with the tab, but it looks more finished if you tack it down. Veg tan works fine for leashes, but you need to condition it. I use a mixture of neetsfoot oil, parrifin and beeswax. Wipe it on well and let it soak in. Nice and soft and fairly water-resistant. Yours looks good for a first one!

Jeff

Thanks! May I ask what that hook is called? Just seen it on large hooks use in the cow barn here. 

 

[ByNelson]

9 hours ago, roo4u said:

well i dont tend to make leashes out of vegtan...it will get a bit stiff if it gets wet and is not conditioned well.  my preference for leashes is 9-11 oz latigo or a nice bridle leather in similar weight although you can go one weight lower for smaller dogs.   it looks to me like the slits for your braids are a bit long...it makes it look loose and untidy.  also there is no need to stitch if your braid is snugged up a bit....i did occasionally use a rivet on the end if the customer asked or it was an exceptionally heavy leash to be used for schutzhund or similar as sometimes the heavy leather needs to wear in before it sits nicely in the braid.  perhaps others can comment on the stitching as i am no pro there.  i believe if you search on this forum you will find a link to a tutorial on how to do those split braids that explains it well...  good luck :-)

What size slit do you cut for a dog leash ? 

 

 

[Matt S]

2 hours ago, Raksha said:

Thanks! The hook is requested by the buyer. He had bad experiens with what we call pistol hook in same way.  And I prefer this type because the pistol type will freeze in the winther   But yes, you have to check them.

Well I can't argue with that. I never considered snow/ice seizing a trigger hook -- our winters are typified by rain and boredom!

[alpha2]

It's called a trigger snap, or swivel trigger snap. 

[Raksha]

37 minutes ago, Matt S said:

Well I can't argue with that. I never considered snow/ice seizing a trigger hook -- our winters are typified by rain and boredom!

Normal winther here is easy -20C  - in march this year we had a cold streak with lover than -30 c. Cold.  

15 minutes ago, alpha2 said:

It's called a trigger snap, or swivel trigger snap. 

Oh thanks! 

 

[alpha2]

Norway-way-way-cold!

[Raksha]

15 minutes ago, alpha2 said:

Norway-way-way-cold!

Juuuust a bit chill... But you do not want to touch metall  

 

[Raksha]

Mailed the finished dog leash to day. I am soooooooo nervous for the respons from the shop. 
 
It is a prototype and there is room for changes, and if they like it and want to sell them for me, there will be some options reagarding length, colour, hooks, and so on. 

 

[Raksha]

On 29.6.2018 at 9:42 PM, alpha2 said:

It's called a trigger snap, or swivel trigger snap. 

Do you know any online shop with world wide shipping I can get those? 

The leash was well recieved, but the shop manager would like a more "unike" hook. Soo, I am looking for more "unike" hooks!  

[Matt S]

3 hours ago, Raksha said:

Do you know any online shop with world wide shipping I can get those? 

The leash was well recieved, but the shop manager would like a more "unike" hook. Soo, I am looking for more "unike" hooks!  

I can recommend Abbey Saddlery in England. They have excellent customer service and ship internationally a lot. They have similar hooks, such as this, available in brass or stainless steel: http://abbeyengland.com/Store/CategoryID/370/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/73261

For prices you'll have to make an account. You'll have to pay VAT @ 20% but at least you won't get hit with import fees.

[Raksha]

9 hours ago, Matt S said:

I can recommend Abbey Saddlery in England. They have excellent customer service and ship internationally a lot. They have similar hooks, such as this, available in brass or stainless steel: http://abbeyengland.com/Store/CategoryID/370/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/73261

For prices you'll have to make an account. You'll have to pay VAT @ 20% but at least you won't get hit with import fees.

Thanks! I'll have look.