Belt Leather Cracking At Buckle Fold - How To Eliminate It?

[Birdman]

Are you using a veg tanned leather?

If so you can do all the cutting, shaving skiving,puncing, edge staining etc, and then when you need to fit the buckle, damp the (grain) area that is going to bend.

I will probably be shot down by the forums Health and Safety Brigade, but most saddlers just lick a finger and wipe the grain side of the area! Or use a damp sponge................

If the leather is particularly thick and/or resistant to bend, just bend a little and dampen again and repeat until you have the full bend. The dampening allows the grain to stretch without cracking.

This ability is also a guide to the quality of the leather. Good leather will bend easily without cracking (when dampened), inferior quality leather needs more care and/or will not bend without cracking.

If you feel it is necessary, you can lay the strap flat and re crease the stretched grain before finally fitting the buckle.

I suggest you get a piece of scrap leather and have a play to get the 'feel and sight' of what happens.

I hope this helps.

[Mike516]

Yes, veg tanned. And yes, it does help, thank you.

I have never had this problem before. Now all of a sudden I'm having issues. Another collar cracked today and it's pretty frustrating. A lot of wasted time, money, and materials.

I have never had to do any of this extra stuff before bending this leather. I'm thinking I got screwed on this hide. I really have to consider finding a new supplier and paying the extra $ for better hides. I thought I could buy cheap hides since I'm doing dog collars mostly and don't have to worry about range marks and stuff. But if this is going to be an ongoing thing, it looks like that is not the only consideration when it comes to leather quality.

I should just go back to bed at this point.

[Art]

I should just go back to bed at this point.

Can we vote on that?, I'll second it. I've been fighting a cold or something for 4-5 weeks now and maybe it is a little better, but damn, it is rough getting old.

First belt I tried to put a buckle on, it cracked (tooled belt too). Now I wet everything that's going to bend past 90 or thin it down a lot on the flesh side, that seems to take care of the cracking too.

Art

[Mike516]

I was sick beginning of winter, got better, then sick again the next month and got better, Then I was sick again a couple weeks ago and finally broke down and went to the Dr because that time it really kicked my ass. He said I got better but never completely knocked it out so that's why I kept getting sick. I needed antibiotics, their answer to everything, but I seem to be better again. You should go to the Dr. I hate going too, but 4-5 weeks is too long.

So anyway I didn't go back to bed, I'm no quitter. And I have too much stuff to do. I'm practicing my tooling and sewing.

You guys are talking about wetting the grain side before it is stained, right? Did you see my picture of how I'm sort of wet forming it so it's already bent? I wet it, put the buckle where it's going to wind up with a rubber band, stamped the pups name on it. Now I let it dry and I'll remove the buckle to stain, oil, burnish etc, then I'll put the buckle back and rivet it. Is that ok, or do I need to be doing something differently?

[Art]

Went to the Dr. last week, now on antibiotics.

The way you are doing it should be ok.

Art

[Mike516]

Ok thanks Art. Feel better soon.

[johnv474]

If you still have issues with cracking, wet the leather with water than has a little Dawn dish soap in it. It can be formed ahead of time this way, or afterwards. When I say "wet" I mean use a damp sponge several times and let the water soak in like you were casing it... I do not mean sopping wet and do not mean trying to bend it within minutes of moistening it.

That and a cobbler's hammer will help.

[Dwight]

The vast majority of belts I make are final coated in Resolene, . . . when I get to the buckle end, . . . I coat both sides with Resolene, . . . then I make my bend, . . . fold it over real good and tight, . . . then smooth out the Resolene finish, . . . hang it up to dry.  

I busted one of the prettiest belts I ever made before I learned this trick, . . . have not had ONE problem since I started doing it this way.

No, I do not skive the ends of my belts, . . . 95% of the time.  Only occasionally for special effects will I do that.

May God bless,

Dwgiht

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Dwight, when I am going to bend , roll over , or stress the surface of a piece of leather in some way I do it wet, then go on and finish the tooling or whatever I am doing to the project before finishing it.  I would rather see the stretch marks when I am working on the piece and after I fold it see the marks go away.  That is how I do it.  In some cases, like a buckle end of a belt, just before I fold it, and before I put finish on it, I wet it, then fold then let it dry and finish.  By the way, I only make lined belts, so when I make them,  I stop the lining right where the slot for the buckle tongue is and skive the folded end to almost feather edge and fold the front, single ply over the buckle bar and then glue and stitch or affix with a snap, depending on the customer's wishes.  Hope that helps without being too confusing.

Bob

 

[Dwight]

Like you, . . . most of my belts are also lined.  I have a special cutter that puts the two pieces together up at the buckle end.

Just one of those "process steps" that we all get into, . . . I found that the Resolene dampens the leather plenty enough for me to make that bend without any cracking and so I've just "done it that way" so to speak.

I also had a problem one time with snaps, . . . quit using them, . . . all my belts go out now with Chicago screws.  I put one in front of the keeper and one behind it.

No complaints so far, . . . and I usually don't have to skive, because my lining leather is almost every time, from the same hide.  I cut two pieces, . . . take the better looking one for the outside, the other one goes to the inside.

May God bless,

Dwight