Questions About Making Belts

[Kari Hultman]

Hi all, I've been working with leather for about a year and a half (off and on), and have found this site to be extremely helpful, so I would like to get your advice on making belts.

Is there any veg-tanned leather that I should avoid? I typically work with Craftsman Oak or Oak Leaf because I like all the marks, but I don't know if those will crack or crinkle when the belt is worn.

I'm working with Pro Oil dye. Can I use just beeswax and oil to seal the color, or should I first lay down a coat of Carnauba Creme or something else?

Thank you for your opinions.

Edited March 4, 2015 by Kari Hultman

[Bob Blea]

Hello Kari,

There are certain parts of a hide that aren't very good for belt making. The belly part is very stretchy and it doesn't make for good belts, and there are areas around where the legs connected to the body and really aren't good for anything. Stretchy leather will slowly grow in length as the user wears it so the belt won't be very effective after a while. I don't think you need to worry about a particular brand of leather unless that leather feels stretchy or if it seems to be hard or brittle because it wasn't tanned very well. If it seems like it might crack if you fold it over for the buckle, then it's probably a bad sign. Applying Neatsfoot oil might help in that case.

I can't help much with the question on dyeing because I don't do it much and have no experience with beeswax. When I dye I do apply Neatsfoot oil afterwords to help set the dye. My final coat is usually an acrylic though.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[Kari Hultman]

Thank you, Bob. Very helpful!