bgillespie Report post Posted April 14, 2020 Several years ago I bought some Alden boots made with chromexcel. Finally decided to make a matching belt. I read chromexcel was a little too stretchy for belts and decided to do a veg tan liner. I made the belt too thick the first time. It's gorgeous leather, but just won't fit through the belt loops. I'm sure I can find a way to reuse it eventually. Anyway, here's take two. I've still got some things to improve with my work. Stitching with diamond chisels always looks great on one side and flat on the other. I may need to cast the stitches on one side or something. When I use French style pricking irons it always works out fine. Go figure. Also need to work on my backstitching. Luckily no one will ever see those when I wear the belt. The oval belt holes are a little wonky, but I'll eventually get them lined up better. Hope the closer spacing doesn't cause problems, but I like the extra flexibility. Edge paint is tricky. I bought two 1.5" straps and lined them up as well as I could. Probably would have worked better to get and oversized liner and trim after glue up. One of the things I did better this time was skiving the turnback. In order to keep the veg tan strength, I skived the turnback on the chromexcel before I glued the two straps together. Also got a better impression with my maker's mark than usual. Who knew that thing could be so finicky! My hometown, Bristol, is on the Tennessee/Virginia border. On State Street, between the center lines on the street are bronze markers that look just like the buckle. The artist who made the buckle is originally from Bristol but now lives and works in California. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rohn Report post Posted April 14, 2020 Nice looking belt. Looks super heavy duty. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FLand49 Report post Posted April 14, 2020 Nice work Brian. Curious: what weight leather did you use for the belt & the lining? By the way I'm not far from you (Blount County, TN). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bgillespie Report post Posted April 14, 2020 Thanks, Rohn. It seems sturdy so far. The first one was a real beast - basically a quarter inch thick! FLand49 I used 6/7 for the chromexcel belt and 2/3 for the veg tan lining. Used .6 Ritza Tiger thread to stitch it all together. Hope all is well in Blount County! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
