Further strap attempt

[anzac1957]

Decided to have another go at trench watch strap..



Decided to not use my wife's sewing machine. . stitching done by Mr Minit.



Start of the slits..



On wrist.. Some tidying of slits required still..



Long way to go to be up to the Captain's standard.

Cheers

[captainscarlet1]

That doesn't look to bad at all Tony Bit more practice and hand stitching "in house" and you'll be there mate :thumbup:

[anzac1957]

That doesn't look to bad at all Tony Bit more practice and hand stitching "in house" and you'll be there mate :thumbup:

Tool for hand stitching??

[captainscarlet1]

What I do is after cutting the leather to it's final shape, I put a groove in the leather on both sides along the track I want the stitching to go, using a hot iron tool. Then I use a steel rule and a sharpened punch, and hammer small holes at whatever interval is appropriate for the stitch length. Then I hand stitch round with a stout needle and try to finish at the least noticeable point. Once that is done I hammer the leather. After that I use a Dremel type tool to bevel and sand the edges and then either leave them rough, burnish, or coat them with a water resistant coating. These techniques are by no means the correct way of doing things, they are just methods I've learned to use over time, with limited knowledge and tools available


Attached files

[anzac1957]

The start of my next trench watch strap..





More to follow..

Cheers

[anzac1957]

Still needs to be stitched..

[anzac1957]

Stitched..



Cheers

[anzac1957]

Started one for the Chinese Air Force Chronograph..





Cheers

[anzac1957]

Cheers

[anzac1957]

Now with some hand stitching.. Need to work on this skill I think..







Cheers

[anzac1957]

Now after the application of some brown shoe polish..





Cheers

[captainscarlet1]

Well then Tony.....That looks a bit of a dogs dinner doesn't it Seriously though mate, we've all been there. These things aren't easy to make, but practice will see you improve by leaps and bounds. There is a lot more to making these things than meets the eye, and I for one congratulate you for taking this new skill on. I'd be interested to hear what you think of the whole process, highs, lows etc. Anyway, keep it up :thumbup:

[anzac1957]

Well then Tony.....That looks a bit of a dogs dinner doesn't it Seriously though mate, we've all been there. These things aren't easy to make, but practice will see you improve by leaps and bounds. There is a lot more to making these things than meets the eye, and I for one congratulate you for taking this new skill on. I'd be interested to hear what you think of the whole process, highs, lows etc. Anyway, keep it up :thumbup:

Thanks, Alex..I can always rely on you for an honest opinion.. :thumbup:

Obviously, the Mark One eyeball isn't as accurate as it used to be, thus the stitch spacing.. I used a two needle method to do the saddle stitching.. Either way, I have some knowledge I didn't have before..

Cheers

[captainscarlet1]

No worries mate
Here's one of my early straps. Looks pretty much like yours.
The stitching was the hardest thing to get right for me. It didn't matter how careful I was, I still couldn't get the stitches where I wanted them. I ended up making a groove (I think it was DWC's suggestion ........Where's he nowadays?) on both sides along the course I wanted the stitching to go, then using a punch and steel rule to mark out stitch spaces. Another thing I had to work at was getting layers to the right thickness so that once assembled they weren't too bulky and tapered towards the end.


Attached files

[anzac1957]

Purchased one of these..



Waiting on the finer needle and then will use with next strap..