Sewing a loop in webbing

[PuckerFactor]

Hey Mac, I'm not sure what I saw it on, but it was a PALS array on something, and I noticed that the zig-zag was just cosmetic over the (slightly less perfectly aligned) straight stitching. Just something to make things look nice and clean.
Again, not sure of the manufacture or anything, just that I saw it.

PF

[MacEntyre]

...I noticed that the zig-zag was just cosmetic over the (slightly less perfectly aligned) straight stitching.

I visited the Industries for the Blind, and was given a tour by the plant manager. I watched an automated Juki making hydration carriers. It used a wide zig zag as a covering stitch. Below were two narrow zig zags with a longer stitch length. I've taken apart mil surplus gear and found the same thing. I bet what you are calling the straight stitch is the narrower zig zags with longer stitch length.

Best I can figure is that they are avoiding perforating the fabric with straight stitches. My experience is that a human can't sew straight enough to do that!

[Jsaults]

The Armed Forces normally sets a pretty high standard for equipment quality (and I don't want to start an argument over defense spending!) so one has to assume that quite a bit of testing went into the MOLLE system. Both lab and real-world. And the results were balanced against the cost of manufacturing (again, no arguments!).

When I was in outdoor retailing in the late 70s The North Face started manufacturing garments with a triangular embroidery stitch maybe 1/2" on the side (Isoscoles triangle) that reinforced the bottom of the side pockets. You know, the same way that Levis places a rivit to back up the pocket stitch. But TNF's testing found that the stitch pattern was so dense that the needle was actually slicing many fabric threads and actually resulting in a weak area. Sometimes lots of stitches are actually too many.

Jim

[oldgringo]

Would you happen to have the link to the paper about stitch strength testing done for a caving publication? It was here on HF some months ago, but darned if I can find it!

Jim

Here's an old thread on this topic...post #3 has the link you're looking for.

[WV]

http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nhback/NH03.pdf

This is probably the link OG spoke of. He originally introduced this to us. See pages 12 - 15.

[Redoleary]

I use a pattern that is on our fall restraint harnesses at work assuming if its good enough for that is good enough for me. The pic below is a little hard to see but its the only thing I have on hand at the moment to play show and tell with. It ends up being 2 rows of perpendicular stitches, two rows of parallel stitches and as many rows as it takes on a slight angles that are intersecting and opposite each other to get across the webbing.



And if I was going to do a bartack I would do it as closely to this as I could, which looks like 3 rows of straight stitch with a zig-zag over the top... Again if its good enough for a parachute its good enough for me.

http://www.precision.aero/images/sb1221.pdf

[MacEntyre]

Here are three diagrams from that report that summarize the story... I like the indicator stitches!

[oldgringo]

http://www.caves.org/section/vertical/nhback/NH03.pdf

This is probably the link OG spoke of. He originally introduced this to us. See pages 12 - 15.

Thanks, David. Albert Skye deserves the credit. Here's the thread link I left out of my first post

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=19223

[Jsaults]

Saved copies this time.

The parallel stitch pattern is my favorite for yet another reason: My Mom's old 1930 Singer only has one stitch pattern, so it is easy to do.

Jim

[jcsjourney2008]

What kind of thread should i use to sew my webbing? Also what kind of stitch should i use and what does it look like. I am new to this but want a tree hugger for my backpacking hammock. Thanks