Dress Belt

[JeffGC]

I'd like to make a men's dress belt. I've noticed that many have some sort of filler between the front and back. I cut an old one apart and it looks almost like felt. What is commonly used?

Thanks for any input.

Jeff C.

[busted]

The belt you took apart is probably made in china. They are crap the part in the middle is legally called leather. It is legal in the USA to make a leather belt with pleather (plastic leather)

shredded and recompressed and it can be sold as a leather belt. I know of no one in this leather forum that would make such a belt. All of the belts in here are real leather!!

I'd like to make a men's dress belt. I've noticed that many have some sort of filler between the front and back. I cut an old one apart and it looks almost like felt. What is commonly used?

Thanks for any input.

Jeff C.

[JeffGC]

Busted - Thank you for responding so quickly. I guess I should have included a bit more information in my original posting. I have been working with leather for many years, making holsters for about 40 years. In addition, I've made numerous gun belts. Typically, I make them of double thickness 8 oz. veg tanned leather. I'd like to make dress belts. I've looked at many commercial dress belts and have noticed that they have an additional layer in the center. Not out to the edge of the belt but between the stitch lines. I wanted to know what is typically used to provide this appearance. It might just be a narrower third layer of leather.

Any help will be appreciated.

Jeff C.

[Glendon]

I do not know, so this is a guess on my part, but in commercial belts it is probobly bonded leather. Otherwise known as reconstituted leather, or garbage. If you wanted to recreate that tapered bulky look, I'd probobly buy some cheap leather splits and sandwich those between your top layers to keep a level of quality.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

How about no filler, and just taper the sides down on the back side? That is what I was planning to do myself for a dress belt.

[Dwight]

I've never done it, . . . but my gut tells me that if I wanted that "look" a piece of clear vinyl from JoAnn fabrics would be just right to get that effect. Some of their stuff is 60 wide, . . . and if you got 1/3 of a yard (abut $16 a yd) you'd be out 6 bucks or so.

It cuts real easy with scissors or a razor knife, . . . will not shrink, expand, rot, rust, or deteriorate over time either.

Sandwich that between a couple pieces of 4/5 veggie tan, . . . you would probably have one really neat looking belt.

May God bless,

Dwight