Belts

[pepper davies]

Gorgeous belt. I'm secretly hoping it doesn't fit my jeans so I can start a new project. Do you have any tips for waxing, Mike? Do you heat the beeswax first or just work it a little in your hands?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

these "stamped" lines along the belt..is that normal or did you ask for it? (read: I don't want that )

[entertainment!]

^ For real? Did you order 1.5" or 1.75"?

I've had no problems with the belt loops so far.

Any pics entertainment! ?

I got 1.5". The belt did fit in the loops but it was so tight that I felt like if I sat down the belt loop would tear off where there is a double layer. I'll get a pic of the buckle up soon.

@BF-You don't have to get the "stamped" lines along the edge, but it comes standard unless you request otherwise.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

^thanks!

well, seems that I have to write Terry about that

and hopefully my Samurai belt loops will survive that belt

[fre-co]

Those are called crease lines by the way. Just tell him you don't want them.

[mikecch]

Gorgeous belt. I'm secretly hoping it doesn't fit my jeans so I can start a new project. Do you have any tips for waxing, Mike? Do you heat the beeswax first or just work it a little in your hands?

I just rub it in

[fre-co]

I have fitted it with a heavy duty Dolce Vita buckle (nickel-chromium plated brass):

Mike that buckle is insane. Can I ask where you can get something like that?

My only issue with Terry's belts are that I might prefer a heavier buckle than he can offer and I had no idea where to look for something.

[tropicalbird]

I hope this suits your needs

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-1-2-Solid-Brass-Clipped-Corner-Buckle-Nkl-Pl-1900BNP-/120600526927?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c145a004f

[smittybat]

How thick is that belt really? I'm #10, hopefully on it's way soon.

[edmond]

2 and a half year old dolce vita

[mikecch]

Nice belt Ed...what colour was it to begin with?

Dolce Vita's leathers has got to be one of Japan's finest

Mike that buckle is insane. Can I ask where you can get something like that?

My only issue with Terry's belts are that I might prefer a heavier buckle than he can offer and I had no idea where to look for something.

I got that buckle from Dolce Vita.

It was attached to my Dolce Vita belt but I removed it to install my Cat's Paw buckle.

It's the same as the one on Ed's belt posted above.

I think the no. 5 buckle (the one I use for my Terry's belts) are quite solid - but the Dolce Vita one is definitely a bit heavier.

How thick is that belt really? I'm #10, hopefully on it's way soon.

It measures anywhere from 5.8 to 6.4 mm on my ones (according to 10 calliper measurements along the length of the belt).

[TallyHo]

got my brother a natural bridal LGC belt for his birthday about a month back. took some comparison photos next to my 14 month old one. had a helluva time trying to get the color right, but you get the idea...

(edit: more precisely, i had a hard time with the exposure. i did not edit these photos at all. should be a bit lighter, but i was indoors.)

i believe i treated mine once with obenauf's after about a year, but mostly because it ended up in a creek (with me) and had really dried out subsequently. i've never "tanned" it, and it doesn't see much sun as i rarely tuck my shirts in.

- - - - -

on a separate note - does anyone have an opinion on black leather belts with brass buckles? i've been thinking about getting one, but i'm not sure if that would be odd. i feel like i've only really seen silver (or nickel) buckles on black belts...

also, does anyone have any experience with LGC bridle leather in "light brown" or "dark brown" that could share some photos or opinions? does it age well? etc...

thanks in advance!

[tropicalbird]

I don't think you would like the "colored" versions of bridle. I've got a tan colored work belt from LGC and I bet it would take a lifetime to age that mofo

[mikecch]

Terry Dear's natural oak bark belt on a relatively unworn denim (Pherrow's 421) for contrast...

In weak sunlight:

Indirect sunlight:

Side-view:

I want to see pictures people!!!

Half the orders have been made, which means some of you would have gotten your belts already

[mikecch]

And more picture spamming from me... (Saturday afternoon, my gf is studying for her exams, so I can't go out.)

Here's my current undyed cattlehide belt rotation, all private label craftsmen made.

The natural oak bark Terry has used sure evolves quickly, have a look at the differences in the grain and colour after just two days (top is a brand new belt, bottom has been used for around 30 hours):

[corter]

Dragging this up again.

This picture barely shows it, but you can see the difference in smoothness on the inside to the outside. I mention the inside of the belt specifically because the rough, unpolished and excess leather really does create a massive surface area. A poor finish might cause loss of oils and maybe more importantly exposure to damaging sweat from the wearer.

Just a thought. I'll post up some pictures of my daily wear belt this afternoon to get some content flowing.

The back of the leather won't have anything to do with oil, loss of oil, anything. Just a personal preference regarding how finished you want your belt to arrive, how much finishing you want to do on your own (or let happen naturally), how finished you actually want it to look, etc. I personally love the natural burnish a piece gets after a year or so of wear, the way it gives kind of a burst finish- from dark at the edges to a burnt crimson in the middle. The look of a year or two of use is different than anything done by hand, it's really wonderful. However, it's all completely subjective.

I still maintain that without being hyper critical, any belt can look really really nice. Tan it a couple days, oil it a couple times, maybe seal the edges with bee's wax, and wear it.

[entertainment!]

Here are three belts from Terry Dear. All use the twelve month oak bark tanned leather.

[morse9443]

New extra thick belt from Corter Leather. I've held extra thick belts from SDA, Sugar Cane, Samurai, etc...this leather def thicker. Amazing piece.

With a Corter regular belt and another extra thick, both several years old with lots of wear.

[wgmds]

procrastinating on levi jp make your own belt.

[mikecch]

So we have an official name for the natural oak-bark belt made by Terry...

'Quercus', derived from Quercus Robor, the Latin name for the English Oak (tannins derived from which is used in the tanning process of our beloved butt hide, of which Terry is getting a 3rd piece in).

Quercus belt

[mikecch]

Bridle leather on the other hand is much more suitable to the task, but is colored and finished at the tannery. I don't how several belt makers claim they use "natural" bridle leather, could be a misnomer because I asked/looked around and there ain't such a thing.

p.s That's hella thick for a 9-10oz

Interesting, I have wondered about this issue as well, here's an explanation from Terry Dear:

"...The difference between the natural oak-tan and bridle leather is partly in the thickness, but mostly in the finishing. You could say that the natural oak-tan is 'interrupted bridle leather'. If these butts had gone further through the process, they would have been immersed for several hours in a mixture of molten mutton fat and fish oil . . . each tannery has its own 'secret recipe' . . . and then 'set' to remove the growth. The setting process packs the fibres of the leather down much more tightly, and reduces the caliper of the finished butt. The butts are then hand-dyed and greased again, resulting in a very shiny finish, with virtually no visible growth or scars...."

So I guess if you omit the dyeing process it's still technically a bridle leather.

[tropicalbird]

So I guess if you omit the dyeing process it's still technically a bridle leather.

I think you're right, if ordered in larger quantities certain "unusual" colors are possible for order and no color it's even easier!

Also to make it even more confusing is the definition of "English Bridle". Sedgwick tannery in England is renowned for it's bridle, two U.S tanneries Herman Oak, Wickett and Craig also calls their bridle "English bridle". H.Oak is more explicit by calling it "English" bridle. Out of these three amazing tanneries Sedgwick is considered superior.

[mikecch]

^ Yep, I reckon that's what the majority of Japanese brands who make their belts out of US or UK leather utilize - undyed bridle, which there probably is a large minimum buy?

That's how they get a very heavy, compressed leather which has more body than most veg. tanned stuff that US freelance leathersmiths are using. I reckon that's also how they get such smooth edges on the Japanese makes, because the 'settled' leather would hold a better burnish than less dense leathers.

But on the downside though, this is probably why most veg. tanned leathers on the market have such uninteresting grain texture when new. All the little nuances and character (scars, spots of dense follicle growth, etc) are obliterated!

Anyone with more info on this?

On the subject of tanneries:

I know Baker's also do a very mean bridle, more matte in appearance compared to Sedgwick's.

I think the way Tochigi Leather Co. makes their high end leathers (as seen on Kawatako's, etc and my Free Mart belt) is very, very similar to that of English bridle as well!

[lostinthesupermarket]

Very interesting discussion guys. Thanks for the info.

[mikecch]

The back of the leather won't have anything to do with oil, loss of oil, anything. Just a personal preference regarding how finished you want your belt to arrive, how much finishing you want to do on your own (or let happen naturally), how finished you actually want it to look, etc. I personally love the natural burnish a piece gets after a year or so of wear, the way it gives kind of a burst finish- from dark at the edges to a burnt crimson in the middle. The look of a year or two of use is different than anything done by hand, it's really wonderful. However, it's all completely subjective.

Just to illustrate a little...

Here is my Unlucky made sword-belt, with the original, unfinished back (worn for 1 day):

And this is after 1 months effective wear:

You could kinda imagine what it could look like a year or two down the track?

[lazybum]

Belts from terry have arrived!

The much discussed belt with oval brass buckle

You've got to feel the grain in person to realize how amazing it is.. I'm quite new to leathers but my instincts tell me that this is just insane.

I actually asked terry to exclude the crease line but seems like he forgot. Ah well I think it'll grow on me.

Got to admit the buckle wasn't a very smart choice though. I'm liking the looks of it but its a real pain to buckle and unbuckle because the leather is just so thick

Here's the other 9oz mahogany veg tan belt that i got from him

Sorry the pics didn't turn out very nice. Shitty camera and camerperson

[mikecch]

^ You've got it mate - it's got a very natural, mellow colour doesn't it?

The English oak-bark used contains both types of major tannins, and the resulting leather is both solid (has lots of body, and is denser than regular or mixed veg tanned leather per measure of thickness) and has a great resistance against elements & abrasion - it will last you much longer than regular vegetable tannages, mixed/concentrated bark tannages and even other pure bark tannages (Birch, Alder, etc).

For those who have the belt on hand, have a careful look at the grain and you will see red spots (they're called phlobaphenes, I believe) which is the result of the catechol tannins. The mellow yellow of the leather also indicates pyrogallol tannin involvement.

AFAIK the mixture of these two features authenticates the leather as a proper, pure oak bark tannage.

[lazybum]

Yup. I can see this beast lasting me a lifetime.

Thanks for clarifying about the spots. I was just wondering what those were

[tropicalbird]

I recently made this belt. Specs:

1.5" width

English Bridle leather (light tan)

~5.5mm (14oz)

Compared to normal veg tan blank there's a world of difference. Bridle has a waxy feel to it, much more supple springy characteristics. The wax/oil or whatever is packed inside makes for some nice edges. There little or no need for burnishing. Can a belt be too thick? Right now my answer is yes, hopefully the leather breaks in and gets easier to unbuckle

The flesh side already finished at the tannery.

The top grain is not impressive. There's a waxy layer covering it.

[entertainment!]

Got to admit the buckle wasn't a very smart choice though. I'm liking the looks of it but its a real pain to buckle and unbuckle because the leather is just so thick

I find my horseshoe shaped buckle hard to buckle and unbuckle too, whereas the rectangular one is super easy, even with the quercus leather.