Anyone have this problem with their custom belt?

sbebenelli · November 17th, 2008, 12:21 PM

I bought a gun belt from a well known maker a month ago. It's a brown belt and has black on the edges. After wearing it for a week I noticed the black was wearing off the edge where it goes through the buckle.

I contacted them just to see if this was normal and this is what was I was told.....

We warned you about this in our FAQ on the web site. This is only common if you drag the belt through the buckle. If you bend the belt excessively or crank it through the buckle it will wear off the edging. The belt I'm wearing is five years old and shows no wear in that area.

I was told it is possible to buckle the thing up while keeping the tip with the fit holes nearly straight at all times.

After receiving the email I have tried the best I can not to bend the belt while tightening and I find this almost impossible with a gun hanging on the belt. I have to at least bend the belt back some to get it tight and I see no way in preventing the belt from dragging the belt in the buckle when I tighten it.

To their credit I was told I could send the belt back and they would fix it.

The question I have is anyone who has bought a gun belt from a custom maker have you had this problem with the finish wearing on the edges in the buckle area? I feel it would be a waste of time to send it back because I don't think I can keep from it happening again.

I'm very happy with the belt itself. I just want to see if I'm the only one who can't keep this from happening.

rolyat63 · November 17th, 2008, 01:07 PM

I recently bought a belt from a custom belt maker found on this forum and have this problem. The black edged, on the bottom side, came after just a short time. Their reply to you doesn't seem to explain my problem. I installed my own buckle which is just a straight pull through no bending required. The place where the black came off is just past the buckle when buckled. I just took a sharpie and colored in the leather since it was on the bottom and less than 3/8". This belt has not been bent no more than the package it came in.

JAT40 · November 17th, 2008, 01:21 PM

Why the big secret about the belt maker? I have a Beltman I wear every day and the edges are still black.

FlyboyLDB · November 17th, 2008, 01:36 PM

I have a Beltman that I have been wearing for 2-3 weeks and have this issue. The color on the edges are wearing or flaking off - only where the belt buckle travels. There is no way not to cinch or drag the buckle across the belt. I was hoping for more time before showing wear like this. It is a thick belt - it is going to drag against the buckle. Maybe some shoe polish.

torrejon224 · November 17th, 2008, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyboyLDB

I have a Beltman that I have been wearing for 2-3 weeks and have this issue. The color on the edges are wearing or flaking off - only where the belt buckle travels. There is no way not to cinch or drag the buckle across the belt. I was hoping for more time before showing wear like this. It is a thick belt - it is going to drag against the buckle. Maybe some shoe polish.

Shoe polish? Not unless you want to ruin your clothes. Buy some Fieblings leather dye, It's what most of the makers use and is great stuff. I have it in several different colors so I can touch up any scratches on my holsters.

ttsail · November 17th, 2008, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torrejon224

Shoe polish? Not unless you want to ruin your clothes. Buy some Fieblings leather dye, It's what most of the makers use and is great stuff. I have it in several different colors so I can touch up any scratches on my holsters.

Fiebings leather dye will rub off on clothing as well a little sometimes if you do not top coat it with something.

AZ Husker · November 17th, 2008, 06:19 PM

Just don't bend the end of the belt back over when buckling it. Pull it straight through, and engage the hole you need. Losing the black edge dye is the least of your worries. Repeated severe bending like that will crack the leather and quickly ruin your belt.

jarhead79 · November 18th, 2008, 01:27 PM

The black that you are talking about is called Edge Kote. Some makers use a product called Yankee Wax which is applied with a different proces, but same concept. Most likely the product is Edge Kote.

As TT said, if it's not sealed the dye will come off on clothing, but that doesn't seem to bee the issue.

If you want to remedy this problem yourself, you can purchase Edge Kote at any Tandy Leather or Leather Factory if there is one near you. tandyleatherfactory.com is their website and you can order online, also. It's simple to apply, but you're not going to want to apply coat after coat after coat, as it will build up. A small touch up perhaps with a small paint brush only on the cracks might help.

There's really no solution for the cause, except to get a belt without edge coating.

Nate

November 17th, 2008, 12:21 PM	#1
sbebenelli Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Iowa Posts: 70	Anyone have this problem with their custom belt? I bought a gun belt from a well known maker a month ago. It's a brown belt and has black on the edges. After wearing it for a week I noticed the black was wearing off the edge where it goes through the buckle. I contacted them just to see if this was normal and this is what was I was told..... We warned you about this in our FAQ on the web site. This is only common if you drag the belt through the buckle. If you bend the belt excessively or crank it through the buckle it will wear off the edging. The belt I'm wearing is five years old and shows no wear in that area. I was told it is possible to buckle the thing up while keeping the tip with the fit holes nearly straight at all times. After receiving the email I have tried the best I can not to bend the belt while tightening and I find this almost impossible with a gun hanging on the belt. I have to at least bend the belt back some to get it tight and I see no way in preventing the belt from dragging the belt in the buckle when I tighten it. To their credit I was told I could send the belt back and they would fix it. The question I have is anyone who has bought a gun belt from a custom maker have you had this problem with the finish wearing on the edges in the buckle area? I feel it would be a waste of time to send it back because I don't think I can keep from it happening again. I'm very happy with the belt itself. I just want to see if I'm the only one who can't keep this from happening.

November 17th, 2008, 01:07 PM	#2
rolyat63 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 654	I recently bought a belt from a custom belt maker found on this forum and have this problem. The black edged, on the bottom side, came after just a short time. Their reply to you doesn't seem to explain my problem. I installed my own buckle which is just a straight pull through no bending required. The place where the black came off is just past the buckle when buckled. I just took a sharpie and colored in the leather since it was on the bottom and less than 3/8". This belt has not been bent no more than the package it came in. __________________ rolyat63 NRA Certified Pistol Instructor You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf! FL Concealed Weapon or Firearm Program

November 17th, 2008, 01:21 PM	#3
JAT40 VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: ma Posts: 2,216	Why the big secret about the belt maker? I have a Beltman I wear every day and the edges are still black. __________________ While people are saying "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, ... and they will not escape. 1Th 5:3

November 17th, 2008, 06:19 PM	#7
AZ Husker VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Phoenix Posts: 3,575	Just don't bend the end of the belt back over when buckling it. Pull it straight through, and engage the hole you need. Losing the black edge dye is the least of your worries. Repeated severe bending like that will crack the leather and quickly ruin your belt. __________________ Treat me good, I'll treat you better. Treat me bad, I'll treat you worse.

November 18th, 2008, 01:27 PM	#8
jarhead79 Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Stansbury Park, UT Posts: 1,298	The black that you are talking about is called Edge Kote. Some makers use a product called Yankee Wax which is applied with a different proces, but same concept. Most likely the product is Edge Kote. As TT said, if it's not sealed the dye will come off on clothing, but that doesn't seem to bee the issue. If you want to remedy this problem yourself, you can purchase Edge Kote at any Tandy Leather or Leather Factory if there is one near you. tandyleatherfactory.com is their website and you can order online, also. It's simple to apply, but you're not going to want to apply coat after coat after coat, as it will build up. A small touch up perhaps with a small paint brush only on the cracks might help. There's really no solution for the cause, except to get a belt without edge coating. Nate __________________ Sig P239 9mm Bersa Thunder.45 Ruger SP101 .38 SPL Glock 36 (night sites) UBG Holsters current wait time as of 7-16-2009: 3-5 weeks.

November 17th, 2008, 01:36 PM	#4
FlyboyLDB Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: GA Posts: 848	I have a Beltman that I have been wearing for 2-3 weeks and have this issue. The color on the edges are wearing or flaking off - only where the belt buckle travels. There is no way not to cinch or drag the buckle across the belt. I was hoping for more time before showing wear like this. It is a thick belt - it is going to drag against the buckle. Maybe some shoe polish.

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