Guide to Make Your Own Strap

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

**List of materials & tools required to make a leather strap**

Fine skiving knife
Soft wood burnish stick
Hard wood burnish stick
Knife strop paddled
Needle marker
Japanese skiving knife
Burnt brown leather dye
Mark 00 edge beveler
Gray wax thread
Beige wax thread
Diamond lacing stitching chisel
0.7 mm hole puncher
Hammer
Sandpaper stick
Presser
Cutting mat
Punch chisel mat

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

Select a piece of leather of your choice; color, type of leather, quality
Trim the width from the selected piece of leather according to the lug width size of your watch
Length Trimming- trim the length of the selected leather from the piece of leather according to the measurements of your wrist

(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

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

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

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