A simple belt

[AndrewWR]

 

A raised bridle hide belt. 38mm (1.5 inches) with a single hole to fit me. I always feel a single hole is the thing that really says 'bespoke' about a belt.

The leather was 1.5-2mm thick, giving a final thickness of about 5mm. 

Odd habit: I'm a stitch counter. This belt was exactly 900 stitches. That a lot of hand sewing just to avoid cutting into a thicker hide. It's also made using just two pieces of thread, starting at about six metres (20 feet) each, from the tip, because I hate joins in a seam. 

 

 

The hardware is stainless steel . I photographed it with two belt keepers but I probably won't use the second one because the tail of the belt is 3 to 4 inches past the first loop on my pants (depending which pair ). It does look pretty with two though.

 

[MarshalWill]

Clean. It's nice to see a belt without a lot of foofooraw on it. Very nice work.

[Dwight]

You did good my friend . . . better than I for sure . . .

If I had to hand sew belts . . . I'd go back to concrete work . . . never did one that way  . . . don't plan on it.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Zippin23]

That’s a beauty for sure.  The stitch spacing is perfect to my eye.  Super tight.  It makes my hands ache thinking about the work that went into the stitching. It will surely last a few lifetimes unlike the throwaway dept. store belts.  
I’d love to have a one holer but I use three different holes throughout the year,  depending on the seasons.  

[Outfitr]

On 7/24/2023 at 8:31 PM, Dwight said:

You did good my friend . . . better than I for sure . . .

If I had to hand sew belts . . . I'd go back to concrete work . . . never did one that way  . . . don't plan on it.

May God bless,

Dwight

That's funny, I hand sew all my belts (4 hrs).....and I just retired two years ago...concrete finisher. Ha. However I am now considering a machine after sustaining a fairly serious thumb injury.

[AndrewWR]

20 minutes ago, Outfitr said:

That's funny, I hand sew all my belts (4 hrs).....and I just retired two years ago...concrete finisher. Ha. However I am now considering a machine after sustaining a fairly serious thumb injury.

4 hours is seriously good. Me 'at's off t'you!

It took me over 6 hours to sew this one and I thought I was doing well.

[Dwight]

5 hours ago, Outfitr said:

That's funny, I hand sew all my belts (4 hrs).....and I just retired two years ago...concrete finisher. Ha. However I am now considering a machine after sustaining a fairly serious thumb injury.

Depending on your "budget" . . . you have a lot of options . . .  I started out with a Tippmann Boss . . . which I still have . . . and if I was buying another machine of the similar line . . . it would be the one I'd buy again.  A 42 inch belt takes me 20 minutes . . . about 8 or 9 minutes per side . . . with a coffee and arm stretch break when I hit the tip of it.

I've got a Cowboy now . . . and we're down to something like 6 or 8 minutes on them now . . . just taking my time . . . I hate "do-over" jobs.

May God bless,

Dwight

[AndrewWR]

7 hours ago, Dwight said:

A 42 inch belt takes me 20 minutes . . .

Dwight. It's not necessarily just about speed. TBM | Raised Belt (thebeltmakers.com) These guys have made a successful business for over twenty years, selling hand stitched English leather belts and their raised belts are £389 (over $400) because of all that hand stitching. They're still in business so there is clearly a market for that quality at that price point. Buying a machine for over a £1000 to speed up manufacture sounds sensible until you factor in the value drop. Nobody is going to pay $400 for a machine sewn belt. Since material costs remain the same, (lets be generous and call it $100 cost to the maker), if you can get $200 per belt, you have to sell 3  of those to net the profit on one hand sewn belt at $400. 

Yes, you can sew them up quickly, but the cutting, gluing, burnishing and finishing all take the same time. You're not going to be netting much more per hour of your time and you have to earn back the cost of the sewing machine before you see that extra. 

There is room for both processes in this wonderful world. There are a few people out there who want the tradition and quality of hand saddle stitching and can afford to pay us to do it. There are a lot more people who would rather pay less for leather just as good but less of our time. There is no real difference in durability so it comes down to choice. Choice is always a good thing.

You hate do-over jobs? Me too. But pulling the handle on a Tippman Boss 900 times to sew a belt would feel even more repetitive than hand sewing and it wouldn't make me feel like a craftsman when I looked at the stitching afterwards. 

Grandfather taught me Jesus was a carpenter. He didn't shun menial work or think a manual job was beneath him. Every time my hammer rings out, Its because I'm following that best example, The carpenter of Nazareth.

God bless and keep you.

[Matt S]

3 minutes ago, AndrewWR said:

Dwight. It's not necessarily just about speed. TBM | Raised Belt (thebeltmakers.com) These guys have made a successful business for over twenty years, selling hand stitched English leather belts and their raised belts are £389 (over $400) because of all that hand stitching. They're still in business so there is clearly a market for that quality at that price point. Buying a machine for over a £1000 to speed up manufacture sounds sensible until you factor in the value drop. Nobody is going to pay $400 for a machine sewn belt. Since material costs remain the same, (lets be generous and call it $100 cost to the maker), if you can get $200 per belt, you have to sell 3  of those to net the profit on one hand sewn belt at $400. 

Yes, you can sew them up quickly, but the cutting, gluing, burnishing and finishing all take the same time. You're not going to be netting much more per hour of your time and you have to earn back the cost of the sewing machine before you see that extra. 

As it happens, I knew Mark and Marie when I lived in Exeter over a decade ago. Mark got me started in leather and showed me how to saddle stitch. I am eternally grateful to them for giving me my start and glad that they have continued to run a sustainable business on a relatively simple product line.


It's a very neat belt you've made. Not sure I'd come to you for business advice but a very neat piece of work! 

[Dwight]

1 hour ago, AndrewWR said:

Dwight. It's not necessarily just about speed. TBM | Raised Belt (thebeltmakers.com) These guys have made a successful business for over twenty years, selling hand stitched English leather belts and their raised belts are £389 (over $400) because of all that hand stitching.............  Grandfather taught me Jesus was a carpenter. He didn't shun menial work or think a manual job was beneath him. Every time my hammer rings out, Its because I'm following that best example, The carpenter of Nazareth.

God bless and keep you.

Yes . . . beautiful work . . . and it is good to see that level of expertise being applied. 

I noticed your location . . . found out a few years back that Mom was wrong . . . my pedigree is not German, Dutch, English, and Irish . . . rather it is Scotch, English French, and Welsh . . . with Welsh being the surprise.

Guess that and YOUR grandfather's teaching (my grandfather taught the same line as an old fashioned Baptist minister) . . . kinda makes us cousins or something.

Anyway . . . have fun . . . and remember there is room for both lines of products.  I do two lines myself . . . the double layer belts and western gun belts . . . with associated holster . . . AND . . . the single layer that is not as long lasting durable . . . not as good looking overall . . . but is quicker to produce . . . thereby making for a less expensive product. 

I do both . . . and my customer base is happy . . . life is good.

May God bless,

Dwight