What belt to wear with a leather jacket?

[frussell]

Edward - Does your neck of the woods have anything like Tandy Leather? When I first started doing leatherwork I used to order pre-cut belt blanks from them that even had the buckle slots cut on the buckle end, and you could get the snaps pre-installed. It's a good way to start. I was doing hand tooling, but it's very easy to buy an edge-beveling tool, dye and slicker materials to finish the edges, and just make plain belts of very high quality, with little expense. My main issue with lots of the "custom" belts I've handled is the shoddy finish on the edges. I put lots of elbow grease into making mine as smooth as glass, so the dyed edges didn't lose color through wear as quickly as some. You should be able to buy the tools, dye and leather for about $30-$45 USD. Once I got used to the work, I bought hides, and cut my own belt blanks out. I recommend giving it a go, it's enjoyable, and quite easy to learn. Mine were all single-ply, without backing layers, and several have survived 10 or more years of abuse just fine, without all the extra bulk. Frank.

 

[nabottle]

Saddleback Leather Tow Belt. I have one in Carbon Black and Dark Coffee Brown. Unless I'm wearing a suit, these are always my Go To belts. I think they'll last forever. I own several items from Saddleback Leather and I swear by them 100%.http://www.saddlebackleather.com/Shop/Belts

 

[Insurrection/ThurstonBros]

These are always a favorite...period correct and very tough!

A tad more reserved...

More bling and some very cool angles...

 

[Sloan1874]

Carlos Santana maybe on the phone from 1971 any day now...

 

[Insurrection/ThurstonBros]

Carlos Santana maybe on the phone from 1971 any day now...

These are 1920s / 1930s western belt replicas complete with NOS jewels...

 

[Sloan1874]

I've no doubt they are - the late 60s/early 70s saw a revival of that period, no? And that's not to say they look lovely, which they do. Just my little joke

 

[Mr Badger]

I tend to match my belt to the jacket, along with the shoes/boots and whatever hat I'm wearing... having purchased a number of vintage American belts to embellish for my own little project, Bam-Balam Belts & Sundries, I'd have to say that's the way to go, in terms of quality, affordablility and variety – heck, if they've survived a few decades with little or no visible wear, they've gotta be good for another few!

I do love the jeweled and studded belts shown (from Japan's Ace Belts?), it's what I do with Bam-Balam, but find that some of the designs are a little garish, especially to wear everyday or with a suit... with my own designs, I steer away from the use of many different coloured jewels and the leather panel work, going with a more simple design that's easier to co-ordinate with other colours.

I also only decorate each belt so that the studs & jewels finish at each side of the body. That way, you can easily wear my belts with a suit, as the 'bling' doesn't show at the front, and you won't accidentally damage the studs & jewels getting stuff outta your front pockets or scratch the back of yer guitar...

However, I do really wish that I could afford to cast my own buckles, like the Ace Belts folks do – that Navajo pattern buckle shown is a real doozy! :eusa_clap

 

[bretron]

I need a black tooled belt badly!!

 

[Insurrection/ThurstonBros]

Great belts!

 

[Edward]

Edward - Does your neck of the woods have anything like Tandy Leather? When I first started doing leatherwork I used to order pre-cut belt blanks from them that even had the buckle slots cut on the buckle end, and you could get the snaps pre-installed. It's a good way to start. I was doing hand tooling, but it's very easy to buy an edge-beveling tool, dye and slicker materials to finish the edges, and just make plain belts of very high quality, with little expense. My main issue with lots of the "custom" belts I've handled is the shoddy finish on the edges. I put lots of elbow grease into making mine as smooth as glass, so the dyed edges didn't lose color through wear as quickly as some. You should be able to buy the tools, dye and leather for about $30-$45 USD. Once I got used to the work, I bought hides, and cut my own belt blanks out. I recommend giving it a go, it's enjoyable, and quite easy to learn. Mine were all single-ply, without backing layers, and several have survived 10 or more years of abuse just fine, without all the extra bulk. Frank.

I'm looking into a supplier here who can supply the leather part-done. Really, for me it's more about keeping the cost down by self-assembly than getting into leathercraft (for now, at least.... I don't really have the workspace for it). If I can save a fiver each on a dozen belts....

I was actually toying with the idea of getting one of the Tandy wallet kits and sewing one up for my dad... partly to get a quality leather wallet at a more affordable price, but also it seemed a better gift somehow for the personal effort put in. Any experience of the quality of those kits?

I've no doubt they are - the late 60s/early 70s saw a revival of that period, no? And that's not to say they look lovely, which they do. Just my little joke

I think they're a later thing (as in 60s/70s) more so over here; my impression was that the Western Wear thing wasn't big here at all until the C&W thing got bigger then, but I may well be wrong. [huh]

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

My current faves: Belts by Rancourt and Company

 

[Mr Badger]

Great belts!

Thanks chief! I'm never going to be as talented as Matt from Warpath or the Ace Belts crew, but keeping it affordable for folks in the UK (the belts are £60, wallets £45 and wristbands £20-£35, depending on the width) and earning some beer money are as good a reason to do it as any!

I'm taking great pleasure in doing it 'right'!

 

[theundeadkennedy]

Scott is the man, and practically giving his stuff away compared to other guys

Here's my belt when I first got it: double horse, "Clint stitch"

Nice! I love the "Gunfighter" stitch on Clint's holster set. This is my next belt

 

[bretron]

Sometimes all I can see are jeasus fish

 

[theundeadkennedy]

Now that's all I see! lol

 

[gtdean48]

About 3/4 the way down this page = http://www.culturedcowboy.com/belts/pages/nocona/pages/noconamensvintage.htm
are belts like I wore in early 70's. Black #N24540-01 & Distressed Brown #N24540-44 for about $14

 

[gtdean48]

For under $50, this isn't a bad belt at all if you like the style...regardless of the TV show tie-in...
http://www.knudsenhats.com/Hatdept/justified.html

 

[winterland1]

I purchased a few belts from this place. Renaissance Leather. They come to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival every year.Nice quality for reasonable price.
http://renleather.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=122
This is my buckle and it is on a black plain belt.