Measuring A Western Gunbelt/cartrige Belt...?

[Jim]

Okay fellers, due to the size of the files I can't post the patterns and instruction . . . .YET! I sent a message to Johanna (our Guardian Angel) and asked if she can post and pin them in the Gun Leather Section. Huff! hate when this happens.

Be with you soon.

Jim R. Simmons

Etowah River Productions

[Red Cent]

Problem solved:).

The biggest problem for me is them measuring their belt. Si I send them this.

[Jim]

Alrighty then, I sent the patterns and instructions to Johanna and she will get it posted in the Gun Leather Section soon. Now, I've read just about every way in the world to measure a belt and they all work, just so you know. However whenever one starts measuring here, marking there, and making a pile of notes to keep up with what's what - something usually gets lost or misread. (A show of hands!) So, I figured out that if you can start with a belt blank cut to the specific length needed for that waist size then you're way ahead in the ball game. This pattern set does this with a size chart that is tried and true along with Billet placement templates that are used to mark the ends of the Ranger Style belt for the exact fit. The Plains Style belt has belt end templates to where you won't need countless belt templates cut to various lengths cluttering up the room. Belt end templates, Billet templates, belt loops, bullet loops all wrapped up in one little package on your work bench marked "belt making stuff."

Coming soon,enjoy.

Jim

[Procyon650]

I hope she posts this real soon. I am planning to sew up my first ranger style belt this morning. Take about your timely posts.

Now I am beginning to wonder if I should wait and see if there is anything I might be doing wrong. I have already cut the blank too short the first time. ( Now I get a new belt as the test piece and I will take another run at the client's belt later)

[Dwight]

Well, . . . I was out in the shop earlier this morning, . . . just happened to have my camera, . . . so here is what I use.

# 1 is the whole thing laid out on the floor

# 2 is the tongue end, . . . with the place where I pop the hole for either a Chicago screw or concho, . . .

# 3 is where the two pieces come together, . . . this time it is set for a 40 inch waist. Again, it will make a 44 inch belt, . . . but that is adding the necessare "extra" so the gunbelt fits over the hips like it is supposed to.

# 4 is the buckle end, . . . showing where I pop the holes for the buckle retainer

# 5 is the templates I use for the tongue or buckle end. These are standard ones from which the customer can choose, . . . if he wants something different, . . . takes more time, . . . costs more $$$.

Anyway, . . . that's how I do it, . . . set the belt pattern, . . . mark it, . . . cut the front, . . . mark and cut the back, . . . punch the holes, . . . and go for it.

This is a direct product of John Bianchi's VHS series of tapes on how to make a Western gunbelt.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited April 24, 2014 by Dwight

[Procyon650]

I didn't realize that a gun belt is supposed to be curved. Why is that?

Is it more comfortable than a straight piece of leather?

[Dwight]

If you can imagine the scene where the bad guy and the sheriff face off in the middle of Main Street, . . .

The bad guy wears a regular belt, . . . the sheriff wears a curved one.

When a dust devil stirs up, . . . they both begin coughing, . . . but the sheriff's gun belt stays up, . . . the bad guy's is now down around his ankles.

If you didn't laugh, . . . you should have, . . . because that is the type scenario the curved belt is supposed to prevent.

Most of us who live long enough to grow old either wind up with way too much derrier, . . . or as in my case, . . . it went away. I keep mine cinched up pretty tight to keep it on, . . . and the curve does really help.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Josh Ashman]

I cut my belts straight with a draw gauge or strap cutter then form them into a curve when they are cased for tooling. I think it helps to get a hide to go farther and keeps thing simpler, but that's just my opinion. A single layer of 10/11 forms into a curve pretty easily. The picture below has buscadero drops so I cut it with the drop loops towards the back off of a new hide. that gave me a straight edge that I cut both cartridge belts and regular belt blanks from until I was down to the belly.

As for how to figure out length and placement, I use a 15" tongue billet with 7 holes spaced @ 1" starting 3-1/2" from the end and a buckle chape that measures 6" from the center of the fold to the end, overall length is probably around 8" or so. I place the buckle at about the end of the main belt body and put the 3rd hole of the billet wear the customer currently wears a gunbelt. This works for me to get a balanced looking rig. A rough estimate for sizes is that Levi or Wrangler pants size to a regular belt is about +3" while the same pants size to a cartridge belt is about +6". Everybody is different but that is generally pretty close in my experience.

Best regards, Josh

Edited April 28, 2014 by Josh Ashman

[Dwight]

I will not make a belt for anyone based upon the size of his/her pants.

I almost did that once, . . . guy wore 36 Wranglers. Just for kicks and giggles, . . . we measured his belt he was wearing. I made him a 39 or 40 belt, . . . the Wranglers had "grown" as he did.

I just won't invest the time and effort until I have told the customer in absolute unmitigated terms, . . . "we gotta know" the size. If they lie to me or are too lazy to check for sure, . . . then the "problem" with it belongs to them if it don't fit.

But I don't make them off the Levis or Wrangler waist sizes.

May God bless,

Dwight

[351C]

Any word on when Jim's templates may be posted. They sound interesting and as I am preparing for my first cartridge belt I can use all the additional input and help I can get.

Thanks!