jdkno Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I just ordered a Maratac Elite strap for one of my tool watches. http://www.broadarrow.net/elitesamp2.jpg However, and it must be my luck...errr lack there of, they do not make it with blue stitching which would match the blue dial on my watch. I went ahead and ordered the one with white stitching with the thinking that maybe a blue sharpie could help me turn white to blue. THe more I am thinking about it this will be subjected to sweat, regular water, saltwater, and who knows what else. I am thinking it would only be a matter of time before the blue sharpie looses its luster. Next idea.... Why not just pull the white thread out and replace it with blue myself. So anyone have any clue as to how hard this could be?? More importantly anyone know where I could source some blue thread that would be good to use for a watch strap. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 you might try PM'ing one of our resident strapmakers (V, frogman, cajun, etc) to see if they would do it for you... regardless, good luck with the project deltatahoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbard Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Ok. I'll help you out... Most straps you buy are machine stitched with a lock stitch. Mine of course are hand stitched using the same principle. If you are careful, you can remove the stitching by clipping the stitch carefully in several places. Work slowly, because you can easily mess up your strap. Start removing the stitching carefully a stitch at a time using something like a needle or very small screwdriver to remove the stitches. It will take some time but this is the easy part. Once you have removed the stitching, you will have to find a thread in the same size, gloss, and strength of the top thread which is different from the bottom if they used a lock stitch. The other possibility is that they used a bicycle stitch but you will know this because as soon as you clip the stitch of a lock stitch you can pull a certain length free. With a bicycle or whatever people like to call it these days, you will not have accomplished much because with the bicycle stitch each side is a complete length of thread. So, determine what type of stitch you have and then the type of thread. Next, go find leather needles and begin forcing the needle through the existing holes. Now, one note. If machine stitched, those holes will NOT be kind to you as they will not be large enough to accomodate most leather needles. Also, your needle must be sized correctly for the thread..... Once you begin stitching pay attention to each loop and tighten as you go, otherwise, you will have very uneven stitching and your stitch pattern will be off....Also, if the thread is different colors on the two sides, not pulling tight enough will create a funky look on the bottom and possibly the top. Its your strap, so if you can live with it no problem. The main thing is to take your time, use the appropriate equipment and techniques. It is possible but a lot of work. I'm sure one of us strap makers can help you including myself but it is tedious and often dangerous work.... PM if you have questions. I am happy to help...Other members will chime in. BTW, I re-did an old strap culture strap which I assume was hand stitched and it was very difficult to do because of the age of the piece. I would recommend asking the seller to swap to save time unless you have the tools and patience to do the work. Not too difficult if you have the right stuff and can be rewarding to say you "stitched" your own strap! Again, PM for assistance... I just ordered a Maratac Elite strap for one of my tool watches. http://www.broadarrow.net/elitesamp2.jpg However, and it must be my luck...errr lack there of, they do not make it with blue stitching which would match the blue dial on my watch. I went ahead and ordered the one with white stitching with the thinking that maybe a blue sharpie could help me turn white to blue. THe more I am thinking about it this will be subjected to sweat, regular water, saltwater, and who knows what else. I am thinking it would only be a matter of time before the blue sharpie looses its luster. Next idea.... Why not just pull the white thread out and replace it with blue myself. So anyone have any clue as to how hard this could be?? More importantly anyone know where I could source some blue thread that would be good to use for a watch strap. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbard Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 After looking at the pics, definately machine stitched... Find the thread types, colors and sizes and go for it. I just ordered a Maratac Elite strap for one of my tool watches. http://www.broadarrow.net/elitesamp2.jpg However, and it must be my luck...errr lack there of, they do not make it with blue stitching which would match the blue dial on my watch. I went ahead and ordered the one with white stitching with the thinking that maybe a blue sharpie could help me turn white to blue. THe more I am thinking about it this will be subjected to sweat, regular water, saltwater, and who knows what else. I am thinking it would only be a matter of time before the blue sharpie looses its luster. Next idea.... Why not just pull the white thread out and replace it with blue myself. So anyone have any clue as to how hard this could be?? More importantly anyone know where I could source some blue thread that would be good to use for a watch strap. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkno Posted June 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 I don't think the stitching will be too difficult. My grandmother was a professional seamstress and I did manage to pick up a thing or two from her. The main problem I am having is finding the proper thread. Are there any online places where I can buy thread made for things like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbard Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Hard to say. There are specialty threads out there that you can pick up on ebay or other specialty thread sources on the web. I havent seen the thread on that strap, so I cannot direct you well. I don't think the stitching will be too difficult. My grandmother was a professional seamstress and I did manage to pick up a thing or two from her. The main problem I am having is finding the proper thread. Are there any online places where I can buy thread made for things like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkno Posted June 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 How do you determin the thread size? I have been using my google fu to find the thread but not being able to hold them both in my hand to compare I will need to figure out how to order the proper size. Also I am seeing waxed thread. It seems like that would be the way to go considering the hell I will be putting this strap through. So should I go waxed or unwaxed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbard Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 I would do unwaxed nylon. The thread size is visual at best. No way to know for sure because different thread manufacturers label and size differently. Good luck.... How do you determin the thread size? I have been using my google fu to find the thread but not being able to hold them both in my hand to compare I will need to figure out how to order the proper size. Also I am seeing waxed thread. It seems like that would be the way to go considering the hell I will be putting this strap through. So should I go waxed or unwaxed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkno Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Update: Well I recieved the strap and it looks great on my watch. I also recieved 2 different blue threads from Thread Exchange Now I have hit a wall on the transition. The thread that is in the strap now looks like braided thread, very similar if not the same as kite string. The thread I recieved from Thread Exchange does not look like the braided thread. Anyone know where to pick up colored kite string? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upland Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Update: Well I recieved the strap and it looks great on my watch. I also recieved 2 different blue threads from Thread Exchange Now I have hit a wall on the transition. The thread that is in the strap now looks like braided thread, very similar if not the same as kite string. The thread I recieved from Thread Exchange does not look like the braided thread. Anyone know where to pick up colored kite string? You can check Tandy( on-line or stores all over US) http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/de...avlocation=left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkno Posted July 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Well I finaly got around to re-stitching my Maratec strap with blue thread. I ordered the 277 and the 415 string from Thread Exchange in two different colors. I could only get the Royal Blue in 415 and I had to get the Bluebird in 277 as they don't offer it in 415. After looking at both the Royal Blue was more the color I was going after but the thread itself did not look like the 277 thread. The 277 looks more like braided string which is typicly used on watch straps and the 415 looks like just string if that makes sense. So here are the quick and dirty pics, sorry they look like crap I am at work without a decent camera or lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbard Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Looks great. Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkno Posted July 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Looks great. Good job! Thanks for the compliment. I must admit after re-stitching this one I am kind of wanting to make my own strap from scratch now. The only problem I really had was how to tie it off. I wound up just putting a knot on it but the knot is across the top closest to the lugs so it deos not sit on my skin enough to irritate me. I will have to work on that the next time out. I really wish I could find some embosed leather that has like a diamond pattern in it, something to make it sort of resemble kevlar or something along thoes lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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