I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

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ajax87
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I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by ajax87 »

I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap.

I received the black/orange tide with my C63 Elite, and I love it. It's just a bit too long for me. The dangly bit pokes out at me from the 12 o'clock side, and on the last hole it's just a tad looser than I prefer, which will get worse after the strap beds in.

I can't just punch a new hole, because then the dangly bit will poke even further and basically cover the top of the watch.

SO... I'm thinking since the #Tide strap is basically plastic, could I cut it and apply heat to basically melt it back in place? Could I do it so that it doesn't look terrible?

Pics below show my through process. Cut a new rounded end about 1/2" shorter on the long strap, with a heated knife, and use a torch lighter to seal it back up.

On the buckle side, two options: 1) make a cut at the circled line, remove maybe 1/2", reattach with heat. Or 2) apply enough heat to loosen the folded over wrap, and basically fold it further to remove 1/2" of length. This would likely require a new buckle post hole to be cut.

Is it worth it to possibly ruin a $95 strap? I have it up in sales corner, it would be nice to get a few dollars back. Anybody try something similar?

08ECFC12-F461-4E4A-8F8C-FF293EACC4A5.jpeg
E35F2E2B-05E3-4A08-944F-91D3F436ABE7.jpeg
Alex
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

I'd live with the longer buckle section as it is. It's too big a risk of making a hash of it to modify, especially if you cut and shunt where you'll lose all structural integrity but . . . .
.
. to cut & seal a section off the longer section / tail, is a long running 'mod' for NATO straps, so I'd imagine it will work on the #tide strap.

Tip; have a practice run. If you want to shorten it by, say, one inch start by doing a cut & seal of half an inch off, maybe have a second practice with a further quarter inch cut & seal. Trusting you're proficient by then, cut & seal to the desired length.

Guy
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by rkovars »

I think I am with Guy on this one. I would definitely leave the buckle side knowing that isn't ideal as it will make the buckle off center on the wrist.

I also agree that trying a shorter cut will help you practice.
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by richtel »

Good idea to use a hot knife. I’d use a scalpel which I’d heat up with a flame. Also worth sandwiching the strap onto a board with a guide of suitable profile (a pound coin?) which you can cut around with the hot knife.
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by scampbell61 »

I have used this method on my straps before with success but not on a tide strap. Think it would work well but I would not operate on the buckle section.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erenPMwU4vg&t=37s
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by iain »

I’ve done this before on straps and cut some of the length away. If I’m completely honest it’s difficult to get it looking as good as the original cut was on the new strap.

I’d ask yourself which will bother you the most. A strap that is a little too long that you can see poking up round the back, or a strap with a slightly messy end that only you will see, but you will see it every time you look at the strap.

Maybe it’s just me, but it’s something to think about. If you can’t get that cut perfect it might always bother you more in the long run.
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by Greatpotfarm »

The buckle end will be a problem... Since it's melted together (that is what it looks like to me) on the flat (a very large joint), it is going to be much more difficult to undo without damaging the edges than you are imagining.
It would be cool to practice around with some other webbing just to see how well a hot knife would do the job of glueing webbing face to face...
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by Soporsche »

I've done this on a woven nylon strap for my son as he has very small wrists (as do many 10yo 🙂). It was very difficult to get a smooth line freehand (even following a drawn line). I tried using an appropriate sized coin clamped as a guide to cut around... worked but wrong shape. I then cut the original curved end off strap and used it to make a template in thin wood (4mm) sanded edges to perfect, clamped to strap at desired point, used a heated craft knife to cut around template then lightly/carefully heated the still clamped exposed edge with a blue flame lighter (sometimes sold as a Turbo lighter). Worked very well for purpose but its not perfect.
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by ajax87 »

Thanks everyone for the replies, the info, the experience, the video!

I think if I don’t shorten the buckle side, it’s not worth it for me to do anything. Because this is where the buckle sits on my wrist:

131605A5-1558-4945-80C1-DA176F827B24.jpeg


I do feel pretty confident about shortening the long side. And per the video and per the video and the point made by @Soporsche and @iain, I would not mind it looking a little raggedy. I would never expect it to be perfect done by my own hand :lol: but it isn’t meant to be for this one. It’ll stay in the sales corner till it’s gone.

However this does remind me I have a cheap MN style strap that’s too long that I might as well hack away at! Thanks again for the tips!
Alex
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by nbg »

I would shorten the long side and not worry about where the buckle sits on the underside of the wrist.

A stupidly long tail poking out, does to me, look dafter than not getting the cut edge perfect.

Once you have done it and put up pics, I will give it a go with mine. The straps are too long for a wrist of 6.75”-7.0”, even more so for wrists smaller than that.

Neil
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by ajax87 »

Still not sure about doing the tide strap, because for it to really work I’d have to punch another hole. But I tried it on another cheaper strap.

My Barton canvas strap was too long, so I haven’t worn it much. It looked like this:

30676D7F-786A-4396-9B27-E1E453014C4F.jpeg


I gathered my tools. A torch lighter, a fresh blade, a small clamp and a couple quarters.

90E6B6BD-5002-430A-A364-A9DDF25F641B.jpeg


I did heat the blade a bit, but I don’t think it made much of a difference. I think a fresh sharp blade is essential. It cut through the strap very easily.

C56B0E41-DED6-4546-BF39-1ACB4D532F98.jpeg


I did need to go over it with the blade a few times to match the quarter profile. I made a few passes with the torch lighter to tighten up the frayed end. It was blackened a bit but scraping at the black part helped remove some of the char.

5A093499-0F35-447B-942D-BD8DE51A0125.jpeg
0A343FEC-292C-4DCF-A3C5-85D73AB1C811.jpeg
E44D59D7-2B4C-4D81-BAF2-ED4DB3ABED2D.jpeg

I am happy with the outcome! I wasn’t sure the canvas would act the same as nylon or the tide material, but it did.

I’m not worried anymore about doing this on the tide strap, and this confirms the buckle placement doesn’t matter so much as @nbg suggested.
BUT to really make it work on the tide strap, I’d have to punch a new hole, which I’m still not sure about.
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by nbg »

@ajax87
Alex the reason that I mentioned the buckle position doesn’t matter is because, when you think about it…

It is the underside of the wrist and to give the greatest stability to stop the watch head moving, you need…

The thickest part of the strap spread across the underside of the wrist. The thickest part…

With double thickness, from both sides of the strap runs from the start point of the buckle.

It is the same with clasps on bracelets. It isn’t important to have the visible bit of the clasp central. Far better to have the blade of the clasp centred. As clasps are shorter than the blade this makes it visually seem off centre. But the watch will sit far better on the wrist.

Neil
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by ajax87 »

@nbg
Thanks, Neil, that makes sense. I've never really thought too hard about that.
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by ajax87 »

Well after going back and forth for a few days, I decided not to alter the #tide strap. It’s just not tight enough on the last hole. I would have to punch another hole, which would be pretty much up into the twin flags logo on the strap, and pretty close to the spring bar. Not ideal.

I put it next to a few of my other straps, and the buckle side is definitely longer than the buckle side of all my non-CW straps. If I could shorten the buckle side, I’d do it. But I can’t, so I won’t!
Alex
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Re: I'm thinking about "modding" a #Tide strap

Post by Greatpotfarm »

The red strap looks good for a first attempt!👍

The assumption that you need a sharp blade to cut webbing is incorrect though... one is not really meant to sever synthetic strands, melting through them works much better and leaves no frayed fibers or char marks behind. Clamp the utility blade securely in a vicegrip, and heat it red-hot in the flame of a propane kitchen range eye. Then drag blade through material, without any sawing motion, untill blade cools down and the melting slows. Repeat heat/melt-through cycle untill cut is finished.
Another trick is to work on a surface. Clamp material between stencil (coin in your case) and a piece of wood. Cut with hot knife around stencil, once again by dragging it through the material, the point of the blade slightly scoring the wood underneath. Just like drawing with a pencil around a stencil.

Apologies for the instructional nature of the post, (my previous profession surfacing). This is how I was taught to do it in my youth when I was making my own rock climbing gear, and later on as a yacht rigger using specialized hot knives.
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