What leather for belts?

[SouthernCross]

If I want to make a tooled and stamped belt I need to use regular "unmolested" veg tan, correct?  If I want to soften it up after it has been tooled and stained, what's the best way to do that?

But, if I want to make just a regular belt with no tooling, would bridle leather be the proper choice? 

[Dwight]

Do two things to soften it up, . . . roll it . . .  AFTER it is completely done.

Lay the belt face down on the work bench and take a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe about 3 or 4 inches long, . . . roll the belt tightly over that PVC, . . . one end to the other.  Roll it both ways, . . . buckle to tip, . . . and tip to buckle. 

DO NOT roll it face up, . . . you can get wrinkles that way and mess up your stamping.

THEN, . . . put in on, . . . go do something that gets you big hot and sweaty for about a half hour.

That will do the trick, . . . it will be still a bit stiff . . . but you never want to make a belt and it wind up like the floppy sloppy trash you buy in Walmart, Target, Kohls, etc, . . . that junk about half the time is not worth the price of the buckle on it.

I've never used bridle leather for a belt, . . . need someone better versed than me on that one.

May God bless,

Dwight

[SouthernCross]

Thanks Dwight.

[TSes]

Bridle leather will work great for a belt. The break in period will be longer than tooling leather, but it will eventually soften with use.