Belts

[gonegonegone]

kiya told me the belt is pre-waxed. so that will most likely happen even if you oil/wax it yourself.

[tmadd]

Iron Heart Belt

[TallyHo]

i did a lot of comparison shopping and decided to order a belt from Leather Goods Connection, which is linked on the first page. i wanted a natural/tan leather belt with a simple garrison buckle that would age with a lot of character over time. i've had lower quality versions of the same style in the past and they've always been a favorite. i had my eye on the sugar cane garrison belt for a long time, but never wanted to pull the trigger at $150. it completely slipped my mind to include one in my last order from 2nd for half that price...

i started looking at LGC, tanner, and corter as more affordable options (bonus points for made in usa). LGC was closest to what i was looking for, and had the best pricing, and i liked the idea of it being custom made. so i went ahead and placed my order on 7/15. it was confirmed shipped on 7/17 and i received it on 7/19. talk about FAST.

so i ordered a 1.5" natural british bridle leather belt, #3 buckle (garrison style) in polished brass. here are some pics:

with flash (most accurate leather color - we all know how natural leather looks new):

i am extremely satisfied with this purchase. the leather is thick and smooth, and i can already tell it will look amazing over time. the buckle is absolutely perfect as well - i know garrison buckles are simple, but i've still seen a lot of screw ups. having handled the sugar cane belt in person, i can easily say i prefer this LGC buckle. i've worn this belt every day since it arrive and will probably wear it every single day for years to come (and i have trouble sticking to one pair of jeans for more than a month at a time, so that's saying something).

i only have one complaint, though it's a small one: you can tell if you're paying close attention, but it is not explicitly shown on the site that the end of the belt comes rounded. i'm guessing they'd customize this for you if you included something in the notes, but it would be even better if it was in the drop downs. personally i didn't like the rounded look, but it wasn't a big deal... i just took a razor blade to it:

(iphone pic):

all-in-all i'm really stoked on this company. great quality at proper price points. if you're thinking of buying a quality belt (which i'd always recommend), i'd point you in their direction. i doubt i'll ever buy that sugar cane belt now, and i see absolutely no reason to spend the exorbitant sums on other japanese brands. two pointers: definitely measure a belt you have (i was surprised how much i needed to size up), and include notes if you don't want the rounded end.

*i should start a blog*

[Rivet Head]

Here's a plain one I made for myself recently:

[TallyHo]

did that start out natural tan? looks great! where did you source your materials?

plus rep.

[Rivet Head]

It was raw leather, I died it, distressed it and broke it in! It's only about 5 days old. The hide I cut it out of came from Tandy leather. Still looking for other sources to buy leather from, but not having much luck.

[the Repeater]

I hate how Tandy has plastic snaps.

They have higher quality oak tooling leather up to 11oz or so, but only in half or whole sides. Sometimes you can get that weight in a shoulder, but not all the time.

[entropy kid]

I was browsing this page for something completely different, when suddenly I see this:

1 cm thick (!!!), 4 cm wide. I would totally like to try, if I was sure I had jeans with large enough belt loops...

[Rivet Head]

Repeater - plastic snaps? I've never seen or purchased anything at Tandy that had plastic snaps. All the snaps or screws I use on my belts are metal. How could you even plastic snaps on leather? Makes no sense.

[NoName]

handled the 1cm thick belt in person last week. in my opinion, it is far too thick and i cant imagine it being comfortable at any point of wear on this belt.

[rungo]

Repeater - plastic snaps? I've never seen or purchased anything at Tandy that had plastic snaps. All the snaps or screws I use on my belts are metal. How could you even plastic snaps on leather? Makes no sense.

If you buy pre-cut belt strips from Tandy they are already cut to width, and have a slit cut for the buckle, however they have plastic-covered rivet style snaps to hold the buckle on, instead of some proper Chicago screws. If you cut the belt from a piece of leather yourself, or used one of the strips of leather they have available, you would have had to install something yourself.

By the way, it is possible (from experience) to remove the crappy snaps and put on something proper, if you use care, and take your time. I found the pre-made belt on sale for $9 once, add a buckle that I had, and what can I say, it holds my pants up and looks pretty decent.

[Supawiwi]

Vintage US Army belt dated from 1923 (Quarter Master Corps). I tried to bring it back to life. The linen thread was cut in one place, and the leather was pretty dry. The brass buckle is what got me on this one, $20 on Ebay.

Some pics before and after three coats of seal fat and one of brown wax.

[Rivet Head]

Repeater....sorry, but those sigma snaps are not "plastic" or "plastic coated". They are metal that have been painted.

[the Repeater]

Whatever, it's cheesy brown powdercoat, looks like plastic. Gross. I wear one, its trashy.

[rnrswitch]

i did a lot of comparison shopping and decided to order a belt from Leather Goods Connection, which is linked on the first page. i wanted a natural/tan leather belt with a simple garrison buckle that would age with a lot of character over time. i've had lower quality versions of the same style in the past and they've always been a favorite. i had my eye on the sugar cane garrison belt for a long time, but never wanted to pull the trigger at $150.

I have worn this same belt over the past couple years. It is beautiful now and has held up ridiculously well. I like the Samurai, Sugar Cane, etc. belts, but for price and quality the LGC belt is the way to go. The bridle leather he uses is nice and sturdy.

[rnrswitch]

Vintage US Army belt dated from 1923 (Quarter Master Corps). I tried to bring it back to life. The linen thread was cut in one place, and the leather was pretty dry. The brass buckle is what got me on this one, $20 on Ebay.

Some pics before and after three coats of seal fat and one of brown wax.

Dude, nice work. Looks almost brand new.

[Baeyer-Drewson]

^Want to rep. That looks fantastic.

[Happy Hooligan]

nice job on the re lube of that garrison... Too bad you can't keep that awesome patina though... I did that to my old belt too and it looked almost new and I lost all my patina that took 50 + years to make...

The good news is most of it is back, but it took almost a year to get it back.

By the way, that is one awesome belt you found! I need to find one too...

[Supawiwi]

Yes, I wondered if I could keep that patina, but then realised that if I wanted that belt to last I had to heavily treat it with fat to nourrish it. That's good news if it comes back. The most important point was to nourrish the leather in depth, if I can get the patina back in surface that's awesome

[Tiro]

crosspost from leather evo

RM belt and silver buckle, bout a year and a half of wear (maybe slightly longer)

[lance]

Very nice - the stitching sets it apart.

[the Repeater]

I think you saved it before the cracking developed too badly.

The finish had worn off in many areas (the "patina," as its being called) and once the fat dries out a little that will show again.

It won't dry very quickly, but in a few weeks/months you'll see that again.

[hollowsleather]

Very nice wiwi, even if the leather gives up, that buckle is incredible. I wish it was easier to find buckles that nice these days.

[Supawiwi]

^ Thanks, this buckle is exactly what I was looking for. And that is also the way I thought when I bought it. If the leather has to go, the buckle is what I really care for.

[Guest jbone45]

random old belt I got somewhere in L.A. I've been wearing it for the past 4-5 years.

[Hidé]

Hey all,

trying to decide between Nickel plated or Brass hardware.

Pros and cons between the two? Maintenance tips?

Thanks,

H

[Rivet Head]

Hide - brass will corrode and tarnish at a much faster pace. You can accelerate with a mixture of salt/white vinegar. Mostly depends on the look you are going for. I personally like nickel on a black belt and brass on brown/tan.

[salaami]

i've been finding the dopest vintage belts at the thrifts lately, i never go anywhere else, since all i like are really old, handtooled belts. just a tip...

[the_ming]

got this from leather goods connection

http://www.leathergoodsconnection.com/pllebe.html

very nice and amazing turnaround time. definitely going with them when i get a new wallet.

the only thing i would do differently would be to go with the 1.5" width rather than the 1.25"

[Wilkes]

can this belt still be had?

crosspost from leather evo

RM belt and silver buckle, bout a year and a half of wear (maybe slightly longer)