Shoulder strap pad

[Loudcherokee]

Hello! 

I'm planning a banjo strap project for my father as a fathers day gift, and plan a 1" strap with a 2 or 2 1/2" pad section. 

What is the best material to sandwich between two layers of veg tan? Some kind of foam? I'd like that puffy kind of padded look so I'm not sure if something more firm than just some open cell foam would work or not. 

Should the padding inside be left "floating" or should it be glued to one side of the leather? 

LC

[fredk]

try rubberised horse hair. you can get small amounts, like A4 or A5 size, in model railway supply shops. For large amounts look to upholstery suppliers

[Hardrada]

I use closed-cell foam for my slings.

https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Water-Resistant-Closed-Cell-5GCF1?opr=APPD&analytics=altItems_5GCF2

Edited February 14, 2021 by Hardrada

[OLESKIVER]

Have you thought of using shearling? Either real or synthetic? on the padding, if you are going to "sandwich" it between two pieces of leather, I would think you would want to glue it down at the least. I would worry that if left "floating" it might bunch up inside.  hope this helps.

[Rahere]

3 hours ago, OLESKIVER said:

Have you thought of using shearling? Either real or synthetic? on the padding, if you are going to "sandwich" it between two pieces of leather, I would think you would want to glue it down at the least. I would worry that if left "floating" it might bunch up inside.  hope this helps.

Shearling would be better used as the underside of the pad, it's quite robust and will resist the tendency of the instrument to float on the shoulder.

[LatigoAmigo]

9 hours ago, Loudcherokee said:

should it be glued to one side

I use "neoprene sponge foam rubber" (from Amazon) and always tack it down with glue first so it stays in place, because when I sew the leather pieces together it puts a lot of pressure on the rubber. Here I've used 1/8 inch thick foam rubber on a cross-body strap (bag still under construction).

[JLMuffin32]

Closed cell polyethylene foam or some sort from of polyurethane high density foam would be my choice. A high density will help improve the lifespan.

[chuck123wapati]

i use polyester wadding for my slings and such it doesnt break down like foams do over time. 

[rileymuk]

On 2/19/2021 at 3:16 PM, JLMuffin32 said:

Closed cell polyethylene foam or some sort from of polyurethane high density foam would be my choice. A high density will help improve the lifespan.

Amazing choice but I like foam cuts.