Two-layer belt question

[SouthernCross]

6 hours ago, greystoneleatherllc said:

English Bridle,,,,,, W&C's holstered sides are great to work with!!!!!!!!!!!!

db

Oh, duh - yeah, I knew that.

[Lobo]

I made a lot of two-layer belts, specifically intended as gun belts (good support for the weight without needing to be tightened on the waist to an uncomfortable degree to stabilize the holstered handgun).  I used two layers of 6/7 oz, or occasionally a 7/8 oz. outer strap with 5/6 oz. liner strap (hard to tell them apart). Typical finished belts were about 3/16" to 7/32" in thickness (just about 6mm).

I frequently cut lining straps from hides having minor imperfections, which I considered to be a good use for that leather. Plenty strong enough for the task, and any little cosmetic flaws were never visible in use.

The belt I am wearing right now was made about 10 years ago and has been used almost daily to carry a full-size 1911 .45 pistol, spare magazine, and cell phone. It shows no signs of ever wearing out, and has not stretched at all in use, just conformed nicely to the hips over time.

[alpha2]

If your goal in using a lesser quality for liner, to cut costs, you might want to just cut your own straps. Letting someone else cut your leather adds their cost to do that. 

You can run your strap through a skiver to make the leather thinner, but then again you're wasting leather.

Jeff

[NVLeatherWorx]

I am in agreement 100% with @alpha2 here.  I have been cutting my own straps for decades and it is so much more cost effective.  For my double ply belts (which are custom request only) I use an 8-9 oz. outer strap with a 5-6 oz. inner strap so as to ensure that there is no sagging/stretching over the life of the belt being used.  I also saddle stitch everything to add even more security and long life to the product (it does take some time but I have been doing it this way for over 40 years and have never had anyone come back with a stitching issue).  One thing of added benefit (and you don''t hear this said much) is that when you are fitting the two pieces of leather together it is best to give the belt a slight bit of shape (give it a little curved form along the length) so that it will wear in a bit faster and easier for the end user.  This also keeps the lining leather from developing that "wrinkle" effect from being bunched up when worn around the waist.  It almost acts like the belt was pre-formed to the customer and ever since I started making my double layered belts this way the customer satisfaction has gone through the roof.

Good luck with you project and hope to see some examples once you have something ready.

[SouthernCross]

Thanks, y'all. 

For those who cut your own straps, what kind of pieces of leather do you order - bends only, whole sides, etc?

[NVLeatherWorx]

14 hours ago, SouthernCross said:

Thanks, y'all. 

For those who cut your own straps, what kind of pieces of leather do you order - bends only, whole sides, etc?

I cut from full sides as I have several items that use various parts of the hide.  For example, you want to cut your belt straps starting along the spine area of the skin so that you are getting the tighter fibers in the belt straps whereas the belly and softer areas are great for items that need to be a bit more flexible and supple.  Using a full side also gives me the luxury of being able to make longer belts where needed which you don't get by using smaller cuts or pre-cut straps.  For the lining part of the leather you may find that the softer belly portion of the hide is better but that is up to you how you go about that part; I kind of take it in the middle for an even balance of fiber structure and suppleness.  

[JLSleather]

15 hours ago, NVLeatherWorx said:

This also keeps the lining leather from developing that "wrinkle" effect from being bunched up when worn around the waist. 

That's actually why I STOPPED doing that curve in the belt.  True, the inside can get "wrinkly" from gluing it flat and then bending it, but worse is gluing it on a curve can cause wrinkles in the top when it's straightened.