Methods for Binding Nylon Webbing

[RockPile]

I'm working on a couple of projects utilizing 1” nylon webbing (stage bottle harness) and am looking for ways to bind it to itself. The bind is such that I’m folding the webbing over onto itself to create a loop.

I have some questions for your professional scrappers:

If you are going sew the webbing together, what kind of threading should/can be used and must you use a machine?

Are a series of SS staples sufficient?

Is there some kind of low-profile “keeper” or clip that effects a permanent attachment?

Can the webbing be melted together to create a bind? Perhaps with help from some binder product?

Is there an epoxy or glue product that can be employed (preferably one with a little give)?

Even if you don’t have answers to any of these questions, please, feel free to offer up some other method. I’ll appreciate your thoughts.

JB

 

[cool_hardware52]

Only thing I'd trust is sewing. Take it your local shoemaker. BN138 thread is great. Box tack or reverse "W"

Tobin

 

[Uncle Pug]

I sew it with a speedy stitcher using nylon thread.

 

[Mudhiker]

In climbing we use lots of tubular webbing for various things, and there are several knots that can be used with it. The important thing to know is that regular "rope" knots generally will not be effective with flat webbing. A water knot works well.

http://www.myoan.net/climbart/webbing.html

~ Isaac

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I sew 1" 1.5" and even 2" heavy nylon webbing on a house hold sewing machine.

The 1" and 1.5" webbing is easy to sew. Just use nylon upholstry thread from the local Wal-mart and a heavy size 16 needle.

2" webbing is a lot thicker and tougher and sewing through two layers is still possible but you want to oil your machine first to reduce friction and get as much power as possible to the needle itself. If your nachine still struggles, soak the nylon for an hour or so, shake the excess water off and sew it while it is wet and it will go much easier.

An alternative to sewing a stage bottle harness is to tye the loop that goes around the valve with a frost knot and then after forming a loop for the tail at the other end, secure the loose end with a figure 8 knot on the other side of the hose clamp.

I wound not under any circumstances trust any other method such as melting the webbing to itself or using SS staples.

 

[RockPile]

Thanks for the feedback. Great insight from some clearly very experienced joes. Mudhiker--not exactly applicable to my situation but I will definitely be filling that knot away for use at a later time. Thanks.

How about this, is any significant integrity lost when sewing 3 pieces of webbing together instead of 2? Picture them stacked on top of each other. I'm thinking yes.

What say you?

JB

 

[Mark Vlahos]

I have extensive experience sewing webbing together, and I have made my own stage bottle harnesses with flat one inch webbing.

Sewing it is the way to go, as others have said I am not aware of any staple, or melting method that I would trust. I use a normal household sewing machine and heavy upholstery thread. Feel free to change the needle often and plan on sacrificing several feet of webbing while you set the tension right. I sew the webbing together using a bar tack pattern and yes you can sew three pieces together but don't plan on getting it right the first time.

Mark Vlahos

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Sewing three pieces together is not really a problem as long as the tension is correct. But you want to be sure you are sewing in more than one location to prevent the webbing from pulling directly on the thread as would happen with a single seam stitched across the webbing. A sewn seam in webbing stands up well to shear loads (applied 90 degrees to the thread direction) but is not all that strong when loaded in tension.

I usually sew a box around the perimeter of the overlapped pieces of webbing and then stitch an "X" from corner to corner and return to where I started which gives you a double stitch across the ends of the overlapped webbing. The overlapped area is also usually about 1.5 times the width of the webbing. This makes a neatly sewn seam that lays flat and is more than strong enough for an scuba application.

If you use a bar tacked pattern, use 3 or more bars across the webbing to ensure adequate strenght. On some sewing machines bar tacking is problematic as the webbing gets "stiffer" and harder to penetrate after it has been sewn across and the repeated stitching in essentially the same area can then cause the thread to ball up on the underside of the webbing.

As Mark indicates, bent needles can be commonplace so be sure to check them for straightness often and change as needed.

 

[ItsBruce]

If you are near a marina, there is probably a sailmaker nearby. They have sewing machines that could probably punch through sheet metal and they use a very strong nylon thread. They sew webbing all the time.

 

[Marek K]

I sew it with a speedy stitcher using nylon thread.

...and I've used this kind of sewing awl successfully to stitch BC straps. Hard on the fingers if you're doing a lot of sewing; and it takes a bit of practice to do a neat job. But it does make a really strong stitch, as long as you make sure you've got it so it doesn't unravel.

Key is, like Uncle Pug indicated, to make sure you've got nylon thread. It's not always obvious when mail-ordering what kind of thread you're getting; and there doesn't seem to be much confidence in polyester or other types underwater.

I wouldn't trust any kind of adhesive. And the only place I'd use heat fusing is to secure the raw ends of the webbing.

--Marek