hi everyone,

I am starting the creation process of a new sling, which will consist of a 4-strand round braid with a woven split pouch (similar to the image attached, but instead of having a one-strand cord it'll be a 4-strand round braid). The split-pouch will have leather sewn onto it; either completely encasing it, or just on the inner side (the projectile-holding side)

I ordered some leather and a very basic leatherworking kit, which consists of some thread, needles, and an awl.

As I am very new to leatherworking and sewing, would anyone have any tips or instructions on how to achieve this? I've got the general gist of it, but any advice would help tremendously!

I have attached an image or two of what I am planning to do with the leather, although the images depict flat-braid slings  :'( (so just imagine a round-braid)

Also, what do you guys personally think of balearic slings with leather-encased/covered split pouches? Other than durability, is there a performance difference at all? Should I forget about the leather and just have a woven split pouch by itself?
Let me know your thoughts!

(also, the first image belongs to @CodeMaker  ;) )

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for clarification, i will be making a synthetic sling, not a natural-fibre one.

I often work with leather for my slings. One thing I've noticed is that people often put holes into the leather before sewing it on the sling, probably to make it easier to pass the needle through and a more accurate hole placement.

I don't do that, I just make holes in the leather with my needle while sewing. Works fine my way as far as I can tell. Though the hole placement is inevitably more odd, I'm just lazy so I do it the quick way. Also the needle is less likely to get damaged if you put holes in the leather beforehand.

Other than durability adding leather will affect the overall weight of the sling , the stiffness, the weight distribution, and the friction between your sling and a projectile.

Depending on the specific characteristics of sling you want you might choose either or.

I'd recommend partial cover, as in ex2, otherwise it will be quite heavy.
[list bull-blackball]

Place sling on paper and draw around a rough template

Use the template to cut out leather

Trim around where needed to adjust size and shape (if needed), place the leather onto the sling and try judge it. Note that sewn on leather seems to shrink slightly

Use awl to punch holes along the edges of the leather, probably 2-4mm in from the edge and spaced 5-15mm

Sew along the edges, go downwards through the existing leather holes and through the braid, then up around the side and down through the next hole, essentially it's like a big coil

For the start use a big piece of thread doubled over, then do two sides in one

For the end knot the two cords and drive the loose ends through the braid as far as possible (needle nose pliers help here to pull through), then trim the loose bits sticking out


Note that for synthetic slings like the type shown leather is not common because the durability benefits are not generally needed and woven type pouches usually lend decent grip (unless it's quite narrow splits).

Mersa, thank you! I will make sure to think thoroughly about those factors and keep them in mind while creating the sling.

Judo, I appreciate the instructions! I will follow those steps and I'll post photos sometime in a week or two when I finish.

I am using kevlar cordage for the sling, and the woven split-pouch will be made out of paracord (they will be very tightly woven). The durability of the kevlar and paracord will be very good on its own, but I want to add leather for decorative purposes, as well as maximal durability.

Also, pay attention to the direction you sew if sewing onto a braided sling. If you are a stickler for aesthetics, then you can sew into a fishtail braid and make the thread almost invisible. by laying it down between the braid strands in one direction. If you sew in the other direction, it doesn't lay down between thr strands and is more visible.

Will make note of that, thanks John.

I am planning on making the stitching visible, but I might try the fishtail braid you mentioned.