Experimenting With Belt Making.

Mark Larner · Sep 29, 2020

Will Zach said:
Great minds think alike - I just ordered from Sumi-san some buckles and keepers two days ago.... Seems to be the only game in town for Japanese belt hardware. Thanks for the tip!

No worries, would love to see the results!

Will Zach · Sep 30, 2020

Will do. I was wondering if you know a good source of heavy (10-12 oz) black blanks, ideally with pre-cut holes for a buckle. I found some on eBay and Etsy but without buckle holes, and I am sure I'd mess those up.

Mark Larner · Sep 30, 2020

I'm afraid not, I normally cut / punch everything fromm start to finish.

I wouldn't worry about messing it up! You can easily get an oblong punch for the buckle and a hole punch for the buckle prong.

For a garrison buckle I use a 1.5 inch oblong punch, you could just use a hole punch at each end and use a scalpel to cut the straight edges.
Just measure carefully - making a paper template is really helpful here, so you don't mark the leather before you're 100% sure you've got it right.

If you're going for a veg tan leather it's really worth bevelling and then burnishing the edges with a wood slicker, either gum trag or saddle soap will do it. It makes a huge difference to the way the belt looks.

I think Tandy and Weaver leather should have what you need on your side of the pond.

Will Zach · Sep 30, 2020

Thanks Mark. I just got a couple of black Weaver blanks from Amazon. 12-13-oz and 1 3/4"! I figure if I do it I am going to go big. We will see how Sumi's garrison brass buckle matches up. I saw a Marine Corps belt design where they use a garrison brass buckle AND a brass keeper (loop) next to it. Do you think it would be an overkill? I rarely see keepers matched with garrison buckles (they are mostly used with simple buckles), but could be a cool look. Lots of brass up front, lol.

Good tip about using a hole punch for the buckle and cutting between holes. Thanks!

Mark Larner · Sep 30, 2020

Will Zach said:
Thanks Mark. I just got a couple of black Weaver blanks from Amazon. 12-13-oz and 1 3/4"! I figure if I do it I am going to go big. We will see how Sumi's garrison brass buckle matches up. I saw a Marine Corps belt design where they use a garrison brass buckle AND a brass keeper (loop) next to it. Do you think it would be an overkill? I rarely see keepers matched with garrison buckles (they are mostly used with simple buckles), but could be a cool look. Lots of brass up front, lol.

Good tip about using a hole punch for the buckle and cutting between holes. Thanks!

That's the beauty of making it yourself, you can do what you like! Maybe experiment with some chicago screws to mock up the metal keeper - I've seen garrison belts before with leather keepers, but not metal. Making a leather keeper takes minutes few, see which works best and rivet it in place - I'd love to see the results!

Will Zach · Oct 5, 2020

So far I installed the garrison belt buckle and the brass loop from Smoky Sumi on an existing 1 3/4 Warpath belt I had. What do you guys think? Too much brass? I kind of like it, but don't hesitate to critique, lol.

Mark Larner · Oct 20, 2020

Will Zach said:
So far I installed the garrison belt buckle and the brass loop from Smoky Sumi on an existing 1 3/4 Warpath belt I had. What do you guys think? Too much brass? I kind of like it, but don't hesitate to critique, lol.

View attachment 267793

That looks beautiful mate! Something a bit different and it works well.

Edward · Oct 20, 2020

Will Zach said:
So far I installed the garrison belt buckle and the brass loop from Smoky Sumi on an existing 1 3/4 Warpath belt I had. What do you guys think? Too much brass? I kind of like it, but don't hesitate to critique, lol.

View attachment 267793

I really like that. Looks like it would be a great base for a Brando / WildOne type belt. I plan to make one of those eventually - though I'll probably buy a good belt and DIY. I made a sort of cod-Roman skirted-leather-armour belt about fifteen years ago now as part of a Marvin the Martian costume I wore out to a club night. As I recall, I marked the holes for studs where I wanted them, then used a small wood-drill bit into a bit of scrap wood to make the holes nice and even. Seemed to work better than the cheap punch tool I had at the time, though today I'd probably pick up a hand drill rather than use electric again.

Will Zach · Oct 20, 2020

If you look for brass hardware, Japanese buckles and keepers from Smoky Sumi are stellar quality. But what is new?

PS - A $19 rotary punch from Amazon branded Pro-Master punches holes with no effort in 12-oz steerhide blanks, stiff as hell.

Edward · Oct 20, 2020

Will Zach said:
If you look for brass hardware, Japanese buckles and keepers from Smoky Sumi are stellar quality. But what is new?

PS - A $19 rotary punch from Amazon branded Pro-Master punches holes with no effort in 12-oz steerhide blanks, stiff as hell.

Thanks, I'll check that out!

Will Zach · Oct 21, 2020

Another thing I love about making your own belt - you can space the holes the way you want. I always thought 1-inch spacing was for the birds - either too loose or too tight, like a sack of potatoes. Now I space them every 1/2-inch and love it. No matter how heavy or light the waistband of my pants (or my waist) is - there is a hole for that!

Will Zach · Oct 21, 2020

Here's a Coghlin and Upton military-style buckle I put on a Weaver 12-oz 1 3/4-in black blank. I think the brass works well with black pants - a nice warm accent.

Ernest P Shackleton · Oct 22, 2020

That's a conversation. Do people keep their buckles or throw them out when the belt goes bad? I don't think I've thrown one out since high school.

Will Zach · Oct 22, 2020

^^
Depends. Anything solid brass and/or vintage I'd keep, but a crappy $2.50 roller buckle I'd definitely toss.

Fed in a Fedora · Nov 2, 2020

Okay, I am late to the game, but wanted to give a few comments.

I carried a sidearm daily and needed a good sturdy belt that would hold up to decades of abuse. These were very expensive, so I started making my own and learned a few lessons.
Multiple layers never seemed to work well, so I bought good quality heavy leather.
The common method of stitching across the belt weakened the belt, so I ran stitching along the length. Stronger and more attractive.
I bought a bullet style tip punch for the belt width that I thought best and the belts look far better.
I take an old belt from the person to guide the curve of their new belt and make the cut along that pattern so the belt is already curved for them with no break-in period.
Sharpen your edge beveller for a clean look and then sand the edges before slicking them and finishing.
Use straight edges and pricking irons to lay out your stitching.
My early belts were rough along the area where the tongue of buckle came through the slot. I started using a hole punch fore and aft and then used a wide chisel to make the slot. Tool time to set this perfectly and got good results without buying the special tool.
Look at your hole spacing for the buckle holes. Study commercially made belts for a pleasing proportion.

Good luck!

Fed

Big Steve · Nov 3, 2020

I like using Saddle Skirting to make belts out of. Its thick, robust, and holds well over time. Here are a few I did a while back.

Experimenting With Belt Making.

Mark Larner

New in Town

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Mark Larner

New in Town

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Mark Larner

New in Town

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Mark Larner

New in Town

Edward

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Edward

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Ernest P Shackleton

One Too Many

Will Zach

I'll Lock Up

Fed in a Fedora

Practically Family

Big Steve

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