Soda Can Tab Guitar Strap

For my upcycle project, my goal was to create a guitar strap out of soda can tabs that adheres to the punk aesthetic. I wanted the finished product to be flashy and robust enough to actually use on a regular basis. I had never attempted a “crafty” project like this before, so this served as a learning experience and challenge to myself. Aside from the basic method of craft, I pushed myself to create a design that was uniquely my own.

Background

As mentioned above, I chose to focus on the punk aesthetic. The main elements of punk include anything that wouldn’t be considered acceptable by social norms in society. Basically, anything that makes you stand out, look rough around the edges, and makes a statement against the system would fall under punk. With this in mind, a punk mindset can technically include almost anything as long as it is an unapologetic form of self expression. Though the mindset allows for many forms, the generally accepted bounds of the punk aesthetic tend to include crazy hair styles/colors, black and graphic clothing, metal studs or spikes, among other things.

People wearing the punk aesthetic (left), punk band NOFX (middle), and historic punk venue CBGB (right).

Inspiration and Vision

I had never done a DIY project that’s main purpose was to fit an aesthetic before, so I started off by looking up example projects that others have made. Nothing really caught my eye until I came across an image of bracelets made out of soda can tabs. They reminded me of the studded belts that I used to wear in high school, so I instantly knew I wanted to do something with this idea. 

Bracelets made of soda can tabs (left) and the kind of studded belt I wore in high school (right).

 

Despite having never heard of this kind of craft before, it was abundantly clear after a little bit of searching that many people have made soda can tab bracelets. I wanted my project to be something a little more unique. Plus, at this point in my life, I don’t wear many bracelets, and I wanted to make something that I would actually use. While rummaging through my apartment for inspiration, I found an old guitar strap that I don’t use anymore and decided to use the concept of the bracelets to make a guitar strap out of soda can tabs. 

Initial Planning and Materials

Coming into this project, I had never made anything using soda can tabs. In fact, I hadn’t done many things related to “crafts,” so the initial planning stage was a bit of a challenge. I spent an hour or so brainstorming using string from a drawstring bag and 8 soda can tabs I had on hand.

First iteration of the patten for a single “link” of the guitar strap.

 

The pattern I came up with was meant to serve as something that can be repeated until it reaches the desired length. From here, I gathered the materials I thought I would need and created a smaller prototype to figure out how it would all come together. I ended up changing how I threaded the string through the soda can tabs after spending over a half hour trying to link a second instance of the pattern without success. I also decided to use a smaller nylon string for the initial structure of the strap followed by some paracord for strength so that it can actually be used without worry.

Nylon string through the tabs (left), final prototype with paracord (middle), and the prototype shown with a guitar (right).

 

After completing the prototype, I did a quick test to make sure it could handle the weight of a guitar. The average electric guitar is around 8 pounds, so I attached a 10 lb weight to the prototype. It held up well without any signs of significant stress.

Prototype supporting a 10 lb weight.

 

With the design idea I settled on, the final list of materials and tools used is as follows:

• Soda Can Tabs – 1000 purchased for $10 on amazon
• Black Paracord – sourced from a friend
• Black Nylon String – spool purchased for $10 on amazon
• Old Unused Guitar Strap – had on hand
• Strap Locks (product that makes prevents the strap from falling off the guitar and makes it easier to remove and reattach) – had on hand
• Butane Torch – had on hand
• Scissors – had on hand

Fabrication Process and Challenges

After finalizing the design, the actual fabrication process was relatively straight forward. The majority of it was repeating the same pattern of the prototype. The only thing I had to figure out while making it was how to attach the attaching hardware to the ends of the strap. What I landed on was threading two pieces of paracord through each of the attaching hardware. Each individual piece of paracord went through two of the four “holes” on either end of the soda can tab chain. I then tied knots in the paracord and melted the ends of the paracord as well as the knot itself with the butane torch so that it would stay permanently tied.

The attaching hardware at the ends of the strap with the melted knots holding everything together.

 

When it came time to make the strap, I used one of the guitar straps I currently use as a reference for the length. When cutting the string and paracord for the strap itself, I added an arbitrary amount of extra string to account for the bends that will be present when threading through the soda can tabs. I got very lucky with the length I cut for the paracord, as I forgot to account for the fact that the cross pattern I chose would require more string. I had just barely enough to complete the strap and still tie the knot. The entire process and final product is shown in the video below.

Final Result

The completed guitar strap turned out better than I thought it would. From afar, you can barely tell that it is made of soda can tabs. It fits well within the punk aesthetic and is something that I will definitely be using from now on when performing. 

Front (left) and back (right) of me using the guitar strap.

Functional Goals

The final product initially functions very well. It feels almost no different from any other strap and doesn’t give any indication of being under too much stress. Only time will tell how it holds up in the long term after some use. I have slight concerns about the paracord wearing out eventually, but I’m confident it will hold up for a while. One thing I was worried about from the beginning was the sharp backs of the soda can tabs resting on my shoulder, but the paracord ended up forming a small buffer making the tabs barely noticeable through my shirt. However, a couple strands of my hair would sometimes get caught on the sharp backs of the tabs while putting it on. Although it is easy to get my hair uncaught, this is something I’d definitely want to remedy in the future. All in all, the strap exceeded my expectations in terms of functionality.

Artistic Goals

In terms of my artistic goals, I think the final product fits well within the punk aesthetic. The metal look of the soda can tabs serves as a flashy point of interest that will likely pop out at the audience when under stage lighting. I believe it falls well within the category of metal studded/spiked accessories that are commonly worn by those in the punk scene. The black string and paracord adds a contrasting accent that grounds the strap further into the aesthetic. 

What’s Next?

The only thing I will definitely add to this design is something that will act as a buffer between the backs of the tab and my shoulder. The goal of this is to add an extra bit of comfort, especially during longer performances. Putting this buffer on the “shoulder area” of the strap should also reduce the likelihood of my hair getting caught on the strap, as this is the part of the strap that would be traveling above my head when putting it on. My thought is to source some leather to create something similar to the guitar strap shown below. I will likely try to find black leather to use in order to fit the punk aesthetic better. 

Example of a buffer pad made of  leather.

 

In addition to this, I might experiment with adding some color to the strap. One idea is to thread colored string through the soda can tabs to match the color of my guitar. However, I really like the neutral black and metal look that the strap has, so adding color may only ever be an experimental thought.

Example orange colored string drawn in using Microsoft paint.

 

Works Citied:

• Punk Aesthetic Image:
  • Owned by Vintage Clothing Guides
    • https://vintageclothingguides.com/fashion-subcultures/style-guide-punks/
• CBGB Image:
  • Copyrighted by CBGB
    • https://www.cbgb.com/about
• NOFX Image:
  • Taken by Jonathan Weiner for Fat Wreck Chords
    • https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/s-f-punk-band-nofx-announces-break-up
• Soda Can Tab Bracelet Image
  • Taken and posted by “Team Ideas24” on Ideas2Live4
    • https://craft.ideas2live4.com/2015/03/23/soda-pop-tab-bracelet/
• Studded Belt Image
  • Product Image taken by Leatherpunk
    • https://www.leatherpunk.com/products/pyramid-studded-belt
• Leather Guitar Strap Image
  • Product Image take by LM Products
    • https://lm-products.myshopify.com/products/the-vintage-pad-premium-edition
• Video Background Music
  • Untitled and unreleased track
    • Written and recorded by my friend Matthew Perez and myself (Nicolas Rios)