LINING BELTS

[DustinSmith]

Okay I'm sure this question has been asked 100 times but here goes anyway, I make alot of purse straps and belts.....is it really necessary to line them? I could get twice the straps out of a side if I didn't us 2 pieces of leather...thoughts? Advice? Thanks

[Spyros]

No, it's not, just use good leather that you're happy with how the flesh side looks, and it's thick & strong enough for the purpose.  Bridle usually works well.

[Danne]

A thin belt without lining will stretch

A thin belt in soft leather with lining will stretch (need reinforcement)

A stiffer thicker leather like Bridle will work fine without lining.

[Hildebrand]

Depends on the end use of the belt.  Very few single layer belts will hold up to carrying a holster daily without stretching.

Todd

[DustinSmith]

Most of the belts I make are colorful womens dress belts, I'd always line a men's belt that would be used for "duty". I was asking more for esthetics, do most people who aren't using it for holsters care if its lined or not?

[LatigoAmigo]

3 hours ago, DustinSmith said:

I was asking more for esthetics, do most people who aren't using it for holsters care if its lined or not?

I line everything I do, and often wonder if the extra work and cost in materials really add value, but if I don't add the lining the item feels "unfinished."

[chuck123wapati]

Womens belts you could possibly line with fabric.

[Hardrada]

55 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

Womens belts you could possibly line with fabric.

Or suede.

[Danne]

8 minutes ago, Hardrada said:

Or suede.

Nubuck or Alcantara is also good choices. I mean there is a reason hyper cars use Alcantara instead if real suede. Don't get me wrong suede can be nice too, but it will wear a lot quicker. But also i'm no leather expert, I have seen those water repellent suedes online, they might be a really good choice.

[Spyros]

13 hours ago, DustinSmith said:

Most of the belts I make are colorful womens dress belts, I'd always line a men's belt that would be used for "duty". I was asking more for esthetics, do most people who aren't using it for holsters care if its lined or not?

I'm sure some do care but I would guess not many.  I mean judging from myself before I got into leatherworking I didn't even know that some belts were lined.  Obviously I could see some belts had stitches and some not but I thought it was just decoration, a different style.  Never occurred to me to even look at the back of a belt as a customer.  The only thing I remember is that I was always suspicious of belts that were very shiny for some reason.

Then again I'm a man, and I've noticed men look at leather items very differently than women.  We care more about things like quality, longevity, practicality, strength, and country of origin, whilst women seem to care a lot more about brand, style, variety and matching with their clothes. I doubt they'd care very much about what the back of their belt looks like.  But I'm known for my continuous failure to understand women so take that with a massive grain of salt 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Spyros