Driving Harness FAQ, From Chimacum Tack
How to Punch a Hole in the Soft Strap or Brahma Web
Jun
I am asked this question all the time… Just how do we go about punching a hole in the soft strap or the Brahma web?
If you have tried to do this you will know that there is a thin layer of nylon in between the plastic coating of both of these materials. That nylon can be very hard to punch through. I always thought the shop used something that was hot to punch the holes, so when I was at the harness shop I asked to see their hole punch. I really thought it was going to be something fancy! This is what Leroy showed me:
This is a 6 hole punch that he made. It has single hole punches that screw in so they can punch numerous holes at the same time, the same distance apart and the same size. They can simply unscrew a punch and put in a bigger one as needed, or replace them as they get dull. But they told me they haven’t had to replace a punch on this machine for more than 10 years!
And guess what? There was no heat!
Then Leroy told me that he also has a hand punch and can punch through any of the synthetic materials in the shop without a problem. I wanted to see this punch ASAP!
I immediately bought one from him and asked if we could sell these on the website and he said YES! So here they are!
We can get a few different sizes of the punches so you can put holes in your bridle, your harness and even your traces regardless if you have a mini, pony or horse sized harness! The punches just unscrew and you can screw a new one in.
BUT if you have a nice very sharp leather hole punch you should have little trouble punching holes in the soft strap or Brahma web.
When trimming the ends of these it’s a good idea to take a hot nail or a soldering iron and melt the edges if you are trimming a part of the harness that gets taken on and off often;
- the neck strap
- the bridle straps
- the hip straps
Otherwise it’s not necessary to melt the edges as they will not fray.
So the mystery of punching holes in the synthetic material isn’t a mystery at all! I’m so glad it’s as easy as it is.
