bob21804 Report post Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) I'm starting a belt for a buddy at work. I'm doing this dirt cheap for him, with the understanding that I'm trying to expand my skills and experimenting a bit. This will be my first lined and stitched belt, and I'm also working with milled vegtan for the first time. (I ordered it by mistake and chose not to return it) I'm trying to use materials I have on hand so I can get to it right away and gain some more experiences. My plan, (and I'm not sure it's even a reasonable one) is to use 5/6 ounce milled vegtan for the front, and 3/4 ounce vegtan (not milled) for the lining. I chose the milled vegtan for the front because he doesn't want any tooling work, other than a grooved stitching line with a parallel crease on the border, and his initials stamped, and I figured the somewhat pebbled texture of the milled material would give it a bit more style. I've already cut the strip for the front, cut the belt tip, marked the holes and buckle slot. As soft as this leather is, I'm already wondering how difficult it will be to make a grooved line for the stitching, without messing it up. I'll try with a piece of scrap first. After I finish the front, including dying, I plan to cut the lining leather somewhat oversized, and glue the strips back to back, and let that dry well. I'll punch the holes and slot through both pieces at the same time, to avoid any alignment issues. Then I'll trim the lining to match the front, mark the stitching holes and stitch. I'm sure I'll run into some things I'll be unsure of along the way, but I'll cross each of those bridges as I come to them. I already anticipate burnishing the edges will be a treat. Overall, is my choice of materials and my plan reasonable? If you've done lined belts, and/or worked with milled leather, are there any issues you're pretty sure I'm likely to run into, that you can pass on to me now? Any advice from those more experienced than me (and that's most of you), is more than welcome. Anyway, I guess I'll get to it. I'm not in a particular rush to finish this belt, but I am looking forward to learning more along the way. Bob Edited February 28, 2016 by bob21804 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halitech Report post Posted February 28, 2016 I've worked with the double milled vegtan and it does not take the stitch grove very well but it is soft enough that you can almost pull the thread tight enough to get it below the surface. Only downside is you end up really curving the belt and not in the direction you want. If it was reversed with the lining being 5/6 and the front being 3/4, you might be able to do it and get away but I don't think you or your friend with the weights you have right now Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
