Teri Grey’s General Leather Crafting – 2″ Wrist Cuff

By Teri Grey

This 2 inch wrist cuff design is another basic component of a leather bondage system It also makes an interesting looking wrist band as well. (Of course, for a wrist band, you would need to eliminate the Dee ring.)

Materials:
(For 1 Cuff)

(1) 2″ wide 10″ Long Leather Piece (8-10 oz.)
(1) 1″ wide 5″ Long Leather Piece (8-10 oz.)
(1) 1″ wide 6″ Long Leather Piece (8-10 oz.)
(1) 1″ Roller Buckle
(1) 1″ Keeper
(1) 1″ Dee Ring (optional)
(4) 1/4″ Screw Fasteners
Oil Dye
Neats Foot Oil, Lotion
Waxed Nylon Saddle Stitching Thread

Tools:

Utility Knife or Leather Scissors
Stitch Groove Tool
Edge Bevel Tool
Saddle Stitching Chisel Punch
Saddle Stitching Needles
3/16″ Round Hole Punch
1/4″ Round Hole Punch
1″ Oblong Hole Punch
Edge Slicker
Dye Applicator
Bees Wax
Screwdriver (or rivet setter)

design

Construction

Cut and prepare the leather pieces. Pre-cut 1″ and 2″ wide strips can be purchased from places such as Tandy Leather. You can also cut the piece yourself from a larger hide. The later being more economical in the long run.

The length stated above are for typical body type. Some adjustments may be needed in some cases.

Cut all pieces to length. Trim a 1/4 inch off the corners of all the pieces except the one end of the 6″ strip. (This piece will be cut to form a pointed tip for entering the buckle.) This is partly for aesthetics and partly to avoid a pointy ridge in case the folded pieces don’t exactly align. Do not punch holes at this stage since the leather can shrink or distort slightly from dying and sewing.

At this point I groove a line along each edge for saddle stitching. I make the lines about 3/16 or 1/4 inch in from the edge. Sometimes I use the thickness of the leather strip as a guide.

Now bevel the edges on the front side to make a more rounded edge. Careful as this tool can easily slip and draw blood.

I use a four prong “chisel” punch to make my stitching holes. Carefully place the punch prong in the groove made for this purpose. Use a plastic or raw hide mallet and a thick piece of rubber or wood underneath so as to not damage the metal punch. After punching the first four holes use the last hole to line up the end of the punch. This means you only punch three new holes at a time. This increases the work need but improves the appearance of the product by keeping the stitching very evenly spaced. Take frequent brakes this can be a long process especially for long straps.

I oil the leather with neats foot oil prior to applying die. I use a good quality oil based dye so as to not have to apply it more than once. Make sure you get down in all the punched holes. Use a cotton swap if needed. I also recommend the use of latex gloves to minimize stained hands. Dye can usually be removed from skin with isopropyl alcohol.

Let dry for one or more days. After dried the leather will often be stiff and hard. This is when I start the saddle stitching. The stiffness of the leather actual seems to help. The process of hand saddle stitching makes you to handle the leather a lot and it should loosen some.

Begin the saddle stitching using heavy waxed nylon thread. I also use the large blunt point hand stitching needles. These are virtually impossible to break by hand but by a few extra in case of lose. See saddle stitching sources for threading the needle and the actual process of stitching. Besides being an enjoyable activity when watching television it is also great hand excersize. Also keep a pair if needle nose pliers around in case the needle gets stuck. You may even want to invest in some special jewelers pliers that have smooth bite that will minimize scratching the needle.

Careful measure and punch the 3/16 inch holes for the various screw fasteners as show in the diagram. Also punch a 1 inch long oblong holes in the 5″ long piece for the buckle tongues.

Starting 1-1/2″ from the tip punch three 1/4″ holes 1″ apart for the roller buckle tongues. Some may perfer to punch four holes 3/4″ apart. This last variation may allow for more possibilites for tightening plus a more snug fit.

Once the stitching is complete I smooth the edge with an edging tool. Typically I moisten the edge of the leather with neats foot lotion. Then I rub the tool against the edge until it becomes smooth as it seems to want to get. Now since I have lotion on the edges and some elsewhere on the leather I go ahead and give the rest of the strap a good coating of the lotion. Let this dry for a day or so. Also in this step I fold the end to hold the roller buck over at the oblong punched holes. This puts the leather in the position it will spend the rest of its days.

Between the handling and lotion the strap should be a little softer now. As one last step I give the front side a final treatment with a good leather conditioning wax. Again let this absorb in for a few hours to a day.

Now we’re ready to construct our cuff. Take your roller buckle and position it correctly in the 5″ piece. This takes some experimentation. Work the tongue through the oblong hole. I prefer a 1 inch by half inch metal rectangular ring as a keeper. A keeper by the way is a loop that hold down the end of the strap after it passes through the buckle. Add a 1″ Dee ring if desired.

This next part is tricky to explain. We want the buckle piece to fold over and attach such that the is at the one end of the cuff.
The hole nearest the buckle should be lined up with the hole on the cuff nearest it’s edge. The shiny, smooth, sides of the leather should be against each other. Fasten them using a screw fastener, or rivet. Fold the buckle piece back and the other hole should reach the other hole on the main piece.

Next attach the other 6″ piece to the other end of the cuff. This attachment should be more obvious. This strap end should extend out pass the end of the cuff.

The five “X” pattern holes in the middle of the cuff are for attaching to the other cuffs or a 2″ strap . Notice, due the the symtetry of the pattern, that the cuffs can be attach either parallel or perpendicular. Of course a “Dee” ring allows the cuffs to be used separately. The “Dee” rings can also allow the cuffs to be attached to each other by the use of a snap fastener or padlocks. These cuff have the advantage that even when used with padlocks the subject can be released by use of the buckle.

Your cuff is complete and time to try it out on your lover. Of course use all the normal bondage game precautions. The cuff may be stiff at first. It should loosen and soften with use. Make sure to oil or otherwise treat the leather about once a year.

Teri Grey
PO Box 71463
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement