Most quality ropes will have enough strength. I avoid rope and line made in China and buy through marine or shops specializing in alpine rope and line. For me the ¼ inch is too small.

The two weak points to keep in mind are the hardware and thread used to sew the snap and handle. Decent snaps are hard to find and expensive. I get my hardware at a marine shop. All the snaps sold in hardware and the big box stores are not quality and suspect to me. Thread needs to be heavy and made for outdoor applications. I use either waxed harness thread from a saddle shop or heavy nylon for outdoor applications sold at a store that sells canvas and materials for awnings and outdoor furniture.

 

i am making leashes with recycled climbing rope..1/2".

I am not stitching, but 'whipping' with waxed 'string', and also with some i am using shrink tubing and with some rope clamps.

instead of snaps, you can also make 'slip' leads.

good luck with your project!

here is a picture of the first one i made, it is whipped and i also used shrink tubing over the whipping! Very strong!

 

i am making leashes with recycled climbing rope..1/2".

I am not stitching, but 'whipping' with waxed 'string', and also with some i am using shrink tubing and with some rope clamps.

instead of snaps, you can also make 'slip' leads.

good luck with your project!

here is a picture of the first one i made, it is whipped and i also used shrink tubing over the whipping! Very strong!

Darkevs - your leashes look awesome.

I spend several years in billiard halls with my son daily (15 years ago) ...competeing locally, across Canada, in the USA & overseas.
It was a blast for the old man and I learned how to maintain my sons pool equipment, really good.
Currently building a cue lathe for leather tip repair work (still a hobby of mine), out of a wood lathe, converting one with a 3 jaw metal chuck.

I have seen many pool cue butt ends, lathe wrapped with a linen cord.
How the loose linen string end is permanently secured from coming apart, is with crazy glue...can't recall now, if it was the jell or liquid type.
- but it was strong and invisable (a drop or two, and smeared on the ends...locks it in)
Might be worth a try, if you ever want to get rid of the plastic shrink wrap process...and you could show off a different string color on the custom ends.
- just a manufacturing consideration, that might be quicker, cheaper and still offer the hand made attractiveness & quality

 

I have made leashes of all thicknesses. It really is just a matter of comfort for me. I have small hands so opt for the smaller ropes, but not too small where it "cuts" into my hand. I too use alot of marine ropes. Some bigger stores like Lowes or Home depot have some decent rope , but as stated above you need to be careful with the hardware. If it is not wrapped up , but in a large box, I like to try the hardware out. I notice if there is any slight catching when working the latch, chances are, the snap or whatever you choose will fail.
I also buy a little D ring and put it at the base of my handle, that way, if out on a walk, I dont have to carry my car keys in my pocket, I just clip my keys to the D ring and they dangle from the leash.

I also use the whipping method, but I generally DONT cover with tubing. Mainly because I get different colored "ties" that adds color to the leash. Still looks pretty darn good and I have NEVER had one fail on me. Good luck !

 

I worked in marine hardware for a lot of years and can splice anything and have made leashes and lead lines (for horses) of all sizes and all types of rope. HOWEVER...with the exception of tracking lines I only use leather leashes. They are infinitely easier on the hands of the handler than any sort of lines made from rope (with the exception of cotton--which is hard to find, easy to splice and which has to be kept clean and dry or it rots quickly).

1/4" is too small for comfortable handling if you are going to make and use synthetic line (which is best purchased from marine hardware stores who generally have the biggest supply and variety of choices. Most climbing lines are not spliceable and must be sewn or seized). 3/8" is a comfortable size for the average hand. 1/2" and 5/8" for leashes are often too large to be handled comfortably by the average person with an average hand size, although they were the most common size requested for fancy horse leads--but strength comes into play there where it really does not even in the smallest sizes of synthetic line when it comes to dogs.

The biggest and best selection of snaps will be in a biggish marine hardware store or via an on line catalog if you know specifically what to avoid. Climbing line hardware is often made of aluminum and NOT the best metal for use on leashes--also a lot of climbing snaps are designed to be quick release or to release under pressure which you definitely don't want in a snap on a dog leash.

Look for stainless steel (which is pretty much always marked as such), bronze (not brass--and if it's not marked ask which it is and how the sales person knows), avoid stuff that is unlabeled and chrome plated--it's often zamak a zinc pot metal--very weak and easily broken and often full of blow holes from casting. Don't buy brass--very weak metal it's only advantage is that it doesn't corrode easily.

Marine hardware is also a good place to buy small cordage suitable for stitching and whipping--Marlow makes a whole line--waxed polyester in a variety of sizes and colors. And marine hardware stores often have basic books (or hand outs) on how to splice various lines or how to secure ends and loops by stitching and/or whipping.

Good luck.

 

Great post Bug! I would urge people to read her post and then re-read it, particularly her comments regarding hardware. It might save your dogs life.

Having been born into a horse family, I am very careful with what hardware is on either a homemade or store bought horse lead or dog leash. What can happen with the cheapo pot metal snaps is they can crack, for instance if dropped on pavement. They can crack all the way and break on the spot --- if you are lucky, or develop a crack not easily detected and then break under minor pressure, such as a dog hitting the end of the leash when the small fury animal runs across the road in front of you.

I sent one of my mares on a large trailer to the nationals one year, and followed along in my SUV. When loading to come home I was standing on the running board attaching horses to the trailer ties when they were sent in with their leads draped over their necks, and accidentally dropped one of the leads on the pavement after taking it off. It was one of those spendy pretty leads with painted black hardware (not mine) and it had a small crack from the minor drop. Would have been dangerous as heck if we had not noticed and taken a horse out with that lead to walk around next to a busy highway. Moreover, the crack was not easily detected but there!

The best hardware I have found is stamped into the metal “Bronze of Italy” and they are incredibly hard to find anymore as well as expensive, even in Marine supply stores. They make both stainless and bronze if you can find them. I snatch them up anytime I find them. The only place I disagree some with Bug, is today not all people working in Marine suppy stores are even remotely knowledgeable.

Furthermore, there are many, if not most, expensive leashes in sold in pet stores with poor hardware. Leashes that I certainly would not be using when walking my dogs in any traffic situation.

 

The best hardware I have found is stamped into the metal “Bronze of Italy” and they are incredibly hard to find anymore as well as expensive, even in Marine supply stores. They make both stainless and bronze if you can find them. I snatch them up anytime I find them. The only place I disagree some with Bug, is today not all people working in Marine suppy stores are even remotely knowledgeable.

Furthermore, there are many, if not most, expensive leashes in sold in pet stores with poor hardware. Leashes that I certainly would not be using when walking my dogs in any traffic situation.

Hi Robin,

It's getting harder and harder to find bronze hardware anymore. The hardware you've found that is marked "Bronze of Italy" is the most common decent stuff any more. All of their bronze is either silicone bronze or manganese bronze--both of which have excellent tensile strength and are not brittle. Most of the old sources of high grade bronze hardware are out of business--it's pretty much all specialty stuff these days and outrageously expensive.

I should have mentioned that the black snaps that you find more often on the fancy stock leads is horrible--it's black anodized zamak as often as not with all of the disadvantages that the chrome plated stuff has.

Yeah, you are right about the lack of knowledge in the people who work in marine hardware stores. I walked into a store I used to work in 10 years ago fairly recently and asked a man putting away galley dishwear where something was as they'd done some major revamping in the store. He looked at me like I had two heads. He didn't know the hardward by name, he didn't know what it was when I described its use on sailboats (and occasionally power boats)--showed me something totally unsuitable and told me that would work. I asked if they were still carrying a hardware line made by XXX Metals (a Scandanavian company)--he didn't know--I asked if he could find out--like maybe look in the files. He didn't know if they had any files--finally a guy came in who I knew--he turned out to be working there part time and dug out a catalog and I special ordered the part I wanted. The man I was talking to had actually been working in the store for well over two years. I was appalled--they would never have hired anyone who had so little knowledge in the 30 years I worked in various marine hardware stores.

And unfortunately you are also right about hardware on a lot of leashes sold in pet stores. I buy pretty much from catalog only and use prefer rawhide and generally get them from a company who does use bronze hardware.

 

I used this braid to make my dog's leash. Looks cool and extremely durable! Paracord bracelet with a side release buckle

 

I made one with some 3/8in. rope. I'll upload pics soon. I used a 4 strand round braid like this video. How to Tie a Four Strand Round Braid by TIAT ("The Easy Way") - YouTube