TUTORIAL VIDEO:
1. WHICH LEATHER TO CHOOSE TO MAKE A BELT?
We advise you to select vegetable-tanned leather (i.e. leather without heavy metals: use of vegetable tannins) at least 3 mm thick. The ideal way to make a belt is to choose bovine leather. The parts of the leather to favor are the rump : it is the noblest part of the leather (and therefore the most expensive) or the collar which remains a very resistant part of the leather.
You can directly choose a leather strap (already cut) or take a whole skin and cut your own strips using a strap cutter.
ADVICE :
Depending on where the straps are stored but also the season (high heat for example), the leather can become very dry and therefore difficult to work with. We recommend feeding the crust side and the slices with neatsfoot oil before any work (to prevent the flower from cracking). Do not feed pull-up, oily or already nourished leather.
2. WHICH BELT BUCKLE TO CHOOSE?
The choice of buckle is individual: everything will depend on the desired aesthetic. Most often belts are made with a pin buckle or a prong buckle.
But many variations exist: double buckle, double pin buckle, western buckle, belt buckle...
HOW WIDTH IS MY BELT?
The width of your belt will depend on the width of the buckle selected (or vice versa). The average width of a belt is 35 mm (standard).
3. HOW TO CHOOSE THE LENGTH OF YOUR BELT?
SIZE GUIDE
In general, the commercial size of the belt is the distance from the buckle to the 3rd hole. Please note that you must be able to tighten your belt at the third hole without leaving tightening marks on the leather: this is the ideal size.
If you want to make your own belt: take one of your belts and measure the length from the end of the leather at the buckle to the hole you usually use OR measure your waist measurement directly. To this measurement add 15 cm for the end of the belt and approximately 10-12 cm for the chainstay. You now know the length of strap needed!
The table below is given for information purposes only (it is by no means an absolute truth) .
To know the total length of strap necessary we took 5 cm off the commercial size (average length of a belt buckle) and we added 26 cm to our measurement: 15 cm for the last 2 holes/end of the belt and approximately 11 cm for the chainstay.
| Trouser size EUR |
Trouser size US |
“Commercial” size of the belt (in cm) |
Lanyard total length (in cm) |
| 34 | 24 | 80 | 101 |
| 36 | 26 | 82 | 103 |
| 38 | 28 | 85 | 106 |
| 40 | 30 | 90 | 111 |
| 42 | 32 | 95 | 116 |
| 44 | 34 | 100 | 121 |
| 46 | 36 | 105 | 126 |
| 48 | 38 | 107 | 128 |
| 50 | 40 | 110 | 131 |
| 52 | 42 | 115 | 136 |
| 54 | 44 | 120 | 140 |
| www.decocuir.com |
For this tutorial, we made two size 40 belts for a total length of 111 cm. The black belt is 30mm wide and the London tan belt is 34mm wide.
Tip (if you have to create many belts): create belt length markers on your workshop to save time and precision.
4. HOW TO WORK THE END OF THE BELT?
After having defined the length of the strap, you must cut it and at the same time work the end of the belt using:
- a belt end cookie cutter
- a Plexiglas template and a cutting tool (be careful not to cut all at once but in quarters or you risk not having a nice cut - see video).
Several shapes are possible: round, pointed, saddle, trapezoid...
Here is a video on the so-called “quartering” cutting technique to cut a rounded edge cleanly. Here we use a straight paring knife.
5. HOW TO MAKE HOLES IN A LEATHER BELT?
A leather belt usually has 5 holes with an average spacing of 2.5 cm (center to center). The choice of hole diameter is made according to the width of the buckle barb (on average: 3.5/4 mm in diameter). The first hole is 10 cm from the edge.
You can use the Deco Cuir self-centering template to make your holes more quickly and precisely.
THE 5 BELT HOLES
6. WHAT SIZE ENCHAPURE FOR MY BELT BUCKLE?
The chapure is the oblong hole which allows the pin of the buckle to pass through.
Set the cutting width based on the size of the barb and the length based on the thickness of the leather (standard length: 25 mm).
The chapure is generally located about 8-10 cm from the edge . Please note if you have chosen a claw buckle, skip this step there is no need to make a chainring.
Tip: you can moisten the strap (crust side) at the folding area to prevent the leather from being damaged and also to flex the leather more easily.
BELT WITH SEAM:
Make the chapure directly on the leather strap.
BELT WITH CHICAGO SCREWS OR RIVETS (SEAMLESS):
From the leather strap: cut a strip of 12-13 cm and make the chapure. This piece of at least 10 cm will allow you to attach the belt buckle to your leather strap using Chicago screws or rivets. Its main advantage: it can be repositioned as desired if you wish to shorten the leather strap.
This part can be completely split/thickened to avoid significant excess thickness.
2 SOLUTIONS TO MAKE AN ENCHAPURE
1- Using a chain cookie cutter.
2- Make 2 holes using a round cookie cutter then join them with a cutter and a ruler.
7. LEATHER LAMP
Using a size 2 blank: chamfer the leather on the grain side and the crust side (on both sides of the leather). The edge shade makes the edges more rounded to reduce friction (comfort and aesthetics).
If you are a beginner or if your leather is thin, we advise you to make the decorative fillet (see step 9) before chamfering the leather: to be sure to have a straight fillet.
