Strong Belt Loop Attachment?

[RockyAussie]

On 5/28/2022 at 3:37 PM, Spyros said:

Maybe make a 2mm hole at the start and end of those slits, takes 5 seconds and makes them a lot harder to tear. 

Yeah I shoulda done it but that knife/die was made ages ago and I have not had any negative feedback on it before now. Sometimes I just don't like the look of slots with holes at the ends. Rather than use a crew punch often I will hunt up a bit of box tube and make a punch that cuts a U shape instead. That has the advantage of keeping whatever strap that goes in tight and neat looking when finished. In the right side back of this picture you can see one of these punches I made to use in the tote bag I was making.

[Klara]

On 5/27/2022 at 5:34 PM, MtlBiker said:

Oh no!  MORE stuff to buy!  (Slot punches.)

Not necessarily. You can also punch two holes the strap width apart and cut the straight lines with a knife. More work and doesn't look so good (at first, or ever) but cheaper and, most important, you can start immediately without waiting for delivery of your slot punch.

[MtlBiker]

6 hours ago, Klara said:

Not necessarily. You can also punch two holes the strap width apart and cut the straight lines with a knife. More work and doesn't look so good (at first, or ever) but cheaper and, most important, you can start immediately without waiting for delivery of your slot punch.

Thank you Klara.  I've actually been doing that where I need to attach a zipper to my leather.  I'm getting better at it, but you're right, it probably doesn't look as good as if the slot was cut with a proper punch.  At least with the zipper slot, it's easier (I think) because the whole slot is longer and wider.  But since this slot doesn't get hidden, it's really got to look good.

BTW, I did get that stitching "clamp" from DecoCuir we were talking about a couple of months back.  It's quite well made and I'm getting the hang of using it and I like it much more than a stitching pony that clamps to a table.  With this I can relax on my couch in front of the tv and use it much more easily than one that clamps to a table.  I don't have a real "shop" for everything but use a guest room and part of the living room for my sewing "hobby".

Best regards!

 

[fredk]

One wee thing I used to do; I cut a slot template in thickish card board. I got the slot looking good on that first, then I used a pen to trace the slot on the leather and followed the outside of the pen line as I cut the leather. I only did this when I had at least 4 slots to cut.

[dikman]

Seems to me that in this particular case the best way would be that used on some (usually cheaper) knife pouches - cut two vertical slots in the back and feed the belt through. Not as pretty or elegant as attaching an actual loop, but simple, strong and will keep the pouch closer to the body, helping to reduce snagging.

[MtlBiker]

31 minutes ago, dikman said:

Seems to me that in this particular case the best way would be that used on some (usually cheaper) knife pouches - cut two vertical slots in the back and feed the belt through. Not as pretty or elegant as attaching an actual loop, but simple, strong and will keep the pouch closer to the body, helping to reduce snagging.

I think if I did that there would be the chance that when I try to insert the SECRID card holder into the pouch it would snag on the belt.  You saw the photo of the SECRID?  It's got pretty sharp edges and the inside of a pouch needs to be smooth and without anything it could catch on.  Nah, I'm going to stick to hand stitching the belt loop (no rivets) on the outside of the pouch back.  At least on the next one I'm trying to make.  I guess I'd call it a work/design in progress.  Also it's a chance for me to practice my stitching.

Cheers!
 

[battlemunky]

On 5/28/2022 at 2:58 AM, Spyros said:

Both thread and metal are stronger than the leather, and both need to be installed properly.  A double cap rivet is easy to get it wrong, or get the wrong size.  If you get it right you can put the leather on a vice and pull it with pliers, the rivet is not coming off, and if you keep trying the leather will tear.  As anyone who's ever tried to remove a rivet knows, it can only be removed with a drill.

I dunno man, I remove those ez rivets with a pair of needle nosed pliers more often than not. Prying/bending the cap off and then smooshing/bending the tube so it'll fit through the hole. It's quite easy that way. I agree with you on bit/burr, 100% has to be drilled out.

[Doc Reaper]

On 5/26/2022 at 7:14 PM, Bert03241 said:

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

Agreed, the rivets you speak of are use for aesthetics not real Holden strength 

[Spyros]

Disagree, I never stitch loops or handles, just double cap rivets and nothing's ever failed (except for my attention to detail sometimes, in which case I've had to remove a couple, and they don't come off no-matter-what).

I'm guessing the people who say double cap rivets don't hold must have the wrong size stem, probably too short.

[Spyros]

20 hours ago, battlemunky said:

I dunno man, I remove those ez rivets with a pair of needle nosed pliers more often than not. Prying/bending the cap off and then smooshing/bending the tube so it'll fit through the hole. It's quite easy that way. 

No way.  You made me go to the shed on a Friday night LOL

Here's some leather. 

Top side is Sedwick English bridle, bottom side is full grain veg tan, glued and stitched together.  As a combination it's tough as they come, the kind of thing you can easily hang your body weight from:

And this is one double cap rivet.

And this is how the rivet is supposed to fit: it must stick out a couple of mm, and there needs to be a tiny bit of room in hole around it for the rivet cap to go inside the leather when installed.  This is important.

and this is how to install them.  The metal base with the blue collar is from a hand press, I've drilled a hole on the block of wood to hold it.  Both the base and the concave setter are exactly the correct size for that rivet, this is also important.

A couple of hard hits with a heavy maul.  By hard I mean HARD, no BS. 

Obviously I was holding the setter when hitting, but I was holding the phone this time to take the photo.

And this is what it looks like installed, the top of the stem has completely mushroomed inside the rivet and it has been reduced to between 2/3 to 1/2 of its original length.  This is the most important thing, I see some people on videos giving their rivets a couple of light taps on the table and calling it "ok done".  Well good luck with that.  The rivet needs to be hit hard enough to be a little bit embedded in the leather.

Here I am putting the strap in the vice.

And then I pulled with everything I got.  No photos of that because I was pulling with both hands, plus one foot on the vice.

After a lot of pulling, eventually this is what happened:

The rivet stayed in its place and it tore right through the leather.

The head of the rivet itself deformed as you'd expect, because I was pulling it sideways, but the stem is firmly planted in the cap and still holds just fine.

Ok? That is a properly installed double cap rivet.

I have no idea what you guys are doing that causes your rivets to fail. 

Mine don't.