Gluing a two-piece belt.

[sniper]

I have two Tandy belt blanks, which I want to make into a sturdy holster belt. I want to stitch it all around the edges. I presume I should glue it first, but when I glue it, should it be curved somehow, so when it is  worn,  the glue between the layers will not be stressed. Or is Barge Cement or Weldwood  Contact Cement flexible enough that it can withstand that sort of stress? 

[tsunkasapa]

The contact cement should be flexible enough, but once they are stitched together it doesn't matter. 

[battlemunky]

Agreed. I've done this several times and the cement doesn't care once the stitches are in.

[Dwight]

If the Weldwood was a problem after stitching . . .  my shop would be full of returned two piece belts.

Best I know . . . never had one returned in 15 years.  Only a very select few for certain purposes were single layer . . . all the rest are double layer . . . sold as CCW belts.

One I got on right now is 15+ yrs old . . . pretty scratched up . . . stained . . . but still holding together . . . packs 44 oz of 1911 and more with mags and cell phone.

Oh . . . keeps my britches up as well.

Seriously . . . don't worry . . .  here is a little video I made for putting it together. . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOiADFuEGrE&list=UURg-Mif53wUyT8e3BoYzhwQ&index=169

May God bless,

Dwight

[sniper]

Thanks, all, especially Dwight! Your video answered most of my questions!  Wish everyone on YouTube were as clear and concise as you!

[chiefjason]

The glue will be fine.  I've started gluing my belts down while curing them over a large pot.  You don't have to fully wrap them while gluing But the slight curve cuts down on some of the stress on the leather IMO.  Particularly getting wrinkles on the inside layer.  

[JohnnyLongpants]

On 7/31/2021 at 11:05 AM, chiefjason said:

The glue will be fine.  I've started gluing my belts down while curing them over a large pot.  You don't have to fully wrap them while gluing But the slight curve cuts down on some of the stress on the leather IMO.  Particularly getting wrinkles on the inside layer.  

In a sense, it would be great to glue the belt on a curve.  The main issue this brings up is for people who hang their belt by the buckle and want them to hang straight.  (Some people roll them up and some people hang them.) 

Any easy-ish approach to this to use a glue and not a contact cement (like Barge).  The white leather glue is good, or any wood glue.  Be sure the outside belt blank is a little longer than the inside one.  Then coil the whole thing around a five-gallon bucket and hold in place with plastic wrap from the kitchen.  Let it dry overnight.

------=====------

To avoid wrinkles if the belt is glued while flat, I prefer to use a softer/stretchier leather on the inside as the liner.  So, if the belt is very thick, such as for a sturdy holster belt, it would contain, typically, two thick belt blanks glued front-to-back, and inside the belt a liner of boot suede, milled vegtan, etc. 

(For those concerned about the transition from their burnished edge to the suede/liner, lay the belt face-down on your workbench after the glue is dry.  Use your groover to cut through the liner and keep the liner centered, then bevel to remove any remaining glue.)

 

[sbrownn]

5 minutes ago, JohnnyLongpants said:

In a sense, it would be great to glue the belt on a curve.  The main issue this brings up is for people who hang their belt by the buckle and want them to hang straight.  (Some people roll them up and some people hang them.) 

Any easy-ish approach to this to use a glue and not a contact cement (like Barge).  The white leather glue is good, or any wood glue.  Be sure the outside belt blank is a little longer than the inside one.  Then coil the whole thing around a five-gallon bucket and hold in place with plastic wrap from the kitchen.  Let it dry overnight.

------=====------

To avoid wrinkles if the belt is glued while flat, I prefer to use a softer/stretchier leather on the inside as the liner.  So, if the belt is very thick, such as for a sturdy holster belt, it would contain, typically, two thick belt blanks glued front-to-back, and inside the belt a liner of boot suede, milled vegtan, etc. 

(For those concerned about the transition from their burnished edge to the suede/liner, lay the belt face-down on your workbench after the glue is dry.  Use your groover to cut through the liner and keep the liner centered, then bevel to remove any remaining glue.)

 

Is that the kind of curve they have been talking about, around the z axis?  I thought it was the natural curve a belt takes on after being worn which is along the x axis.

[JohnnyLongpants]

It is along the x axis.  Coil two belt blanks glued together around something like a five gallon bucket and when the glue dries you will have a double-layer belt that naturally has a curve with no wrinkling. I figure a five gallon bucket is common enough to use. 

Ideally, they would be glued against a mannequin or curve of the exact size/shape of the wearer. 

To have a bend on the z axis, the top and bottom of the belt blank must be different lengths, either cut like a trapezoid or cut on a curve.

Practically, it is much easier to just have two identical belt blanks, use those, and let them "break in" through use on the wearer.

Edited August 3, 2021 by JohnnyLongpants

[Lobo]

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2021 at 7:55 PM, Dwight said:

If the Weldwood was a problem after stitching . . .  my shop would be full of returned two piece belts.

Best I know . . . never had one returned in 15 years.  Only a very select few for certain purposes were single layer . . . all the rest are double layer . . . sold as CCW belts.

One I got on right now is 15+ yrs old . . . pretty scratched up . . . stained . . . but still holding together . . . packs 44 oz of 1911 and more with mags and cell phone.

Oh . . . keeps my britches up as well.

Seriously . . . don't worry . . .  here is a little video I made for putting it together. . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOiADFuEGrE&list=UURg-Mif53wUyT8e3BoYzhwQ&index=169

May God bless,

Dwight

Right on! I must have made and delivered a couple of thousand gun belts, two layer construction cemented and stitched. Never had a problem with a single one. For CCW trouser belts I liked to use two straps totaling about 13 - 14 oz. in weight (one strap of 7/8 with another of 5/6, or two straps of 6/7). Always purchased my leather by the side (usually 22 to 25 sq. ft.) and the first thing taken out would be 8 or 10 belt straps, cut diagonally from belly to back in lengths from about 50" to 65" which will make just about any common belt lengths. Assembly was done back to belly on the length of the straps, which usually evens out the differences in hide thickness.

In my opinion, two layers cemented and stitched are stronger and less likely to stretch in use than a single layer of equal weight. Kind of like plywood, multiple layers laid up with solid bonding providing greater strength than a single layer of wood.

I used Fiebings Tanners Bond to cement the layers together, then a 10-lb. round steel billet rolled over the pieces to bond them securely, then stitched together. Contact cement will work very well also, but I liked having a little more working time with the Fiebings cement. Either way there is plenty of flexibility in the finished belt to conform to the body during use.

Allow each newly cemented belt blank to thoroughly cure before proceeding with the other processes. Rushing through any part of the process is a sure method for failure. The cement may be dry to the touch in a half-hour, but overnight provides even better adhesion.