Stitching Belt Buckle Folds

[Schpacko]

The only "real" way for me to secure a buckle fold of a belt is to do it like Al Stohlman does in his book about hand stitching. This is a belt i made:

I really love the look and i dont want to change the style. BUT... its a real pain in the neck for me and i would love to get some tipps from you guys.

Its pretty thick leather, about 15oz and 18/6 linen thread that i use. If i try to do it like Stohlman (Just mark the stitching points and stab through) usually ends in a desaster. Especially on the backside and especially in the area of the keeper loop. Its just too hard to stab through 3 thick layers of leather while trying not to damage the keeper loop.

So, i stab all the holes before i start stitching. Its much easier this way, but its still extremely difficult for me.

So, any tipps for me? Any tricks to make it easier?

Thanks in advance

Cheers

Schpacko

[amuckart]

How many have you done?

It'll probably get easier after 20 or so.

[Dwight]

When, . . . remember I did not say IF, . . . when you get tired of stabbing your belt, keeper, thumb, forefinger, and leg, . . . punch one hole in front of the keeper, . . . one behind the keeper, . . . put in two Chicago screws, . . . slot toward wearer's body, . . . and be done with it.

While I love your dedication to "old timey ways" etc, etc, . . . I would charge at least another $25.00 on top of my belt price to get one sewed on like you do it. AND, . . . it does really look nice.

But, also, . . . I really hope the guy who invented Chicago screws went to Heaven, . . . I want to shake his hand and thank him when I get there.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Cameroo]

I've stitched thicker leather like this by drilling the holes with a small drill bit (around 1/16 maybe?). The key is to keep the drill square to the surface so that the holes aren't all cock-eyed when they exit the backside. A drill press would actually be ideal for this.

[cdf]

Dremel in the drill press stand will solve all your problems . Use a bit just a gnats hair over 1/16" . Dremel is a handy shop tool anyway , the drum sander can be great for sanding the edges in hard to reach spots .

Chris

[stingray4540]

If you try the drill method, but don't have a press, the following has worked for me. Mark where you want your holes to go on both sides. Then, drill only halfway through from one side, flip it over and connect the hole from the other side. Doing it this way, you won't get wonky holes. Of course, if you have a drill press that would be ideal.

[Mongo]

I'm a Chicago screw guy all the way, but your stuff looks great. Are you skiving the inside fold area? It might make it a little easier to punch through. I always pre-punch holes on stuff I hand stitch.

[gicts]

Love your dedication. I'm a screw guy too. Much easier to replace the keeper or buckle...and when worn no one knows the difference!

[DonBurch]

It is important to skive the leather where it overlaps. This will thin it down enough to make it easier to punch through.

Drilling would be my second choice, but proper skiving will make the belt look more professional when finished.

[paprhangr]

I've been chucking a punch in drill press, makes good holes in the strap

[Matt S]

Ladies and gents, barring infirmity if you are struggling to pierce a mere 6mm (15oz) of bridle or plain veg with a diamond awl, you need to sharpen your awl. Stabbing it into glycerin soap every now and then helps too.

Consider the typical hand-stitched leather shoe (not a perfect example):

1 layer welting @ 2mm. 2 layers sole @ 6mm = 14mm , most of which is soling leather. If you've never handled it, soling leather is a very firm veg tan which has been compressed to be even firmer.

Consider further traces. These are the long straps which connect a horse's harness to the thing being drawn. They simply must not stretch or break. Proper old 'working' traces were made from three layers of heavy harness leather and stitched 2-4 rows along their full length (for which entire backs were needed).

So you see, hand stitching two layers of 8oz bridle leather to make a trouser belt isn't exactly an impossible task. No Dremels, drill presses or bloody Chicago screws needed.

Please don't think I'm trying to teach grandma to suck eggs; I'm a novice and there are those in this discussion that have much more experience than I.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Matt S