belts belts and more belts

[Wedgetail]

9 hours ago, AussieMade said:

Crispin Leather at Wooloowin have a great range of buckles as well (Largest range in QLD or Australia, cant remember which one it is). Really nice people to deal with. Not too much in leather wise but they can order anything in, but heaps of precut belt lengths and heaps of tools. Spent another $45 on tools today. Only open to the public on Wednesdays (full day) and Thursdays (half a day).

Thanks mate, will be hard for me to get to at those times... but may be worth a shot!

I'll have a look.

[Wedgetail]

Thanks for the feedback, Lois.

How would you go about stitching in a metal keeper like this, if not across the width as I have done here?

I know I could rivet it, or use chicago screws, but I really prefer the aesthetic of stitching.

[AussieMade]

I stitch across the belt infront and behind the keeper, works good, but some dont seem to like stitching across the belt. but rivets either side and stick along the belt up to the keeper either side is the other way I have done it.

[Wedgetail]

Hmmm. I tell you what, I'd love to see if anyone has done some destructive testing to see just how much difference it makes to the strength.

[AussieMade]

2 hours ago, Wedgetail said:

Hmmm. I tell you what, I'd love to see if anyone has done some destructive testing to see just how much difference it makes to the strength.

I can say that mine are holding up really well against a dog the pulls like a freight train. and not even budged the stitching or rivets  

[Wedgetail]

On 23/09/2016 at 8:21 PM, AussieMade said:

I can say that mine are holding up really well against a dog the pulls like a freight train. and not even budged the stitching or rivets  

Hahahaha! Well that's positive

That's all the destructive testing evidence I need!

[AussieMade]

1 hour ago, Wedgetail said:

Hahahaha! Well that's positive

That's all the destructive testing evidence I need!

Yep, the dad has been tested to 400kg pulling strength, and the son is a lot bigger and has heap more strength. Going to make his collar this week while out camping.

This is the dad and the collar I made. (not the best pic will get a better one soon)

This is the son

[Wedgetail]

On 23/09/2016 at 8:21 PM, AussieMade said:

11 hours ago, AussieMade said:

Yep, the dad has been tested to 400kg pulling strength, and the son is a lot bigger and has heap more strength. Going to make his collar this week while out camping.

This is the dad and the collar I made. (not the best pic will get a better one soon)

This is the son

 

Yep, that's a good test case! Haha

Better than I could do swinging off the end of it from the clothes line!

Camping, now that's a great idea. Need to do that more often.

[silverwingit]

I'm a tad surprised no one has mentioned your edge treatments, or lack thereof.

Little touches like carefully finished edges are what separate a high-quality hand-made belt from those churned out in a factory somewhere offshore. For me, the glitz of fancy buckles are mere distractions from the absence of fine workmanship. I'd opt for good, solid construction and a simple buckle  Add the fancy buckle and keepers after you have nailed proper construction techniques. Look at Nige's belts for examples of what I'm talking about.

At least that's the way I see it,

Michelle

[Wedgetail]

14 hours ago, silverwingit said:

I'm a tad surprised no one has mentioned your edge treatments, or lack thereof.

Little touches like carefully finished edges are what separate a high-quality hand-made belt from those churned out in a factory somewhere offshore. For me, the glitz of fancy buckles are mere distractions from the absence of fine workmanship. I'd opt for good, solid construction and a simple buckle  Add the fancy buckle and keepers after you have nailed proper construction techniques. Look at Nige's belts for examples of what I'm talking about.

At least that's the way I see it,

Michelle

Good feedback Michelle, thanks.

The edges are bevelled and burnished with gum trag, though I did not edge dye them.

It was intentional, to see what the product looks like when finished with contrasting edges... which is similar to a lot of my other projects, where I take extra care to ensure the backs are left natural with no accidental dye marks or smudges, and finished with a waterproofing sealant. Then i burnish the edges natural as well for a seamless transition... with something like a phone wallet, the contrast looks really nice.

As for belts, it's an experiment... the brown belt, I like it in some ways, not in others.... probably not as much as my other projects! The black certainly could use a little more dye though.

Here is an example of some of my other projects with natural edges: