Wrist watch strap

[toxo]

I bought a cheap watch which I like and it tells me the time, however,  inevitably the strap started to fall apart but I was intrigued because althoughit was almost in half where "my" hole was I was still able to wear the thing.I reasoned that there must be something between the crap layers to enable it to do that. I eventually guilted myself into making a new strap and on cutting it open there is a plastic mesh inside. I'm waiting for the glue to dry and I'm using "Croc" chrome tan on the outside and pigskin on the inside and in lieu of the plastic mesh I glued in two layers of rip stop nylon. I've never made a watch strap in my life and my question is, when using proper leather is the ripstop/plastic mesh necessary?

[LatigoAmigo]

5 hours ago, toxo said:

when using proper leather is the ripstop/plastic mesh necessary?

Chrome tan and pigskin can both be rather soft leathers, so without the mesh the strap will likely stretch out of shape.

[toxo]

1 hour ago, LatigoAmigo said:

Chrome tan and pigskin can both be rather soft leathers, so without the mesh the strap will likely stretch out of shape.

Thanks Amigo.

[Rahere]

The mesh might have become brittle in use anyway, so your idea of a ripstop's a good one. Kevlar's not impossible, but... What I'd suggest is using a bias-cut with the edges turned in to meet at the middle, possibly twice if you like a well-packed band. Just leave it a single layer at the watch pin, you won't have the space for anything thicker. The trick sewing the edges is to leave quite a bit more leather as seam allowance than you're going to end up with, and cut it back to about 1 mm once sewn. Then edge-kote and burnish.

This is the kind of project where a skiving machine really pays dividends, to reduce the thickness of the leather to half a millimeter or so.

[toxo]

10 hours ago, Rahere said:

The mesh might have become brittle in use anyway, so your idea of a ripstop's a good one. Kevlar's not impossible, but... What I'd suggest is using a bias-cut with the edges turned in to meet at the middle, possibly twice if you like a well-packed band. Just leave it a single layer at the watch pin, you won't have the space for anything thicker. The trick sewing the edges is to leave quite a bit more leather as seam allowance than you're going to end up with, and cut it back to about 1 mm once sewn. Then edge-kote and burnish.

This is the kind of project where a skiving machine really pays dividends, to reduce the thickness of the leather to half a millimeter or so.

Some good advice there. This time I just used the old strap as a pattern and just used the ripstop to reinforce the holes but I usually do go the oversize and cut back route.I do have one of those "C" type skivers that works well with thin stuff.

[RockyAussie]

I don't generally run any fabric full length but do so around the pins and buckle areas. This is a link to one of how I do them sometimes -