Do You Dye The Back Of Belts?

[Pennypower]

Hi everyone :-) I'm new here. This is my first post. I've been reading everything I can find on here for weeks. I have a question, here goes.

I just started making belts and I'm wondering if you dye the back of your belts, and with what? I don't want that really light look, but I don't mind it being not quite as dark as the top side. But the problem is I feel like I'm using SO MUCH dye when I dye the back. It just absorbes so much. I need to be as economical as possible. I've been using Eco Flo waterstain or Feibings spirit based dyes.

Also, when I dye it, no matter how much I buff it after, I still have color rubbing off and I don't want to ruin people's clothes.

So, what do you do to the back of your belts to make them look nice and professional?

THanks ;-)

Penny

[Dwight]

Well, Penny, . . . I'm just a lazy old coot, . . . and while there are a bunch of ways of doing belts, . . . the main ones I do are 2 layer, . . . usually run around .220 thick when they're finished, . . . and they are built so an old geezer like me can put a full size 1911, . . . 2 magazines, . . . key chain, . . . cell phone, . . . on it and it not sag.

I cut my blanks, . . . do both ends, . . . cement them together, . . . dress the edges, . . . punch the holes in the tongue end, . . . and run em through the dye pan. I use a 9 x 14 cake pan, . . . pour about a half quart in there, . . . run it through like a snake, . . . about 3 to 5 seconds is all it gets. I also cut my Feibings oil dye about 20%, . . . it seems to penetrate better that way.

Let it dry 24 hours, . . . don't mess with it, . . . leave it alone, . . .

Get an old wash cloth you never want to wash your face with again, . . . and start polishing on that belt, . . . laying flat on a counter, . . . use some elbow grease, . . . rub it hard. When the pigment is not coming off any more (use a white paper towel to check), . . . quit rubbing.

I then come back and burnish the edges, . . . and apply the final coat, . . . finish coat, . . . 50% Resolene, . . . 50% water.

That belt will not bleed color, . . . will stay color fast for as long as it is a belt.

If you buy your dye by the quarts, . . . and cut it a bit like I do, . . . it is not "that" expensive. Though I have never guaged it specifically, . . . I'd say I'd get probably 20 belts out of a quart.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Alamo]

Personally, I don't dye the backs of belts. The main reason is because it saves me some time and dye, but also because it prevents the wearer from EVER having the dye bleed into their clothing.

That's just me though, and I'm very new to leather

[Pennypower]

Thank you both for the great advice. I'm going to start by buffing it more and using very watered down die on the back and see how that goes. I can't dip dye anything unfortunately because I am working in my apartment living room and I have to be SUPER careful not to spill anything on the carpet....sigh.

I've never wanted a garage so bad in my life!!!!

[Cyberthrasher]

Also, be sure to slick the back of your belt. I slick it by lightly dampening with a sponge and then running my bone folder over it briskly in one direction - a glass slicker would probably work better but I don't have one. Once it's slickened though, it won't suck in the dye as much. Some projects look fine with a natural back, but other times it just looks off. Then there are the times where I accidentally get a little bit of my dye on the back, or a bit of antique - forcing me to dye the back anyway. Once dyed, I use a the 50/50 resolene after buffing. At this point, it's never going to bleed off onto clothes.

[Pennypower]

Cyberthrasher....

When you say 50/50 resolene, does that mean you mix it with water?

[Alamo]

Yup, mixing it 50/50 allows the resolene to soak into the leather better and requires you to use many light coats

[Cyberthrasher]

That, and Resolene straight from the bottle is WAY TOO thick to apply evenly. All it will do is smear, blotch, and go on so thick it will have a good chance of cracking. Just apply it with either an airbrush, or a lightly moistened sponge (NO water coming out when you squeeze) and make sure to get rid of any bubbles. Lately I've been running my sponge over a section of the project then going back and rubbing it in little circles to even things out.

[footrat]

I dye the backs. I also use two or more coats of my finish- either Fiebing's Saddle Lac or Fiebing's Resolene 50/50.

If you decide not to dye the backs, make sure you're careful when dying edges, holes, and buckle tongue slots so you don't end up with anything running over to the other side.

[sifuleatherworks]

Any experience from anyone with Fiebing's Aussie Leather Conditioner on belts? Finished one today for my self and applied per directions. Would you still use Resolene 50/50? If so, before or after the Aussie stuff? Belt is pictured below...first time doing a basket weave pattern...I'm waiting on a better maul as I type this.

[Alamo]

Because Aussie Conditioner is a leather conditioner and not a finish, I would absolutely use Resolene on your belt.

Resolene is an clear acrylic that creates an invisible barrier on the outside of your leather that seals in the good and keeps out the bad.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Alamo

[billymac814]

Single layer belts get the back side dyed, double layered doesn't. I dye the top layer before cementing them together. I think it looks nice with the natural backside.

[paprhangr]

how do you put double layer belts together? I have no sewing machine

[Dwight]

how do you put double layer belts together? I have no sewing machine

Fred does that (a friend of mine), . . . his process follows mine (see above) except for the sewing machine part.

He gets out his thread, . . . needles, . . . gloves, . . . scissors, . . . wax, . . . coffee, . . . doughnuts, . . . and most important, . . . his wife.

Together, they hand sew cowboy action belts. It is about a 4 hour process so he said (I don't have the heart to watch such torture, . . . so I've never seen it).

My machine and I are about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, . . . depending on the, . . . uhh, . . . "girth".

Seriously, . . . I suppose if you only cemented them with Weldwood, correctly, . . . they would "probably" stay together for a long time, . . . but in my opinion, . . . it is worthwhile to sew them. I personally would not sell one not sewn, unless the client knew in no uncertain terms up front that he/she was participating in a test lab situation.

May God bless,

Dwight

[billymac814]

I'd be pretty confident in saying a double layer belt that was just glued together would likely never come apart if it was glued with a good contact cement and hammered together. Cement is all that holds on a lot of shoe soles these days and they don't come off. I still personally wouldn't make one without stitching it either though, more for cosmetic reasons over fear of it separating. I hand stitched a belt once....its doable but hard to make any money doing that.

You could also find out if there's any shops nearby that could stitch it for you. It shouldn't cost very much.

[DLC]

Hi Dwight, I have a couple of questions about this process after reading your quotes.

What do you cut your dye with?

and

When I rub the excess dye off after letting it sit overnight I am always rubbing through areas and exposing the leather. Is it common to have to dye more than once or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks

[Matt S]

I used to know a guy who made a good living custom making premium belts. Many were lined. He cut, glued, pricked (with an iron of course) and got on with it. It was not the quickest job in the shop and he certainly charged for it but he was no neophyte at stitching and could work damned fast all the while holding a conversation. Sewing machines were a bit of a dirty word to him; if a customer mentioned one the price would go up.