Custom Straps
Thank you for joining us on our First Edition of “Behind The Band”. We will cover hot topics about custom strap makers and will be holding an interview with LeatherSmith Joel Abernathy.
Joel made a custom strap for us to give a hands on review, just to give you some insight into his quality and precision. Now that we have worn this strap for a week straight, it’s time for us to give our insights into his creations.
How Long Does A Custom Strap Take?
So, first things first, how long did it take to receive our custom leather strap? Since we are headquartered in Virginia, USA and Leather Cre8tions is in Georgia, USA; we received our strap fairly quickly.
So, you may be wondering, “How long does it take to make a custom strap?” Well you’re in luck! Ordering a custom strap is as quick as placing an order on Amazon (as long as he has the material you want on hand). Joel of Leather Cre8tions had our custom strap done in only 2 hours! After he finished he shipped and it arrived to us in 2 days. Like I said, Amazon speed! With the busy world we live in, we all want our purchases delivered quick. Now, you can get custom leather delivers just as fast!
Our First Impression
Now to get to our first impression of Joel’s red leather strap. Honestly, when we first opened the box, it looked just like a store bought strap. I didn’t think much about that at first, until my wife said, “I don’t think this strap is hand made, it looks too perfect.” That’s when it hit me… this IS handmade. Yet, the quality is so superior that you would think it was bought straight off the shelf. It was time to take a second look at this impressive strap.
The strap looks like a lot of effort was put into it to get it just right. The stitching is fantastic and uniform, the size fit perfectly into the lugs, and the color was amazing. We went with just a standard leather for this strap, but nothing is standard about it. This strap is 100% premium.
We wore it for 1 week on our custom Seiko mod Using parts from Watch-Modz.
Interview With Leather Cre8tions
We interviewed owner and operator of Leather Cre8tions Joel Abernathy, to learn a little more about the man Behind The Band. This is what he had to say…
Delbert: Hello Joel, for those that don’t know you, can you introduce yourself?
Joel: Hello! My name is Joel Abernathy and I am 25 years old. I am happily married to my wife Whitney and we have 2 children, Emersyn and Elias. By day i am a mechanical engineer, but I felt like there has to be more to life than the typical 9-5 job. That’s when I decided to learn about being a leathersmith. In 2020 i started out by making leather products such as wallets, small pouches, and key chains.
Delbert: How did you transition into making custom watch straps?
Joel: I started collecting watches soon after and decided to make myself my own leather strap. Someone in the watch community noticed my strap and reached out to me to make him a few. After I finished, he posted some photos of the finished product. This is what gave me the opportunity to start making custom straps for others. I grew fond of making the custom straps because they can be difficult sometimes and I love a challenge! I started out with natural cow hide, until someone asked about exotic skins. That’s when a whole new world of leather making was opened up to me.
Delbert: How did you first learn about leather making?
Joel: Well I wanted to make myself a wallet at first. I had a friend that I knew did a little bit of leather work, so I reached out to him to make a wallet for me. Instead, he told me to come over and he would teach me how to make it myself. The rest is history.
Delbert: Can you tell us what you love the most about custom strap making?
Joel: What I love the most about making custom straps are the challenges people give me. I love to create straps that people have never seen before. I usually create a custom strap that nobody would even dream of making. Honestly, I feel like that is what helps me to stand out from other strap makers.
Delbert: What was the most difficult port of strap making when you first started out?
Joel: I would say the most difficult part when I first started, was trying to get the perfect size for the lugs. Everything else comes pretty easy. However, one wrong move though, and you will go from a 22mm lug size to a 21mm size real quick! That 1mm can make a huge difference when making a custom strap for a customer. People don’t want to look down and see the spring bars peeking through, but they also don’t want to have to squish the strap into the lugs. So, the lug sizing can make or break the finished product.
Delbert: How can customers contact you to make a custom strap?
Joel: There are many ways to reach out to me for a custom leather watch strap.
- We have a Leather Cre8tions FB Page
- We have a Leather Cre8tions Community group
- You can reach out to us on Istangram @LeatherCre8tions
- I can also be reached on my personal FB page Joel Abernathy
Delbert: Thank you Joel for taking the time to answer all of our questions!
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2 thoughts on “Behind The Band”
Nice work. Joel does a great job on the exotic straps!
Thank you for commenting Jonathan! I know you can make some excellent straps as well!