strange question about sewing webbing loops

Ok,heres a strange question for you: If you want to sew webbing /grosgain to a piece of cloth to form a loop, can you over sew it? By over sew, i mean put too many stitches in the webbing/grosgain, and thus weaken the joint? (is there ever a point where too many stitches not only doesnt benefit you, but actually makes the cloth weaker?)

Also ,when sewing webbing, Ive heard some people say the x pattern is inferior to straight stitches along the direction of stress----any ideas/thoughts about that? :confused:

As for over sewing, I don't think you could do that. Bar tacking is a very common way of sewing webbing to form loops and that has lots of stitches in a single line and usally there are multiple lines. As for the Box X pattern for webbing loops, that is pretty strong as that is commonly used on tow and recovery straps.

Cheers

Brian

actually yes you can oversew.... It is not all that common but it is possible. There are many factors that go into the problem. What fabric, it's weight and density, it's fiber content and how it is woven. If you pierce the fibers and break them you weaken them considerably. A bar tack is not all that strong when you look at the dynamics of it. If it is done with zig zags as the often are you have a very stretchy component so the bar tack absorbs some of the stress and reduces the stress transfered to the fabric. The stress is then ldess likely to tear the base.

While you _can_ oversew, as you put it, there is no reason to do so. Generally speaking, depending on the application, you want the thread to be the weakest point in the system. Better to have some stitches break than the fabric rip. Suspension components and SAR gear are notable exceptions. But even so... enough is quite good. No need to really over-do it.

I never bar tack due to the fear of cutting the fabric. I see straight stitches along the direction of stress, as you mentioned.

Thanks for the advice---that makes sense!

sounds like the pattern on the webbing won't matter as much (possibly) only since the fabric is so much weaker... the fabric would fail first no matter what pattern you use on the webbing.

hard to say exactly though without knowing the specifics.

For static loads such as a suspension system where the load is applied relatively gradually and without shock, the Box X has been shown to be the strongest pattern. That is why it is seen so often on things such as tow and recover straps. However, for things that will be shock-loaded the Bar Tack is stronger because it helps absorb the shock. That is the reason that Bar Tacks are used almost exclusively in climbing gear

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chrisman2013

For static loads such as a suspension system where the load is applied relatively gradually and without shock, the Box X has been shown to be the strongest pattern. That is why it is seen so often on things such as tow and recover straps. However, for things that will be shock-loaded the Bar Tack is stronger because it helps absorb the shock. That is the reason that Bar Tacks are used almost exclusively in climbing gear

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Should note here that a bar tack CAN be better than a straight stitch when done to the right specs for the specific fabric. I've got a book that's impressively hefty with stitch guides for individual weaves/fibers and weights. The isn't something to try to do with any old machine. Box x stitch does hold better on material with little stretch better than bar tacks and straight lines parallel to load. That's with correct stitch length and thread tension/type/weight for the material.

We're not that worried about it here I think. If you trust it - all is good.