Guide to Make Your Own Strap

roadwarrior

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Posted by STRAPCODE on FEBRUARY 10, 2021

Written by Sam

Photos by Toni


What is watch modding? To me, watch modding gives you an opportunity to breakdown, build, rebuild, customize, and to re-construct your time piece to exactly the way you want it to be. You can modify every part of your watch, starting from the watch case, dial, hands, needles, watch glass, down to the body/end link screw, and last but not least, watch bands. Speaking of watch bands, the difficulty to look for that one particular watch band that matches and fits perfectly with your wrist and watch is nearly impossible. Watch bands are normally one of the first things people would look to change/swap when it comes to watch modifications. Some people may go above and beyond to create and design their very own watch band.

DIY VIDEO LEATHER TOOLS

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List of materials & tools required to make a leather strap
  1. Fine skiving knife
  2. Soft wood burnish stick
  3. Hard wood burnish stick
  4. Knife strop paddled
  5. Needle marker
  6. Japanese skiving knife
  7. Burnt brown leather dye
  8. Mark 00 edge beveler
  9. Gray wax thread
  10. Beige wax thread
  11. Diamond lacing stitching chisel
  12. 0.7 mm hole puncher
  13. Hammer
  14. Sandpaper stick
  15. Presser
  16. Cutting mat
  17. Punch chisel mat

Here are the steps to show you how to make your own leather strap.

  1. Select a piece of leather of your choice; color, type of leather, quality
  2. Trim the width from the selected piece of leather according to the lug width size of your watch
  3. Length Trimming- trim the length of the selected leather from the piece of leather according to the measurements of your wrist
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(LENGTH & WIDTH TRIMMING) Cut the 2 leather pieces in the same dimensions and to make sure the width are the same as the distance between the two lugs with a leather cutting blade

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4. (Strap End Treatment) End Thinning- Thin out the selected measured area on the selected piece of leather

5. (Strap End Treatment) Burnishing, seal off leather fiber- Burnish and seal off the selected area with leather conditioner like substance

6. Skive Both Ends

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(Skive Both Ends) Thin out the leather with a Sciver

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7. Applying Glue- Apply glue on the measured area on the leather pieces

8. Clamping Until Glue Dry- Apply pressure/force to the glued leather pieces with a clamp

9. Preparing Back Leather- Skive the end of the back side of the leather pieces with a skiving blade

10. Apply Glue For Back Leather- Apply glue on the measured area on the back leather pieces

11. Attachment Paper Pattern- Attach the paper pattern template onto the leather pieces and to hold/secure the position with a piece of transparent tape

12. Punching Sewing Holes

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Hole punch exactly the same spot according to the paper template

13. Trim By The Pattern- Cut and trim the leather pieces according to the paper pattern

14. Beveling The Edge On Both Sides- Edge trimming around the edges along the sides of the leather pieces with the edge beveller

15. Seal The Gap Edges To Help With Dye Infiltration- Sealing and filing the edges to prep for edge color dye process

16. Edge Dying- Apply color dye to the edges on the sides of the leather pieces

17. Seal Off- Seal off the edges with a burnish stick

18. Color Dye again to ensure color consistency- Repeat process to ensure color dye consistency

19. Edge Fiber Seal Off, Repeat Process Until Satisfied- Repeat process to ensure all fiber are burnished and sealed off

20. Saddle Stitching- Place the leather piece onto the saddle block to initiate the stitching process

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Double Stitch Away With Waxed Nylon Thread

21. Finish Stitching- Upon stitching completion, heat seal the end of the threads to avoid loose ends

22. Checking- Final check

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Edge Beveling & Sealing Edge Off Each Side Of The Strap

23. Clasp Installation- Insert spring bars into the leather piece to complete the clasp installation process

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Install Clasp Onto Strap

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