Telescope Reviews: Broken neck straps and case straps

Old leather becomes dry and cracked, unless periodically maintained. This can cause falls and damage to your equipment. I just bought a bottle of Rawlings' GLOVOLIUM, made for baseball gloves, but have not yet tried it.

Replacement leather neckstraps for binoculars and their cases , and case closure straps, are sold by SurplusShed. Most of those are at least 55 years of age, so probably would like some treatment. I am not a leather expert.

A technique which has worked for replacing case closure straps with the 'LIFT THE DOT' closure which snaps into a groove in a cylindrical post is:
Replace the leather and the snap with a piece of thin( I use 1mm polycarbonate Lexan) sheet, of the same width as the original. A hole punched or drilled in the Lexan will snap into the groove on the post. A relief incision between the hole and another hole nearby, or just the incision, may help. The second hole prevents the incision from propagating

To replace case rivets, visit a leather repair store. I have used nylon panhead screws passing into tapped threads in Lexan backup plates.

For neckstrap replacement , cords tend to be uncomfortable on the neck, but are certainly safer than nothing. The bowline is one attachment method. A tautline hitch can be added, for adjustment. Two interlocking bowlines , wrapped with leather to pad the neck, is a method.

Better than round cords are flat nylon straps, called webbing. 12mm, 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch widths, are available at rockclimbing, mountaineering and backpacking suppliers,or as sailboat equipment, or parachute riggers. Suitable bends (or knots, if you will ), for them are found in books in marine supply stores, libraries, or on the web. I use the WATERKNOT:

In a 1/2" or 3/4" wide, about 5 ft. long webbing strap, make an overhand very loosely , with at least a two inch circle diameter for your first attempt, at about eight inches from one end. The overhand is the first step in tying the shoelace bowknot we learned when very young. Pass the working end through one of the attachment fittings on the binocular. Now, slide the working end back along the existing overhand, to form a second overhand atop the first. The result is an overhand of doubled thickness webbing, with a loop protruding . That loop has enclosed the attachment point on the binocular. Smoothly tighten the overhand, maintaining the contact of the two webbing segments. Repeat for the other attachment fitting. Or, pass the webbing through both fittings, and tie just one waterknot. Position it somewhere other than the back of your neck. I believe that I saw the waterknot in a book by Des Pawson.

If adjustment of the webbing length is desired, one can use ladderlock fittings, such as the Camp Inn 3/4 " Delrin Ladderlock. A 2-pack is No. 662/2, $0.99 at Sport Chalet, their barcode 1055670010.