DIY leather belt

[weftyarn]

I love DIY stuff and since some of you guys asked about the belts I‘m wearing I figured it would be great to share some experiences / resources here
Maybe some of you have made their own belts to and can add to this thread.

The belts we produced in the last session:

The veg tan leather we used:
https://www.leder-hobby.de/Blankleder-Riemen-38-mm-28-32-mm

The Chicago Screws we used to secure the buckle, 6mm version recommended depending on thickness of the leather
https://www.leder-hobby.de/Chicago-Schraubnieten

The buckles were from Etsy if I recall correctly. Can‘t find the exact source anymore but lots of good stuff can be found online.

The leather dye we used was something like this (we used brown and black)
https://fiebing.com/product/leather-dye/

Last but not least you need something to skive the end part which secures the buckle to get it from 2 x 4mm = 8mm to something like 4mm + 2mm = 6mm so it doesn‘t get too thick, sits more flush and works with the 6mm Chicago screws.

Aaaaand something to punch the holes, see picture. Ideally use a punch template to get the spacing right. I 3d printed one. There‘s also punchers with tear drop design. Looks great but watch out that the alignment is good

Burnishing the edges is optional if you ask me. I personally did not burnish, you just have to live with some „flaking“ of the lose leather fibers. Can also be found online / Etsy or other sites.

Hope this helps. Here‘s a pic of my personal belts after some proper wear. I wear these almost exclusively and they have never let me down.

[Giles]

All the hardware needed can be found here:

https://www.abbeyengland.com/

Some great stuff

[weftyarn]

Great resource @Giles

And for those wondering how my „tea core“ project is evolving here’s some detail shots of the black dyed belt from above

[seawolf]

Be careful. You might start a leather business by accident!

[october rust]

Really cool @weftyarn

I wanted to make a general leatherworking thread last week funny enough. Been making wallets for my family for a few months, just studded my own belt and swapped out the hardware from the belt I’ve worn for probably 15 years. Looking to buy some equipment to hopefully make it a little easier, would love to make a Guitar strap. Lots of fun and very rewarding. This turned out a little sloppy but I learned a lot for the next time around.