Handmade Leather Belts

Here are some tips on how to tool, dye, and finish your own handmade leather belts. These are the same methods used to make the handmade leather belts you can find for sale at our web site. These techniques are basically the same as those used by our craftsmen (and women) who manufacture for us. The lesson begins after the belt strip has been cut and the edges have been finished.  
             
Our finished belts are generally 1.5″ wide with a handmade pattern embossed into the cowhide. After the belt strip is cut and sized, we begin by wetting the leather with a sponge.  The water softens the leather, and makes the leather belt tooling process easier. Because the design runs down the center of the belt, we draw a faint guideline down the belt center. Next the tooling begins…

Once the belt is tooled, we condition the leather to prepare it for the dye. We “block dye” the leather using penetrating oil based dyes. To block dye, wrap a few layers of soft cloth around a block of wood. This method works the dye into the leather grain, but prevents the dye from seeping into the handmade impression… 
                
The dye high quality oil based leather dye. However, the color transition is not yet complete. Next, we must apply a thin coat of leather balm with wax. The leather balm helps to seal the leather grain, but leaves the handmade belt impression vulnerable to the antique leather stain that will be applied in the next step…

Next we apply antique leather belt stain. The stain is available in many colors. We use a wool dauber to apply the stain. After the stain is set, we use a damp sponge to wipe the excess off the surface of the leather belt. Finally, a dry, soft cloth is used to buff the belt and to ensure that the finish is spread evenly and lends to the handmade effect. For those of you who do not already know, the antique stain is messy. If you want to keep the back of the belt “clean”, keep a clean rag on hand an wipe up any excess stain immediately.

After applying the antique leather stain, we apply a second coat of leather balm and buff the finish to a brilliant shine. Next, the belt ends are burnished and dyed to match the edges. Then, the belt is punched so that the buckle can be attached and secured. Our handmade leather belts fold and snap where the buckle attaches. Next, we must skive (thin) the belt where the buckle attaches so that it is not bulky at the point where the leather is doubled over. We use a bench top skiver, but an inexpensive handtool is available to do the job.