Belt liner cracking

[Kolton45]

Hey so I got some questions about lining belts, most of the belts I've made have just been single ply due to having to hand stitch everything but I've made a few that are lined I use 8-9oz with a 2-3oz liner all Hermann oak and they all turned out good and seem to be holding up good except one the liner is starting to crack up the guy wears it to work everyday and he works construction the belt is just about 2 years old I'm wondering if theres something I coulda done different to make it last longer or if it's just due to abuse and nothing I coulda done different

[PastorBob]

It could be from abuse.  Did you put any type of finish on it?  i sprayed a should strap with saddle-lac once and it started cracking after a while of constant bending of the strap.

[Dwight]

I virtually never do an 8 / 4 belt . . .  they are always like 6/6 or 6/5 or 5/5 . . . trying to keep them pretty close to the same thickness.

Lately I've been using a hide I got from Weavers some time back . . . it's a heavy 7/8 . . . and I've got my splitter set for about 110 thousandths . . . which gives me a .220 belt . . . right at the size I really like to make em.

Never had one do what you are talking about . . . and I've got some steel lined belts out there . . . doing their work.  

May God bless,

Dwight

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, Kolton45 said:

Hey so I got some questions about lining belts, most of the belts I've made have just been single ply due to having to hand stitch everything but I've made a few that are lined I use 8-9oz with a 2-3oz liner all Hermann oak and they all turned out good and seem to be holding up good except one the liner is starting to crack up the guy wears it to work everyday and he works construction the belt is just about 2 years old I'm wondering if theres something I coulda done different to make it last longer or if it's just due to abuse and nothing I coulda done different

What do you apply to keep the leather conditioned/ oiled/ leather needs lube of some sort to keep its flexibility, Another thing to think about if he continually gets it wet the oils will eventually wash out and leave stiff dry leather that cracks. 

if you sent it conditioned and flexible then maybe all you can do is educate the customer on proper maintenance of his leather.

[Kolton45]

Thanks for the replys and I usually use olive oil to get my desired darkness then finish with tan kote 

[doubleh]

Since he works construction sweat is probably the culprit. It's  going take an oil on the inside layer to prevent damage and it is going to have to re-applied by the user. Since it is a work belt I would just use an oil on the complete belt.

[Tugadude]

5 minutes ago, doubleh said:

Since he works construction sweat is probably the culprit. It's  going take an oil on the inside layer to prevent damage and it is going to have to re-applied by the user. Since it is a work belt I would just use an oil on the complete belt.

I agree.  

[tsunkasapa]

2 minutes ago, Tugadude said:

I agree.  

[SaintJoy18]

28 minutes ago, doubleh said:

Since he works construction sweat is probably the culprit. It's  going take an oil on the inside layer to prevent damage and it is going to have to re-applied by the user. Since it is a work belt I would just use an oil on the complete belt.

Yup! Operator error (i.e. end user abuse)

[Doc Reaper]

I also agree with the sweat problem, but there is another culprit. I made a good fast cheap belt for a customer that worked inside of tractor trailers, he said he would rather unload some boxes by hand because it was easier to get them out of the trailer.

   When I asked how he would move so many somewhat heavy boxes repeatedly, his reply made sense as to the condition of the belt. The boxes were mostly bulky and he would get a corner of the box on the belt and just hold that box on the belt and walk it off the trailer!

I’m sure he was nothing but a fountain of sweat at times inside a tractor trailer on hot days, but it explained why his belt was misshaped and starting to crack. Sweat soaked (eww) leather and odd added weight do weird things to a belt!

Edited August 18, 2022 by Doc Reaper
Missed word, added it in

[Matt S]

Ron Edwards, an Australian bushman, horseman and general craftsman who grew up in his family's saddle shop, had this to say when making a nail bag:

Quote

Chrome tanned leather is usually chosen for this sort of work. Vegetable tanned leather would do the job just as well, but the trouble is that the average carpenter never ever gets around to putting a bit of leather dressing on his nail bag and so the leather soon cracks and splits. Chrome tanned leather can go for longer without any attention.

Heat, sunlight, salt and water (from the environment or the user) significantly affects leather. The effect on veg tannages is especially noticeable. Over time the oils, greases and waxes that are added at the tannery or on the manufacturer's workbench are lost and so the fibres of the leather shrink, get brittle and do not slide smoothly against one another. Some treatments (such as oil) are far quicker to leave than others (such as grease). This is where periodic cleaning and dressing of the leather comes in, which is sometimes called "feeding".

Proper maintenance of leather gear has largely gone out of the average population's skillset, at least where I live. I've had to show grown adults how to apply a tin of Kiwi and a pair of brushes to their smart/formal shoes. Or even the concept that they can/should be polished every now and then -- let alone periodic cleaning, inspecting and greasing their belts.

Like Ron Edwards I find it worthwhile to take into consideration the skillset/mindset and workload of the user when choosing materials. People likely to be outside in all weathers tend to get recommended chrome tanned goods rather than veg tanned.

[doubleh]

During my working life I did a lot of waterflood work, i. e. welding up leaks and replacing pipe. This involved a lot of work boots frequently soaked with oilfield produce water which is really nasty stuff. I was friends with the local boot maker/shoe repairman and finally asked him what to use on my work boots as neatsfoot oil wasn't getting the job done. Huberd's shoe grease was his recommendation so I bought a can. My boots which were Redwings and I started wearing that brand back in the '60s started lasting twice as long as before. He knew what he was talking about and I have used it on my work boots every since. I seldom wear work boots anymore and the the ones I wear are the ones I had when I retired in '96.  They are seriously beat up but still don't leak and get greased at least once a year. Rub it on and just keep rubbing. It will liquify and absorb into the leather. I do two coats.

Edited August 18, 2022 by doubleh

[tsunkasapa]

Hubbard's is good stuff. I used to do a lot of concrete, and that stuff eats boots. Hubbard's was great protection from it.

[Kolton45]

Yeah looking back on it I wish he woulda told me he was gona use it for a work belt. He just told me the tooling and everything he wanted so i assumed he wanted it as more of a dress belt