Strap Bleaching Results

[TeeJay]

This is the result of 30 minutes immersed in household bleach.

Before:

After:

[b16a2]

That has come out well! How did you go about rinsing it after being immersed n the bleach?

[crystalcranium]

Very nice. I'm not into distressing myself but it looks like an old strap.

I build furniture in my spare time and distressing is a very delecate art. Knowing when "enough's enough" is a skill. Personally, I tell my clients to go with a classic old design and let nature take it's course. The problem with "distressed" everyday items is that they quickly devolve into worn out junk with normal wear.

A satinized woody finish on a table rather than a glossy one usually satisfies the "I want it to look used" crowd...and I try to convince them to let their kids provide the impacts for distressing.

[Richard Tracy]

Can I ask you why ?

After all, the watch is not a vintage model, and even if it were,

who says that a leather strap needs to match the age of a watch ?

Personally I would replace such a strap way before it got to that condition.

[TeeJay]

That has come out well!

Thanks The portion of the strap that come from the 12 position got a bit beaten up, as I used jewellers screwdrivers to hold the strap flat under the bleach, and that rubbed away a few spots of the finished leather, but, that just adds to the aged look.

How did you go about rinsing it after being immersed n the bleach?

I cut a 2 litre Pepsi bottle in half so I could use the top section as a funnel to pour the bleach back in it's bottle, and then I put the strap sections in the bottom part of the bottle, took it outside, and just ran it under the garden tap till the water ran clear. Once the water stopped foaming, I took the strap sections, and rubbed it down a bit more with my thumb while the water was still running. That took away the excess bleach, and the layers of strap material that had been loosened by the bleach. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how it came out

[TeeJay]

Can I ask you why ?

After all, the watch is not a vintage model, and even if it were,

who says that a leather strap needs to match the age of a watch ?

Personally I would replace such a strap way before it got to that condition.

Ultimately, curiousity. I wanted to see if I could do it. My aim wasn't actually vintage the strap, but to take the color down a few shades so it would match with a suede jacket I have. I'm only keeping it on the Submariner as I like the strap/watch combination until my new SMP comes through. Then the Submariner will be back on the SS, and back in the drawer, but I'll be keeping the strap to use on a project I'm planning to recreate a vintage 6200, were the aged strap would be a nice touch.

[TeeJay]

Very nice. I'm not into distressing myself but it looks like an old strap.

I build furniture in my spare time and distressing is a very delecate art. Knowing when "enough's enough" is a skill. Personally, I tell my clients to go with a classic old design and let nature take it's course. The problem with "distressed" everyday items is that they quickly devolve into worn out junk with normal wear.

A satinized woody finish on a table rather than a glossy one usually satisfies the "I want it to look used" crowd...and I try to convince them to let their kids provide the impacts for distressing.

Thanks To be honest, I think I probably left it in too long anyway, as my intention was only to bring the color down rather than aging it, but, it's a lesson learned for future projects