BruceGibson

Leather's a funny thing...one of those natural materials that seldom behaves the same way twice. I've seen several posts with questions about belts, so I thought I'd take a few pictures of one I'm working on now. It's not complete...I'll try to add to the photo collection over the next couple of weeks so you'll get to see the belt finished.

I hope it answers some questions about belts in general, and custom leather belts in particular. Synthetic belts are a breeze--you just cut them to length, and they always behave the same.

The disclaimer. My way is just one of hundreds, but I haven't seen a "step-by-step" on the forum and thought I'd share one. Please take a look, and don't hesitate to comment, or ask a question.

http://www.gibsonprorodeo.com/RICKS-BELT.htm

__________________
"He who is silent is deemed to consent."

www.GibsonGunleather.com

ront

Very nice. Thanks for the post and pictures. It is very interesting to me!

Ron

__________________
Shine on...
S&W M&P .40 Compact
Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull
Kel Tec P3AT; Walther P22
Mossberg 500 Persuader
http://kdholsters.com/

maclean3

Good idea Bruce, keep it up!
Jack

__________________
"The sheep are everywhere. We are raising up a nation of cannon fodder types and we are screwed."
HotGuns

Jeremiah

Interesting to see the process, thanks.

Bowie

Thanks for the insight Bruce. It is neat to see how these great products we use actually come to be.

sass20485

Cool, thanks for the picture show !

CopperKnight

Maybe this is a dumb question, but what's the purpose of the liner? What does it add to the one piece shot of leather?

Looks good by the way.

__________________
eschew obfuscation

The only thing that stops bad guys with guns is good guys with guns. SgtD

BruceGibson

Thanks, everybody. There's a lot more to belt-making than most folks realize. They're aggravating, testy, cantankerous, unpredictable, moody, and cranky. Sorta like being married.

Did I say that out loud?

On top of all that, the dang things have to FIT.

__________________
"He who is silent is deemed to consent."

www.GibsonGunleather.com

BruceGibson

Ahhh...the LINER. The liner adds body--it basically backs up the facing like the belts in a tire. It helps to minimize stretch, twist, and other bad things. In other words, a dual-layer of 1/8-inch pieces bonded and stitched together provide more "body" than a single 1/4-inch layer. Not much different than a laminated wood beam compared to a single board.

On top of that, the quality of the leather you start with is critical. As well as the area of the hide the leather's cut from. A high-quality, custom belt comes from the upper-back of a leather side. And the holes (buckle holes) are punched in the end closest to the rear, or "butt-end" of the hide.

And therein lies the main reason the things are so expensive. And also one of the primary reasons they look, and wear, so dang well!

__________________
"He who is silent is deemed to consent."

www.GibsonGunleather.com

Bark'n

Bruce, you show some excellent craftsmanship with that piece.

Good leatherwork is taken for granted by a lot of folks, but it is not lost on me.

Great job and I appreciate the process pictures.

Thanks for sharing.

__________________
-Bark'n
Semper Fi

"The gun is the great equalizer... For it is the gun, that allows the meek to repel the monsters; Whom are bigger, stronger and without conscience, will prey on those of us who without one, would surely perish."