Strong Belt Loop Attachment?

[MtlBiker]

I've made a little belt pouch for my SECRID metal credit card holder.  I've made a couple of them actually, getting better and better at molding the leather, stitching, dyeing, etc.  They have a leather belt loop that I've used double cap rivets to hold in place, and I've hammered them down (especially on the inside) so that when I insert the SECRID it doesn't catch on the rivets.  I've been pretty pleased with what I've done, until....

I almost lost the whole pouch and SECRID with my credit cards!  I wear the pouch on my belt (duh) and it often snags on something in my workshop or even getting in and out of the car.  Today the top two rivets broke away so the belt loop was loose and just flapping.  Good thing I noticed as I might have lost my drivers license and credit cards.  So I'm looking for advice to make a stronger, better belt loop.

What's the best way to attach a leather belt loop to a pouch so that it's super secure?

I see three options:

1) Continue using the rivets as I've been doing and maybe not hammer them down quite as flat, and certainly pay more attention to avoid snagging it on something.

2) Stitch the top and bottom attachment of the belt loop (I'm getting better at stitching!).

3) Use both rivets AND stitching, which I see as being the most secure but the most effort/time to make.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Bert03241]

I stitch all my belt loops and double stitch the stress points

[Handstitched]

Another option, when I make loops, I cut them the  same  as I would with a belt tip cutter, just makes them a bit neater. Mine are  either machine stitched or hand stitched top & bottom . 

With rivets, they will 'tarnish' over time, and may cause staining on clothing?

HS

[Brokenolmarine]

I have box stitched all mine, but Glue them first with Contact Cement.  None have given up the ghost yet.  Not that I have made that many.  However, my daughter has worn one knife sheath for nearly three years, still going strong.

I also took a tip from a British leather worker whose holster and sheath videos I watched a lot of... after stitching the loop, I turn the leather over and put a thin layer of cement over the stitches inside the holster or sheath.  Won't be seen ever again, but protects the stitches from whatever slides over them, and protects what is sliding over them.

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by Brokenolmarine

[tsunkasapa]

+1 for stitching loops.

[RockyAussie]

8 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

What's the best way to attach a leather belt loop to a pouch so that it's super secure?

I see three options:

1) Continue using the rivets as I've been doing and maybe not hammer them down quite as flat, and certainly pay more attention to avoid snagging it on something.

2) Stitch the top and bottom attachment of the belt loop (I'm getting better at stitching!).

3) Use both rivets AND stitching, which I see as being the most secure but the most effort/time to make.

What are your thoughts?

Option 4......Put a piece right across to the sides with 2 slots down the middle of it. This has the labour advantage of not having to add any extra stitching at all and the pouch can hang vertical or horizontally. If used vertically the 2 slots will form out nicely with a little use and be easy to thread the belt through. Here is a picture of one that has not formed to the belt yet but will show what I mean

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by RockyAussie

[fredk]

+ 1 for stitching

But when I use rivets I use Al Stohlman's method; cut a slot in the project, feed the loop part into the project and rivet. 

[MtlBiker]

Looks like all the votes are for stitching the belt loop rather than using rivets.  I'll give that a try on the next pouch I make this weekend.  Thanks for all the comments.

9 hours ago, Handstitched said:

Another option, when I make loops, I cut them the  same  as I would with a belt tip cutter, just makes them a bit neater. Mine are  either machine stitched or hand stitched top & bottom .

I'm not quite sure what you mean.  And when you wear the pouch, the belt loop doesn't even show. 

8 hours ago, Brokenolmarine said:

I have box stitched all mine, but Glue them first with Contact Cement.  None have given up the ghost yet.  Not that I have made that many.  However, my daughter has worn one knife sheath for nearly three years, still going strong.

I also took a tip from a British leather worker whose holster and sheath videos I watched a lot of... after stitching the loop, I turn the leather over and put a thin layer of cement over the stitches inside the holster or sheath.  Won't be seen ever again, but protects the stitches from whatever slides over them, and protects what is sliding over them.

I'll try adding glue on my next pouch.  And for protecting the stitches on the inside, is it just a layer of contact cement you put on them?  I haven't stitched my belt loops yet but I'd imagine that proper stitches, hammered down afterwards would be pretty much recessed and not prone to getting damaged.

5 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

Put a piece right across to the sides with 2 slots down the middle of it.

This idea doesn't sit well with me.  (Of course, not having actually tried it.)  If I understand correctly, you then end up having to stitch through 3 layers along the edge rather than just two, plus you seem to have the top edge of that extra piece kinda open and just sitting there.  Looks wise I don't care for that too much.  Maybe I should just give it a try though.

39 minutes ago, fredk said:

But when I use rivets I use Al Stohlman's method; cut a slot in the project, feed the loop part into the project and rivet.

I can see doing that with the top part of the loop, but not the bottom.  There wouldn't be any room to get my press in there to close the bottom rivets unless they were exposed as in my photo.  Putting the top part of the loop in through a slot and then riveting it would make it stronger?

 

[fredk]

9 minutes ago, MtlBiker said:

I can see doing that with the top part of the loop, but not the bottom.  There wouldn't be any room to get my press in there to close the bottom rivets unless they were exposed as in my photo.  Putting the top part of the loop in through a slot and then riveting it would make it stronger?

a. I have various widths/lengths of 6mm thick flat steel bar. I clamp one of these to a work bench and slip the project over it. The bar is the anvil then I set the rivet, with or without a setter bar. You are doing the rivets the same way, just the strap comes through a slot from the inside [or goes into the inside]

b. According to Al, his method spreads the load on the rivet head and the leather.

I have a belt pouch I made over 20 years ago. When I made it, according to the instructions, with the belt straps just riveted on the outside, the rivets were pulling out of the main pouch. About every 4 to 6 weeks. A real bummer to replace the rivets as I had lined the pouch so it had to be taken apart, rivets replaced and it all sewn up again. Then I discovered Al's method. I redid the belt straps his way and I've not had to re-do the rivets since

[MtlBiker]

8 minutes ago, fredk said:

a. I have various widths/lengths of 6mm thick flat steel bar. I clamp one of these to a work bench and slip the project over it. The bar is the anvil then I set the rivet, with or without a setter bar. You are doing the rivets the same way, just the strap comes through a slot from the inside [or goes into the inside]

b. According to Al, his method spreads the load on the rivet head and the leather.

I have a belt pouch I made over 20 years ago. When I made it, according to the instructions, with the belt straps just riveted on the outside, the rivets were pulling out of the main pouch. About every 4 to 6 weeks. A real bummer to replace the rivets as I had lined the pouch so it had to be taken apart, rivets replaced and it all sewn up again. Then I discovered Al's method. I redid the belt straps his way and I've not had to re-do the rivets since

I'll have to look this up in Al's book (I have 4 of them).  I'm hesitant because I don't really know how to cut neat slots in leather (haven't learned that yet).  So the idea is to cut two slots into the back of the pouch and then feed the belt loop strip into the slots... then which way do you place the part of the loop that's inside?  Do you leave them both in line with the loop or do you bend them back towards the middle?  Putting the ends of the loop inside the pouch means there will be a ridge (from the loop) on the inside and when I slip my little metal SECRID in, it would probably bump up against the ridge making it harder to insert plus adding pressure on the end/edge of the loop. 

I think what I'm going to try this weekend on my next pouch is to first of all use some glue and then to stitch the loop (with the loop not going through any slots) in place.  I might even add a rivet.  Surely that would be stronger than just the rivets alone as I've been doing.

With the pouch you were talking about, where the rivets would fail often, I guess you had used rivets only, without any stitching?