gandgphi Report post Posted November 20, 2017 Hi all I recently made my very first belt but did not quite love the end result so I am going to make another. These are the steps that I believe I must do in order to make a belt. Critique and insight very welcome Using a Tandy belt blank I measured out where the center hole that fits me goes I punch the center hole and two holes on each side about 1" on center I make another mark and cut about 4" away from the outermost hole Used #3 beveler to shave the front and back of each edge of the belt Dampen the belt and apply the eco flow leather dye until the desired color is reached on both sides and edges Wait a few hours for belt to dry Buff the belt Moisten the edges of the belt about a foot at a time and then burnish using a wood slicker Apply finish (leather balm with atom wax) and buff belt Attach buckle What I didn't like about the first belt I made is that the back of the belt was fairly rough and fuzzy. Is there anything I can do to make this better? Also, it seemed like some of the dye came off once I applied the finisher as there are visibly lighter areas where the original leather color shows a bit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nolimitmp25 Report post Posted November 20, 2017 You can use gum tragacanth on the rough side and it will help the fibers lay down. I have the issue with dye coming out with leather balm too. What I have researched and found is go heavy on the first the coat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gandgphi Report post Posted November 20, 2017 1 hour ago, nolimitmp25 said: You can use gum tragacanth on the rough side and it will help the fibers lay down. I have the issue with dye coming out with leather balm too. What I have researched and found is go heavy on the first the coat. Gun trag goes on after dyeing correct? And when you say go heavy on the first coat you are talking about the dyeing and not the leather balm right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alpha2 Report post Posted November 20, 2017 You'll be amazed at how much the back side will smooth out with gum trag, or even water, with a good rubbing with a wood slicker, or better yet a glass burnisher. I've noticed that glass burnisher works better in one direction than another. Something about the grain. It takes a LOT of dye to do the backside if you haven't smoothed it out beforehand. The absorption rate is amazing when it's rough. So, yes, you also save on dye! I try to let my dye job dry for 24 hours if at all possible, then buff. If that's not practical, at least overnight. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nolimitmp25 Report post Posted November 21, 2017 I'm talking about the leather balm. Weaver leather has a video with chuck showing how he does it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toe2short Report post Posted November 21, 2017 You need a lot of elbo grease to get all of the pigment off the belt. When you think it is about right, get a clean cloth and do it again. If you would like a nice even color try dip dyeing. If you want to go brown try Weavers dark neets foot oil. They also sell a brown dye that you can add to the oil . You can go from very light to dark.The best part about the oil dye is no bleeding. Do a quick wipe and you are done. You can use any finish you like. I think they have a video. jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jstar61 Report post Posted November 22, 2017 Here is a link to Don Gonzales page on belt layout. He also has a great video. http://dgsaddlery.com/how-to-measure-belt-size/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
