leather straps/belt

[TD3269]

I am converting the upper straps and utility belt to leather.

Does anyone know which is the best route.

liquid dye you apply with a dobber?

Spray dye?

Spray paint?

Thanks everyone!

[slave1pilot]

I bought a leather belt from Mike Blaylock (sorry mike, can't remember your number)

Contact him about white leather, maybe he can help

[Theo]

You'll never get a good white colored leather with a dye (the best you'll get is a dingy grey), but you can get good results with leather paints.

For anything you need black, you'll get good results with a dye, but you'll probably need two or three applications.

Either way, you'll want to seal the leather afterwards so it doesn't bleed dye, and the paint doesn't rub off. The most-recommended sealer I've run into is actually a liquid floor wax product (believe it or not). I think it's called 'Future Floor Wax', but I'm not positive. I'll double-check the name when I get home.

Apart from the color aspect of using leather, you'll want to be sure you burnish the edges of any leather strapping, or it'll cause excess wear on anything it rubs against. That may not be an issue with the plastic, but if nothing else, it gives it a more finished look. Stick with vegitable tanned leather, and you can burnish the edges with a slicker (looks like a plastic pulley wheel), and ordinary tap water. Just dampen the edge, and run the slicker along the leather (inside the groove) with a rapid back-and-forth motion, and as the water and leather heat up from friction, the chemicals inside the leather will soften, and take the rounded shape of the slicker. If you used other types of leather, you'll need to add wax or some other extra to the equation. (Can you tell I only use veggi-tanned stuff?)

For belts or straps which need to support any real weight go with at least 6-8 ounce leather.

Tandy leather is a decent source for supplies, though I've stopped tracking their prices since they closed their physical stores a couple years back, but you'll at least be able to find what you need there, even if you don't end up buying from them.

If you can't find strapping pre-cut to the width you need (check under belts/buckles), a strap cutter is well worth the investment. You don't need punches for the holes, a simple drill works just as well, but if you want to use punches, get a mallet and hand-held punches, rather than the plier-style ones. For structural strapping, 1" straps are nice and sturdy, without being too bulky. (I use that width to strap together my armor for SCA combat, so I can tell you from experience it'll hold.)

For fastening, simple rapid rivets should be fine, but if you want to be able to disassemble, screw posts or snaps may be a better choice (though you might have to paint).

[Captain4434]

good luck, wouldn't worry about a "good" white. you're dirty any ways. I used 3" elastic strapping from a fabric store for the back of my trooper belt., nice snug fit too.

[TD3269]

Thanks Theo!

Did you have to order that slicker thru Tandy or were you able to get it some where locally? I have the wide elastic belt now and when I put

my ammo pouches on it and I use 7.2 v stick cells from my R/C cars

to power my voice amp and fans and the weight makes the elastic belt

totally sag. I am going to go and get some spray this weekend and give it a whirl!

Thanks for all the tips guys!

[Theo]

I'm sure there's other sources on-line, but I generally get any leather-working stuff I use from vendors at SCA events I go to, so I don't know what off hand. The reason I know about Tandy is that they used to have a shop local to me.

As for local shops, you might try looking in the phone book under 'Leather'. Another idea, would be to look up your local SCA or similar re-enactment group, and put out a feeler for someone willing to let you drop by and borrow some time with their tools.

[jpbasso]

I know the Michaels Stores here in Chicago have small, Tandy Leather sections, but I'm not sure if they have what you're looking for.

[Theo]

Just an update like I promised. I forgot to post, but I checked when I got home Friday, and it is indeed 'Future' brand floor polish. It can be found cheaply at most grocery stores where I am, and unless you need to polish your floors, one bottle will handle pretty much every leather working project you'll ever do.

[TD3269]

Thanks again Theo for all your efforts!