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Here we have a Western Cut Out Machine Model RMH from Western Supplies Co. in St. Louis, MO. Made in USA. Cuts ends for belts or straps. Works great, comes with dyes. Some dyes need minor sharpening & replacement foam.

* kindly checkout my products attached * Hi Everyone After using leatherworker for more than 2 months to see what taste Americans have for leather, I now introduce myself to this forum as I think this is the best time to do it. I am based in Kanpur, India which is known as the leather hub of the country. With my family business which traces its origins in raw hide trading since 1900s, we set-up a tannery in 1985 to develop and sell quality leather for footwear and small leather goods like belts. We mostly manufacture Indian water buffalo based Veg-Tan Bends and Double Shoulder for tooling, belting, etc purpose in both top-grain and split. Also, we make and supply belt blanks/straps to many foreign customers like Randa Accessories, Danier Leather, etc Presently I seek advice from fellow members who can advice me where I can sell my leather in USA as it is a very big market and who can be my biggest customers. Responses will be highly appreciated for an Indian with an American Dream. Regards M Anas With love from India

I made a belt recently, and have been pretty happy with the result. It's nothing professional, and I skipped a few steps the hardcore belt makers around here would never skip, but it's just for me anyway. It's Hermann Oak, unfinished edges, just some stamping and grooving and coloring. My issue concerns the bending of the belt. (I tried searching the forum a few times, but you can imagine searching leather topics for words like 'belt' and 'bend' returned half the threads ever written.) I've worn one belt I made for the last decade, and it's got a real curve to it by now, so I figured it was bound to happen to this new belt eventually. But I've only worn it twice, and it's nothing like straight anymore. Should I be concerned about the potential longevity of this belt? And why does this happen, anyway? Can it be avoided?

Business minded people needed. I have an idea to get into an untapped market within belt making. I have the idea and the design, but not the skill to make it come to life. If anyone is willing to take this on with me please let me know. I live in Minnesota, so it would be best if you live in the Midwest to lower the amount of travel time for the various meetings we would need to have. Please respond to this if you have any tips or ideas to help me out. If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity then please send me an email at uncloudedparadigm@gmail.com. Thanks!

Atlantic City, New Jersey Seeking Leather Worker with basic skills to assist in new shop / gallery located at The Walk in Atlantic City, NJ. Assist with product developement and the hand making of unique leather accessories and artworks. Please send samples of your work and a brief bio of your experience to ronrosscohen@gmail.com Great opportunity! Thanks.

Is a "Stitch Ditch" needed to protect the thread from wear, when sewing borders on belts, guitar & bag straps?

Hi all, I've been trying out different leathers for belts and I'd really like to start making some belts from veg tan leather with a weight of 10 to 11oz (roughly about 4.2mm), I just like the actual weight of the belt and I'd like to do some tooling on it too. For the life of me I can't seem to find any UK suppliers that do veg tanned leather in this weight, it seems the butts are all oiled or put though some finish that means you can't dye or tool it, only cut the belt and setup the buckle... Does anyone know of any suppliers in the Uk that stock this kind of leather? Tandy have a 13oz saddle skirting russet but I don't think cutting belts from it would be economical, maybe someone could shed some light on a good area of leather for belt making? I've read that the butt is awesome for belts as it's thick and real tough wearing, anyone have any experience making belts of this weight and from this area of the hide? Is it economical to make belts from veg tanned leather of this weight? Many thanks for any advice Cheers Shaun

So I have been looking for a hide that I can make belts and will dye really nicely with black, mahogany, dark brown, etc. Any info would be awesome! Thanks! Austyn

Hello guys! it's been a while......I ve had had a "busy" end of the year..... Here is a peek at some of my latests orders...... belts, saddles, mohair cinches and various tack wish you all a nice christmas and happy new year ! Aurelie

Hello everyone! I have read through a number of posts on here, and found some of the info invaluable! I messed around a bit with leather projects as a kid, and I have always stayed a big leatherphile… If that’s even a word! NOTE feel free to skip my rambling and go to my actual question below the tools list if ya want!!! I suppose the simplest way of putting it is, I’m sick of buying stuff that isn’t built over the top enough for myself! I want super thick leather (maybe as high as 14oz) and the best solid brass and Stainless hardware across the board. My custom belt in 14 oz English Bridle I ordered awhile ago is great… Except the buckle that has the finish wearing off. Not cool. So I want to make some of my own things… But more than that, already being self employed, I am toying around with the idea of starting a company. I think others will appreciate my overzealousness. Leather crafting is fortunately one of those things where it’s not TOO tough to start out small, and work your way on up. You don’t HAVE top spring 20 grand for equipment right off. So I figure, why not? I know a guy who owns probably the best known “rock shop” in Seattle, so there’s my test market! I could ask a million questions, but I think I’ll hold off and try to stay focused. So my “idea” if you can call it that, is simply to start off with belts and bracelets. REALLY beefy ones. Simple enough. I’m probably going to start off with some plainish stuff, and some basic studded/spiked stuff. Researching the tools I would need to get going there’s a lot that’s obvious and comes easy. I do want to go made in USA or Europe for all of my tools if I can. Shouldn’t be too tough as far as I can tell for the most part. I also want to go 100% made in USA for all components, for the most part I think I have this down too, but that’s another story entirely! - Drive punch for doing the end of the belt. There’s the multiple size in one tools, and the specific size. I could go either way, but it’s simple enough. Osborne, unless someone suggests otherwise for this or any of their other tools. - The oblong punches for the belt buckle prong. Edger. Mallets, grommet, rivet, and snap setters. Osborne. - Nifty hand hole cutter for doing nailheads. Check, although not sure if made in USA. Other misc things, I think I have them all tracked down. The thing that’s killing me though, is something to streamline and make consistent the holes for the belt. Maybe I’m over thinking it, but it seems like it’s going to be tough to get perfect spacing and perfect centering consistently, and I want my stuff to be perfect. In my research to seems like there’s no “in between” tool for this. As in it’s either straight up hand done, or you’re buying an expensiveish machine. Weaver Leather has a “self centering” guide that looks like it would work for doing single row. It apparently adjusts to the strap width and helps you lock in on where stuff needs to be. Hard to tell from the pictures, but it seems like it might work. Anyone have any experience? So that should work, maybe, for single row holes… However I wanted to do some 2 prong belts as well. It looks like the way it works is the fit to the width of the belt by pushing the tool against the edges of the belt, and that centers it. So I can’t see where it could do rows of 2 as they don’t mention there being a multi row option. The only other method I’ve seen is to make templates. A cardboard template would just go too quick, but is making a thick plastic template a viable way to do this? Metal sounds cool, but I could see that damaging the leather and being a pain to make. I’m somewhat handy, but I don’t have all the tools to drill steel plates or whatever laying around. I think I could manage finding some 1.5” wide plastic piece and getting some perfectly spaced holes in it though. So, what do you other guys out there do to get consistent holes in your belts??? Especially double prong holes, as I think the Weaver thing might work for single. I haven’t got their catalog with pricing, and am weary of placing a 500 dollar minimum first order to get going, but I COULD order from them as I submitted with my other companies EIN to get their catalog. A good alternative sounds lovely though, either in method, or simply in retailer! The other option that had hit me is ordering sides from someone like Weaver and having them do a lot of this stuff in my leather of choice. But I like the idea of saving the money and doing it myself, even though I’m sure I’ll be making 2 bucks an hour for my trouble because their operation is so much more efficient with all their machines. Also I just want to learn how to do it all for the sake of knowing how it works! Thank you guys in advance for your help, and sorry for writing such a novel! I hope I get some good advice from all of your really experienced guys that are on here! VK PS I thought about the user name after the fact, and given the reputation Seattle has, and the alternative meanings of being a “Leather” in certain contexts… Not my bag! Definitely not into any crazy bondage stuff, just so ya know

Hi all, I need to use a strap end cutter for about 30 belts at a time, and I was wondering if there is a faster way anyone could recommend than using a poly/rawhide mallet and doing them by hand. I considered using an arbor press but the strap end cutters I have are too wide at the top - about 3/4" - to be able to drill in to the arm, or too long - about 5 1/2 " - to fit under the press arm. I think I am missing a trick here somehow, and would appreciate some advice. Fitting each strap into a jig, and pressing them would be both fast and accurate too - at least that was the train of thought I was having on the subject. Any advice from you seasoned strap cutters out there in Leatherworker land, as I am stumped on this one! Thanks a million in advance. Kevin Nickelsafe, UK

Hi all, I need to use a strap end cutter for about 30 belts at a time, and I was wondering if there is a faster way anyone could recommend than using a poly/rawhide mallet and doing them by hand. I considered using an arbor press but the strap end cutters I have are too wide at the top - about 3/4" - to be able to drill in to the arm, or too long - about 5 1/2 " - to fit under the press arm. I think I am missing a trick here somehow, and would appreciate some advice. Fitting each strap into a jig, and pressing them would be both fast and accurate too - at least that was the train of thought I was having on the subject. Any advice from you seasoned strap cutters out there in Leatherworker land, as I am stumped on this one! Thanks a million in advance. Kevin Nickelsafe, UK

Hi again! Before I buy the wrong leather or something that is not appropriate I thought I would ask the experts. I want to add some harness belts to my shop that look sort of like this... http://www.freepeople.com/whats-new/leather-harness-belt/ http://gabrieladelavega.bigcartel.com/product/gary-graham-harness-belt What kind of leather should I buy? I was going to buy a 5 oz vegetable tanned calf side from water house leathers. I have a swatch of it and it feels like it wouldn't stretch. Also for a belt that needs to be a little more pliable to fit around the body like this one....what kind of leather? I make bags so belts are new to me and I don't want to spend a ton of money on the wrong leather! Thanks so much for everyones input... I love this site and wish I would have found it before I spent money experimenting because I didn't know who to ask!! http://pinterest.com/pin/111041947034488711/ Crystal www.locknkeyleathers.etsy.com

Would someone kindly point me in the right direction. For several weeks now I've been trying to come up with published techniques when using multiple Fiebings dyes (in my case on shoes and belts) separated/protected by some sort of resist or technique. I'm accustomed to using paraffin in a pottery situation to either prevent the clay from receiving any color (at all or at that moment of the process - or to protect a final step while completing colors in another section). Is there a corollary in using Fiebings' dyes? I've gotten reasonable good at blending in the dyes creating a patina, hue or amalgam I like. I am unable to discover a product or technique that will enable me to create crisp lines.

Hello all I am new to the leather craft world. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and have learned so much already. I thank you all for that but here is my question. I want to make a Radio strap for myself like the one I have pictured. I have read so many tips on dyes, stains,paints etc. My question is I'm not sure what type of leather I should go with? Should I buy pre-cut black latigo straps? should I get pre-cut herman oak straps? The strap will be exposed to heat and water I'm just not sure whats best any help would be apprecited thanks in advance.

yo guys, first time poster (harlem nyc what up!) i'm working on putting together a product for my sisters birthday- a strap for holding books. the leather i use- vegetable tanned- itself is not sufficient for ensuring the precious cargo does not fall out. Not that it will, but i'd like to protect against those rare circumstances when an extra layer of protection is needed. i've tried cotton webbing and while it looks nice, it cant do the job. I am thinking of petronio's-ing in some thin strips of rubber on the underside of the leather and seeing how it works, but i'm not sure what to be looking for. like leather, rubber has about 50 different parameters to choose from, probably even more so due to its inorganic production. does anyone have any clue what i should be searching for? like, even keywords such as 'sheet of rubber' would be helpful. something along these lines, but honestly i'm a bit overwhelmed. j, nyc

Greetings yall! First of all I want to say that I'm sorry if I duplicate posts but I simply don't have time to read through all the forums. I'm wondering where is a good place to find quality leather for belts at a good price. I bought some scraps from Tandy (5 lbs of leather strips). Are these any good? I have been waiting for over 2 weeks and it's still not here. Is this typical of Tandy? I appreciate any advice.

I want to know the order of operation in leather strap work. I am trying to start a business selling custom dog collars. I want them to be quality and I seem to run into some kind of problem with every step I take. Here is the method I have adapted to so far: (I will note some of the other problems to see if I can get some extra advice.) 1. Cut and skive the leather with super skiver- (can't really find the trick to making this an easy task) 2. Sand the edges and the raw side of leather (for comfort) with a sanding wheel on a drill press 3. Bevel the edges 4.. Punch holes, wet and stamp 5.. Dye with the color of choice - Fiebings oil based Cordovan dye, Fiebings acrylic antique medium brown stain or a zelikovits water based pigment pink dye (pink seems to have streaks where the color doesn't take no matter how many coats I add and rubs off easily) 6. Let dry for an hour or so then color the letters with sharpie for the stained collars, metallic markers or paint markers for the dyed collars(paint markers are difficult to make even and not globby and metalic markers seem to wear off a little) 7. Spray with leather sheen 8. Let dry for an hour or so then burnish the edges with glycerin and saddle soap or Quik Slick on a nylon slicker attached to the drill press. (I am not sure how long this is supposed to take but it seems like forever and I still never get glass smooth edges) - ordered a wooden burnisher made for a drill press so hopefully it will help. My other problem is that sometimes the edges seem to crack in certain spots mostly around the buckle within just a few days. I use quality herman oak leather. 9. touch up the edges with the same dye 10. condition with lexol conditioner. 11. add hardware Ok... so where I get mixed reviews is at what time to apply the finishes and the conditioner. I am so confused that I kind of change it up every time I make one so I don't know if the order of operation is contributing to any of my problems or not. OR if the order of operations needs to change depending on what base of dye and marker I am using. I have been told to condition right after you stamp and before you dye and let it sit over night. I have been told you always put any oils conditioners or saddle soap very last because other products wont penetrate. I have also been told it's super important to use the leather sheen finish before you finish the edges and within two hours of dying But if a water resistant finish is applied won't it seal the leather from absorbing any other products - like conditioners, edge burnishing products and touch up dye?? I feel like if I understood the chemistry behind all of these products I would have a rule of thumb So confused. Any advice would be excellent! Quote MultiQuote Edit

Im looking for a source for colored hides to make strapping and belts. Solid vibrant colors like green, blue, yellow, red etc. Anyone know of any websites that produce/sell these kinds of hides?

Found a 270 page PDF called Bush Leather Work by Ron Edwards. http://blog.survival-goods.com/LIBRARY/Manuals/bushcraft%20leather%20work%20PDF.pdf Lots of info on lace cutting, plaiting, making pouches, bags, belts, etc. Hope you enjoy looking through it. Tom

Tundra Leather, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is a a Canadian supplier of leather and craft supplies. We also specialize in custom leatherwork. We are proud to announce that we now have a Facebook page! Please check us out, and "like" us, at www.facebook.com/tundraleather. For more information about us, please visit www.tundraleather.ca. Feel free to drop by, or give us a call, for any leather related information you require!! Thanks!