My second belt

[NoahL]

Okay, so something functional! I made this for my cousin out of two layers of 5-6oz hard-rolled, tannery-dyed horsehide leather glued together and stitched with hand-waxed hemp thread. It is set to fit a 36" waist, but has a total of 9 size-adjustment holes because it is my hope that it will last through any weight changes my cousin has throughout his life (he's only 20, after all). The buckle is held on with Chicago screws so as to allow it to be removed so my cousin can stick his giant cowboy buckles on it. I don't think I will be making a double-thick belt again for some time, because sewing it by hand was a pain in the ass. The edges were kind of difficult to burnish, too, but I am going to go over them with wax again here in a few minutes just to make sure they stay smooth. Thanks for looking!

[ABC3]

Looks pretty good to me. What did you use to Seal & final coat?

[NoahL]

Looks pretty good to me. What did you use to Seal & final coat?

Thanks! I waxed the edges and burnished them with a cocabolo stick. The leather was tannery-dyed, and when they did that they also sealed the surface--not sure with what, though--and oiled the leather a bit, so I did cheat in that respect. There is a bit of Leather Balm on it, though--it's the only finish I have.

I just finished up a key-keeper to go with the belt. It's a surprise for him that he won't know about until I hand him the belt.

Edited April 26, 2009 by NoahL

[indypbear]

Okay, so something functional! I made this for my cousin out of two layers of 5-6oz hard-rolled, tannery-dyed horsehide leather glued together and stitched with hand-waxed hemp thread. It is set to fit a 36" waist, but has a total of 9 size-adjustment holes because it is my hope that it will last through any weight changes my cousin has throughout his life (he's only 20, after all). The buckle is held on with Chicago screws so as to allow it to be removed so my cousin can stick his giant cowboy buckles on it. I don't think I will be making a double-thick belt again for some time, because sewing it by hand was a pain in the ass. The edges were kind of difficult to burnish, too, but I am going to go over them with wax again here in a few minutes just to make sure they stay smooth. Thanks for looking!

Noah,

Did you use an edger on both sides? Try Gum Tragacanth, let it sit for ten then slick with your cocobolo then burnish with your wax. Do the same for your key keeper. Also try the tip of a modeling tool down the dampened stitching groove and see what it does. This will make your belt have a much more professional look. Be patient as this takes time to get used to the feel. My $0.02 worth.

Indy

Edited April 27, 2009 by indypbear

[NoahL]

Noah,

Did you use an edger on both sides? Try Gum Tragacanth, let it sit for ten then slick with your cocobolo then burnish with your wax. Do the same for your key keeper. Also try the tip of a modeling tool down the dampened stitching groove and see what it does. This will make your belt have a much more professional look. Be patient as this takes time to get used to the feel. My $0.02 worth.

Indy

Hi Indy,

Yes, I did use an edger on both sides. I don't have any GT, but it definitely is something to try when I get some. I also don't have a modeling tool--what should it do to a dampened stitching groove? Thanks for the advice!

[Timbo]

Noah, one of the cool things about horse is that it will burnish really well. It doesn't even take anything fancy to get a good burnish. Just dampen the edge with water and rub it really briskly with rough canvas or denim or gore tex. It will burnish up really nice with minimal effort. Give it a try and see what happens.

Tim

[NoahL]

Noah, one of the cool things about horse is that it will burnish really well. It doesn't even take anything fancy to get a good burnish. Just dampen the edge with water and rub it really briskly with rough canvas or denim or gore tex. It will burnish up really nice with minimal effort. Give it a try and see what happens.

Tim

Thanks Timbo. This horsehide is hard-rolled, so maybe that made it a bit tougher to burnish? Then again, I may very well just suck at burnishing . I tried dampening it and rubbing it with a scrap of hemp canvas I had, but it just raised a nap along the edge instead of smoothing it. Too dry, maybe?

[Cowboy316]

Noah

when im burnishing edges i use a bar of glyercin soap after i dampen it a bit i lightly rub the edge with the gylercin soap and use denim to burnish it works pretty slick

Cowboy316