Quick leatherwork question

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Kortoso
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Quick leatherwork question

Post by Kortoso »

I'm beginning work on a leather work project and I have a question:
How do you keep leather baldric straps from stretching? This has been yea the bane of mine existence. :P
I'd love to hear if there are any techniques that can help. Thanks!
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E.MacKermak
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Re: Quick leatherwork question

Post by E.MacKermak »

The best advice I can give is use good quality veg-tanned or latigo leather. A lot of the soft leather is chrome tanned and does have a tendency to stretch. If the center of the leather when you cut it is gray-ish, it's chrome tanned. Veg-tanned is harder and is tan all the way through. Latigo leather is leather used for saddlery. It will stretch a little but not much. It also helps to use a thicker leather. For straps I usually keep to 8 oz (4/32") though 6 oz (3/32") can be used as well depending on the weight to be carried.
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Elleth
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Re: Quick leatherwork question

Post by Elleth »

Yup - thicker leather, vegetable tan, and not from the belly.
I've been burned buying no-name straps off eBay before, and now just get the name-brand stuff.
As much work goes into anything leather, cheaping out on materials is foolish economy.
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Kortoso
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Re: Quick leatherwork question

Post by Kortoso »

Thanks!

I'm doing a scabbard project; the design apparently requires fairly thin straps. I was just wondering if there was a treatment that keeps thinner straps from stretching too much.
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Elleth
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Re: Quick leatherwork question

Post by Elleth »

Ah! Is this one of those "leather strap cut and woven through slits in the scabbard leather" projects?

I think the answer is going to be "use a thicker (not necessarily wider) strap" - but fiber stretches less than leather. Worst case you can sew two thinner straps together, back to back: the linen thread sewing the two layers together will keep them from stretching much.
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Kortoso
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Re: Quick leatherwork question

Post by Kortoso »

Elleth wrote:Ah! Is this one of those "leather strap cut and woven through slits in the scabbard leather" projects?

I think the answer is going to be "use a thicker (not necessarily wider) strap" - but fiber stretches less than leather. Worst case you can sew two thinner straps together, back to back: the linen thread sewing the two layers together will keep them from stretching much.
Thank you Elleth!

Somewhere I heard that some sort of wax treatment would keep leather from stretching too much. I will research this.
Withall, I think that the design is clear for doubling the strap at the buckle, which would allow for two layers. I expect that will solve the foreseen problem.
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Kortoso
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Re: Quick leatherwork question

Post by Kortoso »

I hope this works.
https://postimg.org/gallery/25yc3bu5a/
Sorta looks Rangery...
Image
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