Belt Holes

[Dunluce]

I have completed my first couple of belts for my sister and brother-in-law using some bridle and they have come out really well. I read somewhere that people sometimes puch oval holes in belts as this allows the tongue to lie flatter at the buckle. I suppose the same effect could be produced by using bigger holes which I wouldn't like the look of. My idea was to gouge some from the back of the holes so it is a conical shape i.e. wider at the back of the belt than the front which should allow the tongue to lie flatter. Any thoughts about this? Would doing this create problems in that the front of the hole would be weaker and maybe become mishapen or crease?

[NVLeatherWorx]

Just remember, as you gouge out from the back that you are actually making the leather thinner which means a bit of the strength is removed as well as a result.  Have you considered just punching two holes at the same location with an overlap?  It creates more of a "pill" looking shape but it should do the trick.  The buckle tine is where the bulk of any stresses to the leather are applied so you want to maintain your thickness as much as possible to ensure as little "stretch" as possible.

[Dunluce]

Yes that make sense. While we are on the subject of belts is there a typical keeper thickness. I was using 4mm bridle and used a cut off to make the keeper. Although I skived the ends down it was still very hard to sew in to the belt end. 

[TinkerTailor]

1 hour ago, Dunluce said:

Yes that make sense. While we are on the subject of belts is there a typical keeper thickness. I was using 4mm bridle and used a cut off to make the keeper. Although I skived the ends down it was still very hard to sew in to the belt end. 

In my opinion, depending on width, 2-2.5 mm thick is lots for a keeper. I would skive the whole thing down.

[sharkeyfinn]

just a thought, but what about using a button hole punch, then half the works done :-) 

[NVLeatherWorx]

Regarding the keeper, the suggested method is to use the same weight leather as the belt itself to maintain visual consistency; with that said, I typically use in the range of 5 to 6 oz. leather and I give it a width of between 1/2" and 5/8" so it doesn't look too bulky.  No matter what thickness of leather you use always make sure that the overall length of the strip that will become your keeper should not be any longer than what is necessary to allow two layers to fill the space.  Best method to ensure that you have the right amount is to take two pieces of the belt leather that you use and in the width that you use and glue them together.  Then you want to take a strip (your desired width) of the leather you have chosen for your keeper and wrap it around the sizing fixture that you just created and mark the location where the cut ends will meet, cut the leather, finish it as desired/required, stitch (or staple with leather staples) and install.  The keeper should not look overly large or out of place; appearance in belt styling is critical and I have found that the look is more important than anything else in the mind of today's "savvy" fashion oriented consumers. (There is a joke there somewhere.) Just be careful to not make your keeper too thin as it will not provide you the function that it is intended to if you do.  Bottom line is that you will need to figure out what works best for you and looks best on your finished product and then stick to that final selection across the board.

[MADMAX22]

For a 8-10oz belt I will use about 5-6oz keeper. For double layer belts that are 14oz or thicker I use a thicker keeper usually 8-10oz. I try to keep them at 1/2" width. 

[Dwight]

On 10/21/2016 at 8:09 PM, Dunluce said:

I have completed my first couple of belts for my sister and brother-in-law using some bridle and they have come out really well. I read somewhere that people sometimes puch oval holes in belts as this allows the tongue to lie flatter at the buckle. I suppose the same effect could be produced by using bigger holes which I wouldn't like the look of. My idea was to gouge some from the back of the holes so it is a conical shape i.e. wider at the back of the belt than the front which should allow the tongue to lie flatter. Any thoughts about this? Would doing this create problems in that the front of the hole would be weaker and maybe become mishapen or crease?

Take it from one who does it, . . . it's a whole lot easier to do oval holes.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dunluce]

11 hours ago, MADMAX22 said:

For a 8-10oz belt I will use about 5-6oz keeper. For double layer belts that are 14oz or thicker I use a thicker keeper usually 8-10oz. I try to keep them at 1/2" width. 

14oz plus 7oz (if the fold is skived down to half width) plus 10oz keeper equates to about a half inch or 13mm. That's a lot to get you awl through and stitch.

[MADMAX22]

13 minutes ago, Dunluce said:

14oz plus 7oz (if the fold is skived down to half width) plus 10oz keeper equates to about a half inch or 13mm. That's a lot to get you awl through and stitch.

I usually dont stitch the folded belt together, I use chicago type screws on mine. I do thin out the fold some also so it is easier to fold over and to cut down on that fold thickness some. 

Also I meant to say 7-8oz keeper, got 8-10oz stuck in my head for some reason. Still pretty thick.

[RockyAussie]

2 minutes ago, MADMAX22 said:

Still pretty thick.

You mean the keeper??

[MADMAX22]

1 minute ago, RockyAussie said:

You mean the keeper??

Not gonna comment, if she read this board .........

[RockyAussie]

Yeah ha ha I know what ya mean there.......