Belts

[davichan]

thank you..

Agreed.. I would have prefer fuller cut on the wrap..

only time will tell how the quality fairs out.

[mikecch]

Here is the original oak-bark Quercus belt that spawned 50 others

[Obbigood]

i own a Samurai curved belt, got it from BIG almost 5 months on it now, i love it..and wear it pretty much everyday.

I want to ask about that spot you mention above

"the bending portion" where there buckle metal wraps around and meets,

being that leather is soooooo much thinner compared to the rest of the beast of the belt,

my question:

would that bend not be the weakest link and eventually break down first with years of wear???

just as wat mikecch has mentioned, dont need to worry about that

Maybe I caused some confusion with my comments, I'm actually trying to point out the craftmanship of the Samurai. I love wat the Japanese do with detail on their crafts.

By looking at the specs of the belt, skiving/splitting is a logical method to ensure maximum functionality to the user.

Your heavy weight curve belt is 6-8mm thick, (it is really thick for belt, probably around 15oz or above) using full pewter buckle+prong, without thinning the bending potion, it can be quite uncomfortable to use when it is new and might cause bulging due to the thickness at the buckle area.

Being such a thick belt, thinning down a little wont hurt

So no worries, mate

[davichan]

Thank you Obbigood...

++rep++

thank you for taking a moment to share with me that info!

def answered my question..

much respect.

-davi

[Obbigood]

you are welcome, davidchan. I'm glad i helped in some ways

[MikeS]

Incoming package from Terry. Im so fucking stoked...

[mikecch]

^ Pics must be had MikeS

I'm curious as to how people have modded their own Quercus belts!

Like b_F's belt, looks really different from my own with the different buckle and lack of crease lines.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

I've oiled the Quercus belt and it darkened up. The leather sucked the oil up really fast. I might wear this belt with my S5000BK to reduce indigo stains before it developes a nice patina

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Quercus belt on Denime 66XX

[farmer]

Quick pic before I wrap them up to show how a Tanner Goods Natural belt ages. Brand new natural next to a couple year old one. Mahogany collar in the back.

[thelion1856]

Corter belt (5 months) & bracelet (4 months)

[mikecch]

Check out how your Quercus oak-bark leather was made:

http://s1132.photobucket.com/albums/m564/celticleather/?action=view&current=Tannery.mp4

Courtesy of Terry.

[M.O.A]

Terry better be paying you for all this promotion you're doing on Superfuture, Mike

[mikecch]

Terry better be paying you for all this promotion you're doing on Superfuture, Mike

Haha, nah, not making any money off this (it's all passion, no financial motivation); the Quercus group order has been completed now anyway!

What I do gain from these projects is lots of knowledge from the craftsmen, tanneries and jobbers.

Now I know where the big SuFu brands get their materials, how these materials are processed to differentiate them from mall-shop items, and some details about belt making and leather in general which allows me to better judge the quality of a given leather or the make of any belt.

This is something money cannot usually buy.

As long as the denim community is interested, I'm hoping to organise a leather project with different craftmen around the world every year (I'm thinking about craftsmen in Asia for 2012?).

Originally, I started organising the Quercus project so that I could convince Terry and Baker's tannery (run by Andrew, the guy in the above video) to customise a natural oak-bark leather for me.

Tender's type 200 belt inspired me, but I later found out 15 oz natural oak bark is not something that is commonly used, especially when it comes to belting - the average person prefers a bridle finish.

They said one hide minimum, so that meant around 15 belts.

We ended up needing 4 hides

That said though, please join my second group-order!

We have 54 people on the Unlucky project so far - shoot me an e-mail if you're potentially interested.

Scott has been really accommodating, and is working hard experimenting with different materials & details involved in the creation of a belt for this project.

The leather, buckle and stitching material are all significantly upgraded, and we're even looking to provide some home-made conditioner/stuffing material designed specifically for the leather (and other interesting twists and surprises).

The theme this time is an all-American hard-wearing work belt.

I was prompted to start this project by the fact that many of the nicer Japanese belts are 'US steerhide' - taking inspiration from Samurai, The Flat Head, etc belts, I am hoping to come up with Scott something that will perhaps outclass even these artisan makers, using US materials and craftsmanship.

Sorry for the rant.

[davichan]

Hello Belt forum,

Question.

i bought this very pricy ($360) Buco Horsehide Belt from Real McCoys shop in Tokyo last year brand new.

i love it.

BUT........

after a few months of wear only, i see the belt just feels and looks kinda rag-gad on the inside section were the belt holes are located.???

beside my Horsehide jacket which is a real gem of an item, and relay displays the grain characteristics of Horsehide so many lust after...

This Buco belt is definitely in question to my eyes about this display of quality after half a year of light wear?

I have treated the belt with some horse oil, and still.. the leather just looks kinda gnarly at the front end compared to the rest of it.

can anyone tell me if this is normal for horsehide, and just let it go, keep wearing it and love what naturally comes from it,

or should i mention this as a possible issue to pricey Real McCoy / Buco quality control dept~~~

thoughts please.

[lance]

Hey davichan - Sorry about your troubles with the Buco horsehide belt. I have a ranger style horsehide belt that's 6 or 7 years old and although it has a channel buckle rather than holes, it shows no deterioration having held up really well. I do not think that it's common and would not hesitate to contact them with pics of your belt. At that price and from reputable people like Real McCoys and Buco, I should think they would replace the belt without hesitation.

[fre-co]

My belt from Terry, picked up a couple of weeks ago. Waiting for my Roys before I use it.

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[mikecch]

Hello Belt forum,

Question.

i bought this very pricy ($360) Buco Horsehide Belt from Real McCoys shop in Tokyo last year brand new.

i love it.

BUT........

after a few months of wear only, i see the belt just feels and looks kinda rag-gad on the inside section were the belt holes are located.???

beside my Horsehide jacket which is a real gem of an item, and relay displays the grain characteristics of Horsehide so many lust after...

This Buco belt is definitely in question to my eyes about this display of quality after half a year of light wear?

I have treated the belt with some horse oil, and still.. the leather just looks kinda gnarly at the front end compared to the rest of it.

can anyone tell me if this is normal for horsehide, and just let it go, keep wearing it and love what naturally comes from it,

or should i mention this as a possible issue to pricey Real McCoy / Buco quality control dept~~~

thoughts please.

The problematic 'ridged' portion is on the inside (flesh-side) of the belt?

The flesh side cannot develop a grain patina - only the grain can do so.

The flesh-side in this case is covered in a finishing agent anyway, so what you're seeing is the coating, not the leather.

AFAIK the Buco horsehide belt is a single layer, full grain horsehide.

The ridging effect that you are seeing is caused by the finishing agent they've applied to the backside to protect the leather.

This is very common when a finished/coated section is bent (i.e. near the buckle area unless you're using a pin buckle).

I've seen this on Dolce Vita belts which have a similar backside coating on cattlehide.

The Buco belt is good quality (I definitely would not recommend writing to them regarding this, as there is nothing wrong with the belt) - I wouldn't worry about this backside ridging, just keep wearing

[itschrisb]

Just got a tanners standard natural belt with black buckle and keeper for Xmas. It's awesome I'll post pictures later on. Thumbs up to tanners for great products!

[davichan]

mikecch,

++rep++

thank you soooooooo much for your take to write me info on the Buco leather belt! yes it is only in the inside of the belt as you describe. and it is single layer horsehide.

and if this is the case, then i will continue to love the hell out of it.

much respect!!!

-davichan

[lance]

Hey Mike, expect you are right. My only knowledge is through experience with my 6 or so year old horsehide belt which shows no similar signs of wear. Possibly mine is not finished like the Buco. Davichan, keep us posted. I'd like to buy the brown version of that belt when Gordon has them in stock and I'd like to be certain the quality is 100%. thanks and Happy Holidays to all.

[mikecch]

^ Lance, that horsehide is beautiful~

Can we have a higher res. photo of the leather when you have spare time?

mikecch,

++rep++

thank you soooooooo much for your take to write me info on the Buco leather belt! yes it is only in the inside of the belt as you describe. and it is single layer horsehide.

and if this is the case, then i will continue to love the hell out of it.

much respect!!!

-davichan

No problems man, any time!

[lance]

Hey Mike, thanks. It's dark in FL now so I'll post a few in daylight hours tomorrow.

[mikecch]

^ Enjoy the rest of your Xmas!

I just finished my Boxing Day shopping

Oh, here is my unofficial contest belt for the Roy x Cone contest, natural vegetable tanned double-horse butt (17.5 oz).

I've tanned it gently in the sunlight for a couple of days, and have applied 2 layers of horse oil and 1 layer of beeswax on both sides - it has darkened slightly (was white/pink when new), and the classic horsehide grain appearance is popping up:

Spade tip FTW (looks a bit phallic? )

[MikeS]

Mike, Whats up with the horse oil and the bees wax? Im pretty ignorant to leather care. I do the typical cleaning with saddle soap once a year and a good coat of mink oil and thats it.

[mikecch]

Mike, Whats up with the horse oil and the bees wax? Im pretty ignorant to leather care. I do the typical cleaning with saddle soap once a year and a good coat of mink oil and thats it.

I use the horse oil to feed the leather and make it more supple/flexible, since the natural horsehide hasn't been heavily oiled at the tannery (it's relatively unfinished) and is pretty stiff. This also increases the longevity of the leather in the long run, and can help in accentuating the grain from the get go.

The horse oil penetrates best out of all the animal oils I've used, and darkens the leather only just slightly (unlike others which have a more dramatic effect).

The beeswax is to seal the oil in and provide some water/abrasion resistance to the leather and keep the grain healthy.

I think most leather conditioners include oils, waxes, etc in a one-step application process.

I just prefer to use the natural and simple stuff, as it allows me to control the process better, and I know exactly what I'm feeding the leather.

[lance]

^ Lance, that horsehide is beautiful~

Can we have a higher res. photo of the leather when you have spare time?

Hey Mike - A few pics showing grain on both sides of the horsehide belt. The man who made the belt and SS buckle is Neil Hunt (http://www.nrhunt.com/making_belt_1.php).

He does beautiful SS engraving and the best leather straps. I would highly recommend him to anyone in the US or for that matter, anywhere.

macro showing grain and stitching topside

macro comparing grain on underside

another of the underside

[mikecch]

The leather and buckle both look great.

I find the stitching very interesting too - thick and a little uneven, what material is it?

I checked out Neil Hunt's site and the special edition buckle look absolutely amazing...bit out of my price range though

But I couldn't find horsehide, he seems to be only offering 8.5 oz harness/bridle leather?

[lance]

Hey Mike - He does probably 99.9% in leather. He will order horsehide if you specify it as I did with this belt. I have 4 or 5 of his leather straps and the quality is wonderful. Hope you browsed through all three pages of belt making - he puts a lot into a belt. Fine people and a pleasure to deal with. Not certain about the stitching - I'll ask him early this week.

[lostinthesupermarket]

mikecch,

++rep++

thank you soooooooo much for your take to write me info on the Buco leather belt! yes it is only in the inside of the belt as you describe. and it is single layer horsehide.

and if this is the case, then i will continue to love the hell out of it.

much respect!!!

-davichan

Hey davidchan

As Mike said, that is just the coating on the flesh side reacting to wear, it's nothing to worry about.

It is possible for deep wrinkles to appear on the grain side of horsehide also though even if that's not what happened in this case. The section of the horse's hide which covered areas of his body which moved, such as the joints, often have these before the hide is processed at the tannery.

Tanneries still sometimes "roll" leather to increase yield which flattens these out, but over time and with wear they tend to reassert themselves. In the old days these sections of hide would not be used for those parts of a garment which were most visible . Nowadays however, some buyers value these 'pebbled" or "jerky" parts of the hide and seek them out as being more characterful.

I think in large part this stems from the flight jacket/ A2 fanbase. So many horsehide A2's were required during WWII that previous quality control standards in terms of which parts of the hide were used where had to be relaxed. As a result a lot of jackets with visible areas of "jerky" hide were produced .Thus some see having some heavily grained panels in prominent areas of a horsehide jacket as being more "authentic" and seek this out.

Whether you like them or not, these wrinkles don't say anything about the quality of the hide or the tanning process. It is true however that "jerky" areas do tend to be the slightly thinner areas of the animal's skin.

OT but possibly interesting ( I hope).