Making a belt out of upholstery leather?

[benlilly1]

Ok people, I have a customer that wants a battery belt made with the same leather as the seat I'm making for his motorcycle. I'm using upholstery leather for the seat and a belt to match. I'm thinking of using the core from veg tan and sewing an upholstery cover over it. Upholstery leather is about 2mm. What do you think?

[PutnamLeather]

That's how it's done with snake skin and the like.

[benlilly1]

Just now, PutnamLeather said:

That's how it's done with snake skin and the like.

Thanks, do you know how it's sewn? Edges remain raw?

 

[PutnamLeather]

You can do it any way you want depending on the look you want really 

[battlemunky]

I think I'd do exactly like you are thinking. Grab a veg tan blank and glue the upholstery leather to the flesh side so they get a nice finish on the inside of the best too. I'm just curious as to how well the edge on the upholstery leather will do but it may not be too noticeable if it doesn't and that is also me assuming you won't be using edge paint which will make that a moot point.

Pics along the way, yes? 

[benlilly1]

32 minutes ago, battlemunky said:

I think I'd do exactly like you are thinking. Grab a veg tan blank and glue the upholstery leather to the flesh side so they get a nice finish on the inside of the best too. I'm just curious as to how well the edge on the upholstery leather will do but it may not be too noticeable if it doesn't and that is also me assuming you won't be using edge paint which will make that a moot point.

Pics along the way, yes? 

Do you think oversizing the upholstery leather, sewing it on and then trimming down the edges after is smart? I also wonder about how well the edges will hold up. I wasn't planning on using edge paint. I will post pics!

[chrisash]

Why not wrap the chrome right around the veg tan and match its ends in the center of the inside and then sew two lines about 3mm from the center to hold it in place, that way there is no edges, just a seam in the center back

[bikermutt07]

Isn't that how they make cheap dress belts? Where it has the thicker padded center?

[battlemunky]

Not the cheaper ones @bikermutt07, those literally have some paperboard with a cheaper than hell leather (sometimes) casing. The nicer dress belts will have a raised center with a core of some other leather, at least in the handful of YT videos I've seen.

Before I knew better, I had a belt with the paper showing at the end from pulling it to get the buckle tongue into the right hole...glad those days are over.

[Itch]

Glue the pieces together with the finished piece being a little wider,once dried trim and sand.. When we leave a natural edge I usually rub the edge with beeswax then burnish with a piece of wood ,leather or whatever you use .. Good Luck ..

[Dwight]

I had to google the term "battery belt", . . . having no idea what it was.

So the question becomes:  "where are you going to stash the battery he wants in it"??  

To me, . . . that makes it almost a "have to" case for simply gluing the upholstery leather to the outside of the completed battery belt, . . . using it as a final finish.

I'd also be willing to bet that if he gives it any kind of rough service, . . . you will be making him another one, . . . or he will abandon the idea.

May God bless,

Dwight

[bikermutt07]

1 hour ago, Dwight said:

I had to google the term "battery belt", . . . having no idea what it was.

So the question becomes:  "where are you going to stash the battery he wants in it"??  

To me, . . . that makes it almost a "have to" case for simply gluing the upholstery leather to the outside of the completed battery belt, . . . using it as a final finish.

I'd also be willing to bet that if he gives it any kind of rough service, . . . you will be making him another one, . . . or he will abandon the idea.

May God bless,

Dwight

I assumed it was auto correct for biker belt. Who knew???

[benlilly1]

11 hours ago, chrisash said:

Why not wrap the chrome right around the veg tan and match its ends in the center of the inside and then sew two lines about 3mm from the center to hold it in place, that way there is no edges, just a seam in the center back

That's another idea. I'm getting ready to start laying out a plan. Thanks

 

5 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

I assumed it was auto correct for biker belt. Who knew???

        I've made a battery bra which covers most of the battery and looks pretty cool too! 

7 hours ago, Dwight said:

I had to google the term "battery belt", . . . having no idea what it was.

So the question becomes:  "where are you going to stash the battery he wants in it"??  

To me, . . . that makes it almost a "have to" case for simply gluing the upholstery leather to the outside of the completed battery belt, . . . using it as a final finish.

I'd also be willing to bet that if he gives it any kind of rough service, . . . you will be making him another one, . . . or he will abandon the idea.

May God bless,

Dwight

The battery is in a battery box. The belt is for a look and to keep the battery from bouncing around. I've seen a few photos of people using them but this will be a first for me making one.

7 hours ago, Itch said:

Glue the pieces together with the finished piece being a little wider,once dried trim and sand.. When we leave a natural edge I usually rub the edge with beeswax then burnish with a piece of wood ,leather or whatever you use .. Good Luck ..

Yes, I thought using beeswax or paraffin on the edges. We'll see how all this goes! Thanks Itch

[Dwight]

OK, . . . now that we have discovered it is not a biker belt, . . . and not a battery belt (used by nerds to carry small batteries to recharge their cell phones, . . . battery is sewn into the belt in many cases, or serves as the buckle), . . . and in fact, . . . a belt used to hold a battery in place on a motorcycle.

I'm just going to say good luck to you, my friend, because if you are using upholstery leather, . . . on a vehicle battery, . . . it ought to last a good 30 days in the sun, heat, frost, dew, rain, and whatever the biker subjects it to.

And that is not saying anything about the fumes which come out of a battery being used to start and run a vehicle, . . . 

That is the reason battery hold down's are made out of metal, . . . 

But have fun, . . . just be ready to see it come back in less than optimal condition.

May God bless,

Dwight

[rodneywt1180b]

If he wants to go to the trouble I'm willing to bet the bike is stored indoors when not in use.  I can see wanting the belt to match the seat upholstery.  Just one more detail to set his bike apart from the crowd.

Given the application I'm thinking veg tan or bridle backer glued flesh side in and a stitch around the outside to hold it all together.  Edge paint should be ok. I think it will last a reasonably long time though certainly not forever. The belt won't be flexing a lot once it's in place unless the battery needs to come out.  That should be pretty infrequently.

Just let him know the drawbacks first.

[battlemunky]

I tend to agree but think it should be tried to see. Just let him know the odds of being a robust thing are small.

[chrisash]

Actually in the first post he mentioned upholstery leather to match the seat and have a veg tan inner piece, so no reason it would not last

[RockyAussie]

I tend to agree with @Dwight with regards to longevity. All of the bikes I've had that I can remember had a rubber strap to keep the battery snug in place and if I had too I would go with the upholstery leather doubled back to a seam in the middle fully contact glued and probably not stitched along the length. This would at least allow some elasticity to the strap to hold the battery tight. 

[LeatherLegion]

What about a sleeve made out that upholstery leather for the rubber strap ? The strap can "free float" inside that sleeve... looks and the snugness...

[benlilly1]

He bought this belt and I'm using the buckle and keeper. The drawing is what he wants.

[Northmount]

Has he used leather for holding the battery in before?  Reason I ask is that there is always a little acid around most batteries (lead acid) unless they are really sealed well.  The acid will degrade the leather fairly quickly. 

Tom

[benlilly1]

Battery strap is done. I'm pretty green since I've not made a belt before. 8oz. veg tan with maybe a 3oz. upholstery leather. Sewed it with my machine. I left the rough side out to have better grip when tightened. How often is the flesh side out when making belts? Is it common or not?

[battlemunky]

It isn't super common but not unheard of either. From time to time you'll see a flesh side out sheath or belt or holster. I've seen a few out in the wild too. I have a flesh side out wallet. It's a nice change.