[AL9C1]

Ok guys. I recently started making my own straps for fun. Who else is making straps here? Would love to have a thread to share tricks, tools, and tips as I progress in this hobby. Please join in and share what you guys are doing. These are mine worth posting so far.

Jump in guys I would love some input on being better and more proficient making straps.
AL

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[nonfatproduct]

those look nice. I have wanted to try my hand at making straps for several years now but haven't taken the plunge. where do you get your supplies? and are there a coupe tools worth buying that would get me started? Thanks

 

[watchobs]

Don't make them, but I'm fascinated by the process/end results, thus, I'm linking in ;-) Will be fascinated to see how this thread evolves!

 

[AL9C1]

those look nice. I have wanted to try my hand at making straps for several years now but haven't taken the plunge. where do you get your supplies? and are there a coupe tools worth buying that would get me started? Thanks

I bought a couple basic leather tool kits from amazon. Still haven't made it out to the Tandy leather store for better products honestly hand picking out your leather is the best option. I ordered a few different pieces of leather from amazon also but they aren't the best for straps. Learning curve is really easy. Tons of YouTube vids out there for tips also.

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[AL9C1]

Don't make them, but I'm fascinated by the process/end results, thus, I'm linking in ;-) Will be fascinated to see how this thread evolves!

Me too. Thanks for joining. Got quite a few people here who sell straps and would love some pro tips too.

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[Delugs]

Great to see more people interested in crafting straps! I've been leathercrafting for about 4 years myself. Not to be a downer or anything, but just wanted to put it out there that if there's anyone looking to make them yourself to "save money", you are going to be so wrong! Between the hours spent and tools/leather cost, it will be much much easier to just buy a strap from a crafter.

But, there's so much fun in leathercrafting, and it is quite the rabbithole indeed. I would check out the subreddit r/leathercraft for some amazing resources on how to get started. Lots of good knowledge in there - it's how I got started too! Also check out Youtube for a lot of guides. The content wasn't as rich back when I started leathercrafting, and it has certainly matured quite a bit in the past couple of years with many online courses teaching it too.

Saw that Tandy was mentioned - tbh you are better off getting from a place like Rocky Mountain Leather Supply instead. The stuff at Tandy is pretty low quality, even if you are just considering starting out.

If anyone has specific questions, feel free to ask and I will try to answer them!

 

[AL9C1]

Great to see more people interested in crafting straps! I've been leathercrafting for about 4 years myself. Not to be a downer or anything, but just wanted to put it out there that if there's anyone looking to make them yourself to "save money", you are going to be so wrong! Between the hours spent and tools/leather cost, it will be much much easier to just buy a strap from a crafter.

But, there's so much fun in leathercrafting, and it is quite the rabbithole indeed. I would check out the subreddit r/leathercraft for some amazing resources on how to get started. Lots of good knowledge in there - it's how I got started too! Also check out Youtube for a lot of guides. The content wasn't as rich back when I started leathercrafting, and it has certainly matured quite a bit in the past couple of years with many online courses teaching it too.

Saw that Tandy was mentioned - tbh you are better off getting from a place like Rocky Mountain Leather Supply instead. The stuff at Tandy is pretty low quality, even if you are just considering starting out.

If anyone has specific questions, feel free to ask and I will try to answer them!

Thanks for the input. What do you recommend for an adjustable strap cutter? I'm still doing it the hard way with a razor knife and keeping the straps a consistent width is still tough? I'm sure I'll have more questions but I need a strap cutter next.

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[Delugs]

Thanks for the input. What do you recommend for an adjustable strap cutter? I'm still doing it the hard way with a razor knife and keeping the straps a consistent width is still tough? I'm sure I'll have more questions but I need a strap cutter next.

Knife is your best bet. Get a good quality knife, and get well with using it. Learn to make templates and trace them onto your leather and cut according to that template. If you are looking to scale, getting dies made is the next step.

Strap cutters are inconsistent, and don't offer a clean cut. They also don't work on leather that are soft. And with straps, they aren't always the same width throughout since it tapers and whatnot, so you will need a knife anyway.

 

[AL9C1]

Knife is your best bet. Get a good quality knife, and get well with using it. Learn to make templates and trace them onto your leather and cut according to that template. If you are looking to scale, getting dies made is the next step.

Strap cutters are inconsistent, and don't offer a clean cut. They also don't work on leather that are soft. And with straps, they aren't always the same width throughout since it tapers and whatnot, so you will need a knife anyway.

Good to know about the strap cutter. What do think about the pizza cutter style knives? Or is there another style you would recommend.

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[Delugs]

Good to know about the strap cutter. What do think about the pizza cutter style knives? Or is there another style you would recommend.

Go with a Japanese style knife. They offer the most flexibility and versatility.

 

[Nokie]

Very nice looking straps. Wish I had that skill set......

Great work.

 

[AL9C1]

Very nice looking straps. Wish I had that skill set......

Great work.

I was wishing that a couple months ago. Less than $200 in tools and supplies and here I am. Never worked leather before this. This might be my favorite I'm wearing today. Made out of an old tool belt.

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[Nokie]

Very nice. Keep up the good work!

 

[AL9C1]

Still working on it. Getting more comfortable. Tried some chrome tanned stuff but it's not very durable. Looks nice though.

 

[AL9C1]

Finished these two up. Came out nice.

 

[AL9C1]

New leathers came in. Pretty excited about them. Finding leathers online can be very tricky so I ordered some small pieces to test the quality. Really digging these.

 

[Mr.Jones82]

Awesome idea for a thread! Nice work by the way! You basically have the perfect watch if you’re into straps, so it makes sense getting into strap making. Keep up the good work

 

[Whisky Beer Bob]

I would like to get into strap making myself. I bought a bunch of tools just have not made the leap to attempts yet. As for sourcing leather I read somewhere that a great way to find weathered and distressed leather is old purses in vintage shops. If you look at some old purses you would be surprised what you can find.

 

[AL9C1]

I would like to get into strap making myself. I bought a bunch of tools just have not made the leap to attempts yet. As for sourcing leather I read somewhere that a great way to find weathered and distressed leather is old purses in vintage shops. If you look at some old purses you would be surprised what you can find.

There's really no rules just practice. YouTube helped me out a lot. This latest batch of leather pieces came from a company named (Jeereal) from amazon. I haven't worked any of it yet but I like the quality and the prices. 6X12" piece for around $10 just to get started. You will get a feel of what leathers you like working and the thicknesses. Around 2mm thick works out pretty well for me so far.

OoO Bro
Dirty south chapter

 

[AL9C1]

Cranked out a couple tonight. The reddish one is actually called tan. The lighter one is a Dublin brown. Both look pretty good.