Help tightening laces

No offense but it's hard to really tell where it needs to be tightened. What I do when I can't figure out a thread starts is take a loose area and start pulling the slack out of it. This will eventually lead you to the start. You can find a relacing kit in most stores that sell sporting goods. It is a long "needle" with a handle. You can use that to help get leverage with the thread you need to tighten.

One last tip is to not retighten it too tight or the thread will break. Make it snug but give it room to move.

You might be able to take it to a sporting goods store and ask them if they know of anyone who do these kind of repairs.

You would think this would be a big business but I don't know of any who do it. I have relaced many gloves over the years and learned by doing it.

First question, do you have a back-up glove? I've re-laced only a few fielder's gloves, years ago. It is pretty simple, but it is time consuming the first time or two. Like Coach advises, I used one of those big needles. I also used a pair of hemostats for some really tight places where the needle and leather wouldn't both fit.

Unless there was a broken lace, I would start where the knot is and pull the old out and follow it with the new,one segment at a time. It can be tricky doing it this way, especially if the hidden laces are tight and run adjacent to a different lace. This is another spot where I used the hemostats.

Patience will get you through the process.

I used to have a Tandy leather store nearby and bought my lacing there. I sometimes found that the lacing packed with the needle I bought at a sports store, is inadequate for all applications. For a web,I would use the thicker stuff.

I agree with infidel-8 on the hemostats. I also use a tool called a "spring hook" that allows you to pull with more force on the laces than the hemostats in many places. Start at a knot, in the case of the spiral windings at the top of the webbing it is usually the knots at the top of the index finger and at the top of the thumb and trace the path of the lacings from one end to the other and tighten the complete lacing --- not just the knots. These lacings are like a rat maze and you need to understand the layout of the full length of the lacing in order to properly tighten them. If a lacing appears to be worn to the point of breaking, it is much simpler to replace the lacing before it breaks. If you don’t enjoy projects of this nature you would be better served to do as coach 2709 suggest and go to the sporting goods store for assistance.

Thanks for reminding me, Fungo. I had a couple of springhooks in my old toolbag and they were essential; maybe more so than the hemostats. I would punch a small hole in the end of the lace to attach it to the springhook.

Most excellent use of graphics guys...good job!

Thanks for the various suggestions. The hemostats and springhook would certainly give me a hand.

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:
These lacings are like a rat maze and you need to understand the layout of the full length of the lacing in order to properly tighten them.

Considering the afforementioned rat maze, does anyone know how this particular web is laced or are there any printed or internet resources on this subject?

And by the way how do you post those graphics without a link?

BK,

I couldn't tell you how this glove is laced. I think you will just have to 'pull and follow' the existing lace. It may or may not secure the lower piece of the webbing. If it does hold both pieces, that will add a little more complexity to the task; especially if you don't select a long-enough replacement lace. This is not the time to be conservative.

Now as to your question about the graphics, that's:

quote:

Originally posted by bkekcs:
And by the way how do you post those graphics without a link?

I am having trouble getting a larger graphic here. I was going to show a screen shot of the reply window with an arrow pointing to the picture icon. It's next to the last one that looks like </>
When the dropdown box opens, paste the URL of the picture you want to show in the post.

It looks like the loose lace runs under the spiral. I am guessing that both loose laces tie off at the square knot in the middle so tug them in that direction and take up the slack at the knot. As others have suggest try to find a big needle like the one illustrated in the glove on my website under the "Glove Medic Services" page. It is called a locking lace needle and can be obtained froma leather supply store like "Tandy Leather Goods". Feel free to e-mail me or give me a call if you need some other assistance.

Infidel
Thanks for the picture help. I think I got it.
I also managed to get the web lacing tightened up a bit.