FIS Strap II

This is the second strap from FIS Strap that I am reviewing. And yes, it is also made from fish skin. This time it is sturgeon skin and best of all it is just dried skin with no leather safe the lining.

The strap comes fitted with a buckle from FineWatchBuckles and it is made of Cocus Rosewood. The buckle is beautiful, I like the graining. The buckle is a squarish and as with other buckles from FineWatchBuckles, it is well made. It is coupled with the tang from MadDog.

The signature tapering....

Now on to the strap. The strap comes in at 83mm on the buckle side and 135mm on the hole side. It is 25mm wide at the lug mount point and tapers down to 24mm at the tip. The option to go with 25mm at the lug point is a common practice (now) as this is to account for shrinkage in the future. It is 7.5mm thick at the lug mount points and tapers down to 5 mm at the tip. The strap is thick because of the ridges on the top of the strap. The edges are raw.

The strap comes with two strap keepers, one fixed and the other floating. The keepers are 11mm wide and the loop is big enough for the strap end to go in easily. The ends of the keepers are stitched.

The edges are also raw.

I find the texture of the strap interesting. It is rough, yet not uncomfortable. Not too sure if it will flake over the long run, but at the moment, I like the texture and also the colour. The colour is rather like a dirty beige with a ridge along the spine of the strap.

The strap has a 3 layer construction. I believe the top is dried sturgeon skin with a leather core. There no stitching in sight.

The under side of the strap is lined with a simple beige leather piece. It looks like it is bonded in place and there are no excess bonding to be seen. The finish is good as is the construction of the strap.

The strap is signed at the tip of the hole end of the strap.

I did not try on the strap as there were no holes on the strap. But safe to say that it is comfortable on the skin. It is soft and there is no smell. :)

For more information:

Strap:

FIS Strap

Bolt

maddog

Buckle:

FineWatchBuckles

Fis strap

It is unique that the strap I am going to review comes from FIS Strap and the strap is made of Carp fish leather. OK, its not pun-ny..... 

The strap I am reviewing is really made of Carp Fish leather. And I have to say that it caught me by surprise. Did not know that one can use fish skin to make straps. 

The strap comes fitted with a buckle from FineWatchBuckles and it is made of fossil mammoth ivory. Yes, it is made from mammoth tusk. How cool is that, a unique strap with a unique buckle. The buckle matches the strap very well. There is not much that has not been said about buckles from FineWatchBuckles that has already been said in reviews on this blog. This buckle is the same, well made, beautiful finish and robust. It is fitted with a brass bolt from Maddog. I will let the photographs do the talking.

Beautiful buckle right? 

Now on to the strap. The strap comes in at 80mm on the buckle side and 140mm on the hole side. It is 24mm wide across the length of the strap and is 6mm thick at the lug mount points and tapers down to 4 mm at the tip. The edges are sealed. 

The strap comes with two strap keepers, one fixed and the other floating. The keepers are 13mm wide and the loop is big enough for the strap end to go in easily. The ends of the keepers are stitched. 

The edges are also sealed. 

I like the texture of the strap. It is soft, velvet like. Not too sure if it will flake over the long run, but at the moment, I like the texture and also the colour. The texture is like a grid. Not sure if it is the scales.

The strap has a 3 layer construction. I suspect its all Carp Fish leather. It makes the strap feel and look more robust. 

The under side of the strap is lined with a simple beige leather piece. It looks like it is bonded in place and there are no excess bonding to be seen. The finish is good as is the construction of the strap.

Lug side. 

Buckle side.

The strap is signed at the tip of the hole end of the strap. 

Overall, I was initial sceptical about a strap made from Carp Fish skin or leather. But after using it for about a month (off and on), I am impressed by the quality, construction and overall comfort. It is a soft strap and wears comfortable on the wrist. I like it. 

For more information:

Strap:

FIS Straps

Bolt

Maddog

Buckle:

FineWatchBuckles

Bolts....

I got these 'bolts' or tangs from FineWatchBuckles in Germany who uses these bolts with their buckles. The bolts are from Maddog. I have to say that the bolts themselves are a work of art. They are just awesome.

The bolts are made of steel, brass, bronze and or copper. Some of the bolts have been given special treatments like Mokume-gane and Damask steel.

A bit about Mokume-gane. It is a mixed-metal laminate with very distinct layers in its construction. It is Japanese (?) for burl metal and it is borrowed from one form of forging swords or edged weapons.

Damask steel or damascus steel is a type of steel used in sword making. It is created from wootz steel and it is characterized by very distinctive patterns of banding and mottling, much like flowing water.

You can see the lovely pattern or layering on the bottom of buckle and the side of the bolt.

The bolts themselves are pretty large and comes in at 22mm in length, 4 mm wide and at the thickest point, 5 mm thick. These are not your common garden variety bolts (or tangs). To use these bolts, you will need pretty large holes on your strap. They also require larger then normal spring-bars. I like them.

The bolts.

Beautiful bolts. 

Damask bolts.

Mokume-gane bolts.

Copper bolts.

Bronze bolts.