1St Project...belt For Concealed Carry.

[Tjstewart]

Howdy everybody, well here it is. There is a few mistakes in it. I did learn a lot. Next up is a matching small of the back holster. For a 4 inch Ruger SP101.

[Halitech]

Looks good. I like the dark edge with the lighter main part. Looks like the buckle hole is slightly off to one side by about 1/16"

[Tjstewart]

Yeah the black edge gives a optical illusion when wearing it. It don't look as wide as it really is. I didn't plan it but it worked out. The buckle hole I really didn't measure just kinda eyeballed it. So i could easily be off center.

[malabar]

TJ,

Nice decoration. It doesn't "look" like a CCW belt, which is a good thing.

So here's the question: What makes it a "concealed carry" belt as opposed to being a "keeping my pants up" belt?

Not being a smart ass: What characteristics make it suitable for CCW?

tk

Edited July 9, 2015 by malabar

[Tjstewart]

Thanks, that was the look I was going for. No offense taken. But I guess my best answer is I made it out of 9 oz. veg tan. That may be the standard for belts I don't know. But just looking at what's in the store at Walmart. It's a lot stiffer in comparison.

[Toney]

Very nice!!!

[malabar]

Thanks, that was the look I was going for. No offense taken. But I guess my best answer is I made it out of 9 oz. veg tan. That may be the standard for belts I don't know. But just looking at what's in the store at Walmart. It's a lot stiffer in comparison.

You're right: Most of the commercially made belts out there (even the expensive ones) just aren't going to cut it as a gun belt. I had a customer stop by to order a gun belt and he was wearing a beautiful Filson 1.5-inch bridle-leather belt. He bought for CCW, and it simply wasn't up to the task -- too soft, not stiff enough.

If you're talking about supporting an IWB holster, the Filson would be fine -- all it's got to do is keep your pants up and keep the holster from falling into your pants. But if you're wearing OWB, or carrying mags and other stuff on your belt, it's a different story: That requires rigidity.

Dipping veg-tan in vinegaroon can make for a reasonably stiff single-layer belt, but I've also gotten some 13-ounce bridle leather that makes a pretty nice single-layer belt.

But every single-layer belt will stretch significantly in a few months of daily use. And if you try to put a high-ride OWB holster on it, it will sag enough that you have to cinch it in until it is uncomfortably tight.

That's why most companies that advertise "gunbelts" use two layers of heavy leather (6-8 ounce) or a stiffener, or both.

tk

[Tjstewart]

Well I figured I'd be making another belt pretty soon anyway once I got my holster finished. Mainly to fix the mistakes I made on this one. And second to make it a little wider.

[Tjstewart]

Well I figured I'd be making another belt pretty soon anyway once I got my holster finished. Mainly to fix the mistakes I made on this one. And second to make it a little wider.

[Tjstewart]

Well I figured I'd be making another belt pretty soon anyway once I got my holster finished. Mainly to fix the mistakes I made on this one. And second to make it a little wider.

[Tjstewart]

Sorry didn't see it posted same reply more than once

[Red Cent]

I make (customer preference) gun belts out of two pieces of 8-9 ounce veg tan. Glued, sewn, and conditioned, they are supple yet will hold up any full size hand gun.

May I suggest that you read about finishing your edges in a sticky somewhere on the site. The edge lacks the smooth polished look that it should have. I use a sander to make the edges even and 90 degrees. Bevel then hand sand. I use water and a motorized burnisher to make 'em shine. Dye, let dry, then burnish again. Rub the edge with paraffin/beeswax combo, and burnish again. Then use an old towel to hand rub until all excess wax is removed.

[Tjstewart]

That's a good looking combination you got there. I've been meaning to get a dremel for edge work. Cause my edges do like a little as you can see from the holster I will post little later today. I've also been wandering how well it would work cutting out the general pattern since it's easy to get off the mark using a utility knife.

[malabar]

You can fix the unevenness of the edges by using a steel rule as an edge guide. Utility knives can work well, but you need to sharpen them (I use a leather strop coated with jeweler's rouge).

A dremel can work OK, as long as it is variable speed. A better option is to find a Foredom tool (like one of thee http://www.foredom.net/seriessrmotorsandspeedcontrols.aspx). Either way, you need to get/buy/make a wooden burnisher with an appropriate shank.

Another route is to get someone to turn you a wooden burnisher onto a mandrel and mount it on a grinder.

tk