Stiffen Thin Leather (Belt)

[jesfal]

Hey guys, I just recently finished my first belt, and as I wore it, pretty quickly it would get curled up around the belt holes, (see picture), the leather was pretty stiff at first but after applying finish it it got pretty supple ( I used Mink Oil, all I had at hand), I'm using very cheap, low QL leather aswell, maybe that's a contributing factor aswell?

is there any way to stiffen the leather to make it keep its shape, or something to keep in mind for the next belt any products to recommend?

Thanks!

/J

Edited September 6, 2015 by jesfal

[druid]

Mink oil...or any oil...rehydrates the dried leather and makes it supple by design. What you are looking to do is almost to the point of "Cuir Bouilli" or 'hardened leather'. Cuir Bouilli is the way they made hardened leather armor in antiquity:

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/leather/hl.html

.....but that's not necessarily what you want to do with a belt. You are looking for "stiff but flexible."

I used a homemade beeswax/boiled linseed oil/turpentine compound on mine.

1 lb beeswax + 8 oz BLO + 8 ox turpentine, melted together into a clean can and stirred to solidification. Apply it with your hands as a paste, it goes on with the consistency of chapstick. Cover the entire item and use a heat gun on LOW to melt/absorb it into the leather. It's primary function is a waterproofing agent but it also stiffens leather [and canvas, and cloth in general] by bonding to the threads [or fibers in case of leather] at the interior structure of the material. It soaks in and stays there.

Granted, my belt is a holster belt and is two layers thick. However this should work equally well for your single layer belt.

[jesfal]

Mink oil...or any oil...rehydrates the dried leather and makes it supple by design. What you are looking to do is almost to the point of "Cuir Bouilli" or 'hardened leather'. Cuir Bouilli is the way they made hardened leather armor in antiquity:

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/leather/hl.html

.....but that's not necessarily what you want to do with a belt. You are looking for "stiff but flexible."

I used a homemade beeswax/boiled linseed oil/turpentine compound on mine.

1 lb beeswax + 8 oz BLO + 8 ox turpentine, melted together into a clean can and stirred to solidification. Apply it with your hands as a paste, it goes on with the consistency of chapstick. Cover the entire item and use a heat gun on LOW to melt/absorb it into the leather. It's primary function is a waterproofing agent but it also stiffens leather [and canvas, and cloth in general] by bonding to the threads [or fibers in case of leather] at the interior structure of the material. It soaks in and stays there.

Granted, my belt is a holster belt and is two layers thick. However this should work equally well for your single layer belt.

I will try that mix.

Hmm turpentine and oil, doesn't that smell like a lot? Not sure if my neighbours will like that.

Thanks for the link! That will be very useful for a crystal pouch Project I am doing right now!

[Boriqua]

Hey guys, I just recently finished my first belt, and as I wore it, pretty quickly it would get curled up around the belt holes, (see picture), the leather was pretty stiff at first but after applying finish it it got pretty supple ( I used Mink Oil, all I had at hand), I'm using very cheap, low QL leather aswell, maybe that's a contributing factor aswell?

is there any way to stiffen the leather to make it keep its shape, or something to keep in mind for the next belt any products to recommend?

Thanks!

/J

Just looking at the images the coloring looks like you used ALOT of oil. I could be wrong since its just images but I see dark spots that to me usually means oil puddled. Next time be sure to let the oil dry a good long time before wearing it. I would also forgo mink oil. I put a small amount of neatsfoot oil rubbed on with a rag and let it set a day or 2 easy. then seal it with acrylic. If you are on a tight budget cut Mop and glo in half with water and apply with a sponge. The acrylic gets down in the fibers and helps stiffen it and will bring up your carving some too.

In the end though .... cheap thin leather is going to bend especially if you have an amble mid section as I may be guilty of.

[druid]

I will try that mix.

Hmm turpentine and oil, doesn't that smell like a lot? Not sure if my neighbours will like that.

Thanks for the link! That will be very useful for a crystal pouch Project I am doing right now!

The odor of turpentine goes away after a while and to be honest, isn't all that 'powerful.' Set it outside in the fresh air for a day or two...out of the sun and rain though.

[Jimdad]

Newbie alert: I'm not a seasoned export, and I'm about to spout some stuff that may be way wrong, so take it all with a grain of salt:

First: if it isn't noticeable when wearing the belt, maybe don't worry about it at all. That aside, I think part of the problem is the relative thinness of the leather. Consider adding a stiffer lining to the back. Any lining may help, but a medium to firm but of pigskin should do nicely. If you want to test the theory, you could always do it just over the few inches on that part of the belt with a bit of temporary double sided tape. If you don't have any other leather suitable for the test, you could do it with a thin bit of card board or chip board like that used for cereal boxes. Best of luck.