How does a good watch strap come about? Many friends ask that since the watch strap itself is a consumable, what are the differences in the production process? Let’s talk to you in detail here:
First of all, because the most stressed parts on the strap are the lugs and buckles of the strap, that is, the two ends of the strap, adding reinforcing cloth inside can increase its strength. Generally, the strength of the reinforcing cloth is The vise keeps pulling. In addition, many watch straps will only go through the thread once, directly to the end. The strap I made will have another loop of wire to increase its strength. At the same time, because the lug side cannot be cut, I used a diamond cone to make it one hole at a time.
Strap Materials: The raw materials I use for watch straps are mainly crocodile skin, calfskin, and a small amount of goatskin, ostrich skin, etc. In terms of proportion, the main proportion is the crocodile leather strap. Of course, the location of the leather is also particular. Only the belly of the crocodile is used for crocodile leather, because the belly is softer and is most suitable for watch straps.
There are three companies in the world The company is legally supplying crocodile skin to companies, one in the United States, one in Australia and one in Singapore, named Xinglong Factory (acquired by LVMH); my raw materials are all legal and compliant crocodiles purchased through Xinglong Factory. Skin.
These crocodile skins Unprocessed leather will be uniformly processed for the first time. The most important process is dyeing and texture treatment, so that the strap can show a rich variety of colors, and the surface texture has two effects: matte and lacquer. color.
As for the crocodile skin above, the middle abdomen is shaped like a wide bamboo The knotted part is softer and is most suitable for watch straps, while the patterns on the belly toward the sides and head are more closely arranged, and the feel gradually becomes harder. Although the tail part of the second half also has a beautiful wide bamboo pattern, its softness will be checked a lot compared to the abdomen. Therefore, when selecting materials, I will only use the two or three softer patterns on the abdomen for the strap. Cutting and gluing 1. After selecting the leather material, the first step is to perform initial cutting. The two rectangular molds in the picture below are used for two parts respectively. The wide one is for the long strap with needle holes. (i.e. the strap body), the narrow part is the short strap that holds the buckle and leather ring (i.e. the buckle end). This also ensures that the two sections of each strap are made from the same leather. 2. Place the mold on the entire piece of leather, press it with a large pressure machine, and two rectangular crocodile skins will be cut out. 3. Layer cutting. To make a soft and comfortable watch strap, the overall thickness is also very important, which requires peeling the leather. Push the initially cut leather into the cutting machine, and it will be evenly cut into two thin layers. , the surface layer is retained, and the thickness is controlled at about 0.7mm. Other leather materials used as lining also need to undergo the same process. 4. The two layers of skin are not directly bonded. A layer of material needs to be glued on the back of the cut outer skin for lining. 5. Before bonding, the edges of the two layers of leather need to be further peeled, so that the outer layer of leather needs to be folded back and bonded to the inner lining, so the overlapping parts of the two layers of leather need to be peeled. Thin, so that when the two parts of the skin are bonded, it can ensure that its overall thickness is uniform and consistent with the other parts. So far, the pre-Cutting stage has been completed. 6. Cut and shape again. Use the mold for making two straps to cut each strap from the previously bonded strap master. A row of pinholes and holes for the movable pins of the buckle are also pressed out at the same time, so that the prototype of the strap is created. , but the production of the strap has just begun.
Sutures: Use an awl to tap the suture site. The struck suture site will be tighter and flatter than the previously untreated suture on the right side.
Edging and coloring: After sewing is completed, the edges need to be trimmed and colored. The stitching has been discussed before, so I won’t go into details one by one. First use coarse sandpaper Carry out the first polishing, and then apply color (the color is consistent with the strap), allowing the dye to soak into the edges of the two layers of leather so that the upper and lower layers have the same color. Then, use a higher-temperature soldering iron to press out the outside of the stitching of the strap. An obvious groove, (both sides must be pressed), allows the two layers of leather to be bonded more closely, and to press out excess glue, so that the edge of the watchband will not crack even if it is used for a long time. Then grind it again with fine sandpaper Then apply dye on the edge again and let it dry. After grinding and waxing the edge again, use a soldering iron to heat the dyed part to fix the color, then wax it and polish it again with fine sandpaper. Then, apply wax on one side , wipe it clean with a dry cloth. Even if the watch strap is basically completed, the seams between the upper and lower layers of leather have been processed so that there are no traces at all, just like a belt. Make each movable watch strap leather ring There are two leather rings on the watch, one is movable and the other is fixed. Although the thing is small, the process is not simple at all. The production of the fixed leather ring is especially complicated, and it can be said that the subtleties show the real skill. Here we make the movable leather ring first Ring, first wrap the leather ring strip around the two watch straps and use a needle to determine the length, and then cut it off. Both ends of the leather ring strip need to be cut with a knife to ensure that the thickness of the overlapping part is consistent with other parts. Then, after gluing Drill two rows of holes, four in each row, for sewing and fixing. After sewing with normal thread, use glue to bury the thread end into the needle hole, and use an awl to tap the seam firmly, then polish it, paint it, and finally use The constant-temperature soldering iron allows the dye to quickly penetrate and fix the color, so that the movable leather ring is completed.
Making a fixed watch strap leather ring. The fixed watch strap leather ring requires sewing the leather ring on the watch strap, so the process is more complicated than the movable one. More. First, use tools to support the reserved parts, and then drill four holes on each side of the strap head for subsequent sewing. Finally, determine the length of the leather ring and cut it, and use a hammer to knock out the creases on both sides for ease of sewing. Fix the position, then insert one end of the leather loop into the head of the watch strap, and use traditional saddle stitch sewing to fix one section. Insert the other end of the strap to determine whether the reserved space of the leather loop is appropriate, and then sew the other end of the strap. Sew the leather ring into the watch strap, and use glue to bury the thread end into the needle hole. Insert the copper piece and tap the sewing area firmly, and then use a soldering iron to press out the same grooves as the watch strap on both sides of each leather ring. To make the overall effect of the strap more uniform, a thin sheet is used to round the hole at the fixed end of the watch lug to create a three-dimensional effect, making it easier to insert the lug plug.
< img src="https://img.111diy.com/timthumb.php?src=/d/file/p/dcd7cd6c4c1994fa71642345ac89259f.jpeg" alt="">
Printing the logo and installing the watch case. The last step is to mold the finished watch strap using a copper mold. Print your personal logo. (Rare alligator leather straps will be additionally printed with a geometric pattern to represent its origin). After the strap is made with the buckle and lug plugs, the watch case can be installed. In this way, a The watch strap has completed its production process. Show off some of your watch strap works
< p style="text-align: center;">
Watch strap
