A Question For Those That Do Chl Belts...

[ChrisTopherloaf]

Do y'all put the holes in, then finish/dye the belt before you sew it or do you sew it, put it all together minus the hardware then dye it? Frankly, I'm afraid to dye my belt because everything I've always dyed has come out ultra stiff. I'm thinking about keeping it 'natural' color but I'm a 31 year old (in Feb.) and I wear jeans and polo/golf style shirts, button up long sleeves, and the occasional tshirt. So frankly, I'd like the belt to be tan and go with most of what I wear. So, dye it first, then sew, or sew it first then dye? Thanks!!!

Chris

[rdb]

Dye after making holes but before sewing. That way the holes can be dyed too. I use Feibing's oil dyes. Spirit dyes do dry and stiffen the leather more, but a coat of oil should fix that.

If you prefer it natural, clean and deglaze it first thing after cutting. Oil it.(sun dry it for a darker natural). Let it dry good. Apply finish if you aren't tooling. Let it dry good, again. That way it is clean and remains so during the build. It's easier to wipe dirt and such off from making it. When done apply second top finish. Then do the sewing, and assembly.

[Dwight]

My belt process is:

Cut the blanks, punch all the holes for the buckle end

Rough cut the tongue end

Contact cement them together

Sand the edges

Use the sander to finish cut the tongue end

Stitch gouge

Bevel all edges

Sew it up

Tamp down the stitches

Punch the holes at the tongue end

Dye the belt

Dress the edges

Apply finish

Apply hardware

Inspect for dufus mistakes

The only time I dye first then sew, . . . is when my customer wants white stitching. I generally try to dissuade them, . . . but sometimes folks just want what folks want, . . . and like Jimmy Dean, . . . we just aim to please.

This works for me, . . . as I usually only do a dark reddish/brown or black belts.

When someone wants a "tan" one, . . . I generally give it a coat of neatsfoot oil, . . . let it dry, . . . then finish the belt.

I only use Resolene on my CHL belts.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited January 5, 2013 by Dwight

[ChrisTopherloaf]

Oh, hrmmmm. I purchased Fiebing's Light Tan leather dye for the typical veg tan hides. So just oil it...let it dry....oil it again...let it dry again and then it's good? Do you do a buff at the end at all? My stitching is a tannish brown color.