Pattern Report post Posted January 31, 2017 I a first timer and am making a new double layer belt, each layer being 8/9 oz leather making a total thickness 15-19 oz. I do not have a sewing machine and the thought of hand sewing the belt is less than ideal. I would like to know if anyone has experience with using just glue only. I planned on using either Gorrelia or a barge all purpose rubber cement that cobblers use for shoe repair. I will use this belt as a daily item to carry a 1911 or assortment of N frame revolvers and for the 2017 IPSC season. Thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Troy I Report post Posted January 31, 2017 I always glue and sew...I would be afraid that the glue would not hold up very well with all the flexing that a belt is put through, while being worn. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sideforce Report post Posted January 31, 2017 2 minutes ago, Troy I said: I always glue and sew...I would be afraid that the glue would not hold up very well with all the flexing that a belt is put through, while being worn. I agree with Troy I. Glue is used to hold the parts together for sewing. The thread is what holds the item together through the abuse of use. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted January 31, 2017 If you punch with stitching chisel should only take 2 to 3 hrs. I did 2 belt this weekend. Hands and wrist a bit sore but doable.lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptQuirk Report post Posted January 31, 2017 I gotta agree with everybody else, particularly Matt. Does it suck? Hell yeah! When its all done, is it worth it? Well, yeah... it looks great, and it certainly isn't going to fall apart. Are you going to ever get all those hours back? Nope. Best thing you can do, is plan ahead, line up several movies, podcasts, or music, get munchies, use a 10 stitch chisel, and settle in for a while. Once you get all the holes punched, it is all down hill By the way Matt, 2-3 hours? Seriously? You need to get off the crank dude, it's not good for you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Josh Ashman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Like everybody else my suggestion is to glue and stitch. I would also recommend using contact cement instead of rubber cement. Barge or Masters are the 2 brands I use most often although I know a lot of people use Weldwood and have good results. One option, if you really don't want to bother with stitching it is to find a local shoe repair shop, saddle shop or holster maker and see if you can hire them to sew it for you. Another option would be to use heavy skirting (14/16 oz) and just make a single layer belt. It wouldn't be as resistant to stretching as a doubled and stitched belt but I believe it would be better than a doubled belt that was just glued. Good luck with your belt. Josh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Glue is good 'n'' firm, but not as "permanent" as thread. You likely could wear a belt "glued only" for a good long while without problems, but honestly when I hear "N-frame" I'm thinking stitch Plus, it's good to agree with Josh ↑ rawt cheer Good tip on teh saddle shop / hirin' it done, too. The last one in these parts closed a couple years ago, so I hadn't thought of that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted January 31, 2017 27 minutes ago, CaptQuirk said: I gotta agree with everybody else, particularly Matt. Does it suck? Hell yeah! When its all done, is it worth it? Well, yeah... it looks great, and it certainly isn't going to fall apart. Are you going to ever get all those hours back? Nope. Best thing you can do, is plan ahead, line up several movies, podcasts, or music, get munchies, use a 10 stitch chisel, and settle in for a while. Once you get all the holes punched, it is all down hill By the way Matt, 2-3 hours? Seriously? You need to get off the crank dude, it's not good for you Well that's 2 to 3 hrs each. Plus 1/2 each to punch the holes.lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted January 31, 2017 5 minutes ago, JLSleather said: Glue is good 'n'' firm, but not as "permanent" as thread. You likely could wear a belt "glued only" for a good long while without problems, but honestly when I hear "N-frame" I'm thinking stitch Plus, it's good to agree with Josh ↑ rawt cheer Good tip on teh saddle shop / hirin' it done, too. The last one in these parts closed a couple years ago, so I hadn't thought of that. In one of my Stohlman books he says to make sure your work is good and clean if taking it somewhere to have it machine stitched. So I guess it's an old idea that most don't think about anymore. A Sideline for you Jeff? Lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted January 31, 2017 1 minute ago, Mattsbagger said: In one of my Stohlman books he says to make sure your work is good and clean if taking it somewhere to have it machine stitched. So I guess it's an old idea that most don't think about anymore. A Sideline for you Jeff? Lol Nah... wrong guy. I tried to buy a couple Landis stitchers when that place closed -- offered 'em $5k just for the machines. Short version is, the guy became ill and his nephew and daughters basically robbed the guy... I don't think he saw much of the money, and I don't think those machines went to someone who could use 'em. I mean real stitchers.. staple a guy to the floor if'n he aint watchin'. Not this piece of cobra I'm making work out of shear determination Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrstn53 Report post Posted January 31, 2017 If this is going to be a one time project, you should probably just buy a double layer belt someone else has already made. If you are wanting to learn the craft, get a chisel and thread and start stitching. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptQuirk Report post Posted January 31, 2017 15 minutes ago, chrstn53 said: If this is going to be a one time project, you should probably just buy a double layer belt someone else has already made. If you are wanting to learn the craft, get a chisel and thread and start stitching. DING DING DING! Winner! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sonydaze Report post Posted January 31, 2017 You can't trust glue for the long haul. Glue and stitch. ....or (as suggested above) buy a belt.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrooperChuck Report post Posted February 2, 2017 I make a lot of double layer belts in my shop. Here in eastern Washington there's a lot of folks that have CCW permits and they often want a belt that's not going to stretch out of shape when carrying a gun on a daily basis. There's no way I would consider making a double layer belt without stitching. Nowadays, because I get so many orders, I machine stitch my belts but I still enjoy doing some hand-stitching. I actually find it to be very relaxing. As for which glue to use, barge contact cement is a good choice. At a recent leatherwork seminar Chris Andre, of Slickbald Leather, told us of a test that was done to compare the strength of various contact cements. Surprisingly, regular old Weldwood contact cement, which you can buy in any hardware store, came out on top. For a hobbyist, another advantage of using Weldwood is that you can buy it in 2-ounce bottles, rather that the one-quart or one-gallon containers that most others come in. About hand-stitching... it's not as tiresome as you might think. That is especially true if you pre-punch your holes. In fact, if you aren't used to using an awl for stabbing holes as you stitch I definitely recommend pre-punching. Your holes will be more uniform and even with a punch. As someone else suggested, punch your holes, clamp your leather into a stitching horse or stitching pony, put on one of your favorite movies, and start stitching. With pre-punched holes, I can hand-stitch at a rate of one inch per minute, six stitches per inch. So, doing an average belt should only take you about the length of one movie. Wrap some tape around the middle joint of your little fingers if you're not used to hand-stitching. Just a hint. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted February 4, 2017 I like Renia glue. And instead of tape on the middle finger, I like a band-aid on the pinkies ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted February 4, 2017 2 hours ago, JLSleather said: I like Renia glue. And instead of tape on the middle finger, I like a band-aid on the pinkies ... Like so. I tape middle finger too if hands are especially fragile(must be Italian) that day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
