I have secured a slab of 12-14oz veg tan leather as per the discussion on the last page, and for those of you who are interested or showed interested on the last page of this thread, I'm happy to make you a rustic belt for a reasonable cost (essentially, I'm just hoping to recoop the materials cost and associated shipping cost).
Full disclosure, I've had a bit of background conversations with Steve, and I want to make it clear that I am in no way trying to compete with or undercut him in any way. This is a fun, crafty, project for me and a bit of a creative outlet for someone who by-and-large works at a desk all day. If you are looking for a more polished (and likely better) product, I urge you to get a belt from Steve at this link:
Custom Belt at a Bro Price . Alternatively, you could get one from me AND one of a different color from Steve.
At any rate, here's what I'm offering:
1) a custom length belt made of 12-14 oz. full-grain, veg tanned tooling leather in either natural, hand-rubbed brown, or vinegroon black.
2) belt keeper and Chicago screws
3) NO buckle. Decent buckles are available at places like amazon for $5+ dollars, and this way you can get the look/style/metal type you like instead of a generic, standard buckle. If you happen to want one of my hand-made copper buckles, we can talk, but there's a lot of labor involved.
4) 1.5" wide with 5 holes, with the middle hole targeted as the go-to hole.
5) Edges are raw and unburnished (they will be a bit fuzzy/suedey), and the reverse side will be un-sanded (it has a coarse suede feeling).
Colors: (for examples of these, see
Natural: Finished only with oil/conditioner with the top edge burnished (this gives the edge a slightly darker border).
Brown: Hand-rubbed mahogany brown applied in several layers--this gives the belt a unique, worn look. Moreover, as time passes, because the dye is not deep-penetrating leather dye, it will wear off in high friction areas, revealing the naturally patinated leather underneath. Only the surface is dyed--the edges are left natural and will darken over time.
Vinegroon Black: Dyed with "vinegroon" which is an iron oxide solution made from iron dissolved in white vinegar. The vinegroon reacts with the tannins inside the leather (from oak bark) to turn black. The since it is a chemical reaction inside the leather (and not technically a dye), it is a permanent coloring that will start to take on a slight, dark brown cast over time. It's a really interesting process that should give the belt a unique character over time. The Barrett Alley Citizen's Arrest belt is dyed the same way, if you have seen one of those. Like the brown belt, the edges will be left natural. Warning: although I will do a baking soda wash to stop the reaction and eliminate some of the vinegar odor, it will still smell of vinegar for a week or two, but it does go away.
Measuring: measure your favorite belt in inches from the most used hole to the termination of the leather at the fold (see diagram below).
Price: $26 CONUS, shipped ($20 for supplies, $6 actual USPS 2-day flat-rate mailer) as PayPal gift. If anyone overseas wants one, it will be $20US plus actual shipping.
Other stuff: I'm not doing any stitching or any colors other than these three at this point.
Warning: I'm in Vegas next week, so realistically, I won't be able to start working on these for a week or two, so expect delivery in 2-4 weeks.
If you are interested, PM or post here. Let me know if you have questions or if I have left something out.
