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Hand-cut (from the upper-back of hide/side), carved and stamped custom gun belt project in the early stages. American-tanned premium Hermann Oak vegetable tanned skirting leather -- the good stuff. Actually, the best available anywhere in the world. The pattern is a classic freehand cross-cut with cam border. This is raw...none of the beautifying cosmetic touches have been done, the liner is not attached, no dye applied, and of course, no stitching. |
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Different angle, a little closer view of the stamping. |
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Right after the dye "bath." It's still ugly--many steps left to go. |
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This is the "buckle end." It will be skived/split (thinned) and ultimately wet-folded to accommodate the buckle and Chicago screws. |
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The next step is to bond the liner to the belt surface. The liner is also premium Hermann Oak skirting. The liner is left natural and not dyed. Stitching is next. |
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Stitching the belt and liner. Big stitcher, big needle, and big thread. The machine is the Artisan Toro 4000-P, and the thread (cord) is #346 at the top, and #277 on the bottom. This project uses white nylon cord for a contrasting look with the black dye. The gun belt thickness averages about 1/4 inch. |
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Another stitching view. The most difficult part--for me, anyway--is maintaining a straight stitch line. On a typical belt, you'll have anywhere from 70 to 90 or more linear inches of stitching. Anywhere from six to eight FEET of sewing distance. You don't want to get in a hurry, and it will cross your eyes. |
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Trimming the liner. The liner will always be oversize, all the way around. Mine generally have at least a 1/4-inch overlap on both sides, and an inch or so at each end. I also prefer to stitch first, and then trim the excess liner. |
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This is the raw edge right after trimming the liner. Note the contrasting stitching, and also the contrast between the black, tooled belt outer surface, and the natural liner. |
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Next...Rick's Belt Page Two |
