OT good leather belts

I had two cheap leather belts fail recently. Their buckles were made from some sort of cast potmetal, although they looked stainless and polished. At some point they just snap and break, one broke when I dropped the belt to the floor, and the other did so without any reason. As of now, all I have left, is a old Soviet officers leather belt from the 60's, the kind without insignia. In any case, I would like to buy some decent US made leather belt, with a decent buckle, something to wear for decades etc.

I do not understand what makes a good belt, besides some obvious considerations, so I wanted to hear what other people know about it.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus7937
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You could look at holster type belts from Safariland, Bianchi, etc. They're fairly expensive but well made. I used to wear ranger style belts with blue jeans when I wasn't as big around. The next belt I'm going to try will be this one from Maxpedition, but it isn't leather.

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Pete Keillor

Reply to
Pete Keillor

Go to any good country and western store and spend $30 to $40. Look for all leather designation, and as for the buckle, they come with one, you you can get one of those dinner plate sized western ones. Good leather makes good belts. Lots of belts are made of plastics and other things, and obviously, as you found out, don't last long. I have a belt I made in 8th grade arts and crafts class. I'm 60 now. Like anything leather, maintain it with the proper chemicals and oils.

Reply to
SteveB

I used to get good belt blanks from Tandy, dye them when needed and give them a good shot of finish. They'd last about 10 years, I'd reuse the buckles as they stretched out. The blanks got expensive and eventually Tandy got out of retailing, I've been told they still are on the web, though.

The gun shows around here are a good source, if you've got good buckles from old belts, you can reuse them as long as the end of the belt has snaps. The department store belts are sewn together these days, no snaps, so those are out. Over-priced cardboard crap, too. I've had them fail in about two weeks.

Stan

Reply to
stans4

There is a gun show coming up on Oct. 4, I will go there anyway. Great idea!

i
Reply to
Ignoramus7937

Thick leather, tooled as you like it. I made the mistake once of getting a belt that was a real basketweave (as opposed to tooled to look like basketweave), and another time of getting a belt made of two pieces (front side and back side) stitched together. Both fell apart in a couple of months.

Reply to
Joe Pfeiffer

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:36:32 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus7937 scrawled the following:

Ah, off the diet again, are ya, Ig?

Those stone floors in cat houses can be hard on belts, can't they?

My problem with cheap belts was where the spoke which went through the hole in the belt would fall off the main buckle. That and bad leather (glued together, but split) which didn't last the year.

I've found decent belts at Target for $10, and I've even hung tool pouches from them.

Maybe it's the shopping I did at Harbor Freight in the 70s which keyed me in to the good v. bad metals thing. Perhaps you should shop HF more, Ig, to learn that feel.

Then again, the vast majority of products from HF are a whole helluva lot better now than they were 35 years ago.

-- The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage. --Mark Russell

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Steve, I sort of agreed with your advice, but decided to look online. There was one store in New York that was selling "USA MADE BELTS", but I ended up not quite believing that for some reasons, such as poor English on all pages, lack of trademarks and explanations, etc.

I ended up buying these belts:

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I hope that they will last my lifetime, I will try to read up on leather maintenance.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus7937

I actually weigh the same as I did before I got married.

And maybe 1-3 lbs more than 2-3 years ago.

I shop it more than I would like to admit.

As long as I avoid anything with motors, and sharp edges, I am OK.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus7937

Double pack from Costco was a good deal at about $20, definitely better than the usual belts I buy.

Reply to
ATP*

I hate to admit it but I generally buy my belts at county/state fairs! You can usually find a western store OR better yet one of the places that does jackets and custom leather work. You can buy L O N G blanks, that they cut down, punch and make up for you on the spot.

Buckle wise it depends on which style you want. The conventional locking spoke style requires a longer belt than the larger pin style buckles. Then you decide finish type. Material wise you can buy just about anything. Pot metal, stainless, billet aluminum. I usually opt for the stainless spoke style. The other type have a nasty habit of coming lose at the wrong time!!!

Reply to
Steve W.

One place thats not been mentioned is a saddlers shop. Ie horse harness. The horsey folk will only use best oak bark tanned leather which comes from cow or bullock from the backs of the animal. This can be had up to 3/8in thick and up to 60 in long.

Again the horse harness folk use only nickel silver or best brass buckles. Ive made many belts from this grade and thickness of leather andhey last some 20yrs before the holes in the belt elongate. But then the buckles I make will cost from $50.00 upwards, with minted fronts, also in sterling silver to order. the leather costs $30.00 in 1.75 in wide. any length up to 60 in. But I guarantee them both for 10 yrs. Never had one come back. They are all tested to 200lbs dead weight for an hour. Hope this helps..

Reply to
Ted Frater

Make your own Iggy. With the Tandy kits it is pretty simple. Find a decent buckle and keep recycling it. My buckles must all be ~35 years old by now :)

See:

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Haven't bought any for years, but usually go for something like this:

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Get a hole punch if you don't already have one.

Reply to
Leon Fisk

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Leon, I am thinking in the opposite way: to make a buckle for the current belt whose buckle failed. The leather is so-so, but much better than the buckle.

What I am considering doing is this.

I have a bunch of 3/16" nickel welding rod, as well as some 5/32" Inconel welding rod. I could remove the flux from one rod, bend it to shape, and make a buckle in this manner.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus7937

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:56:53 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus7937 scrawled the following:

My joke went over your head, did it? ;) Congrats on maintenance. I'm

25lbs heavier now but I'm not smoking or drinking, so I'm happier. Some day I'll learn to trim off this extra fat.

Many people do.

I haven't had problems with their motors, but their edges don't get my vote, either.

-- The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage. --Mark Russell

Reply to
Larry Jaques

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If you'll send some pics of what you want, alomg with enough info for me to create a solid model, I'll model it up, program it and cut you one Gratis.

I've got Titanium, CRESS, and 304L enough to make anything reasonable but it could also be cut from A2 or H-13 or even 420SS and then heat treated. None of those materials are pricey.

You won't live long enough to wear out a hardened A2 or H-13 buckle that's properly designed and machined from a blank.

Reply to
John R. Carroll

I used to get good belt blanks from Tandy, dye them when needed and give them a good shot of finish. They'd last about 10 years, I'd reuse the buckles as they stretched out. The blanks got expensive and eventually Tandy got out of retailing, I've been told they still are on the web, though.

The gun shows around here are a good source, if you've got good buckles from old belts, you can reuse them as long as the end of the belt has snaps. The department store belts are sewn together these days, no snaps, so those are out. Over-priced cardboard crap, too. I've had them fail in about two weeks.

Stan

I thought I was hosed until I realized I have a commercial walking foot sewing machine. Had to repair a very old but favorite belt, and would have had to pay too much to have snaps put on it, or buy a kit. I just sewed it, and it looks fine.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

"Ignoramus7937" wrote

Iggy, Iggy, Iggy. A man does not NEED a reason go to to a gun show.

HTH. And good shopping.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Chances are best at a Western wear style retailer. It helps to be in the actual West, or at least the Midwest.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

This happened to me also. After looking over the poor selection at the department stores having a lot of cheep Chinese belts I went to the leather store, purchased a solid buckle and a strip of leather and made my own belt. Nothing fancy, but I selected the thick leather and got the maximum width that would fit my blue jeans and it is good and solid after over a year.

Unfortunately the buckle was still made in China, but it was of a solid design rather than the die cast junk you experienced.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

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