Exhaustive belt search

[voxsartoria]

Just have your guy make the strap with a snap close forth buckle so that you can easily swap it out.


- B

 

[Butter]

I feel your pain.

The online belt collection is surprisingly thin for classic stuff.

 

[a tailor]

try the leather goods connection.

 

[a tailor]

try the leather goods connection.

 

[sfnapolifan]

Originally Posted by Chips

Hmmm. Any more info on this Suzanne George? All I can find is a yelp review, but it seems to be a glowing one.

April in Paris is an option that I will consider, if I exhaust every other possibility. I think there could be no finer example than what she makes, but $400 is a bit steep for a casual belt that will get worn maybe twice a month at the absolute most.

I'm tempted to do drop by her store tomorrow and see if she could craft something sans buckle, but with her level of quality, that might not be the market she caters to. But, I agree, if she did, it would likely be cheaper than $400.

I just got off the phone with a home town guy, up north who's made two belts for me in the past, out of very thick bridle leather. He is getting a hide in, in the next week or two that is a nice black pebble grain, so I might go that route. Especially since his costs are amazing. It's just harder buying completely sight unseen, especially when it comes to the buckle option. The downside, according to him, is that most pebble grained leather that is destined to become a belt needs to be laminated on top of another solid piece of leather. He is not fond of laminated belts, and prefers to use only full grain hides that are damn near 1/4 inch thick. At the price he's quoting me to make one up, I might have him make the first version using the unlaminated thinner stock, and if I don't like it ( he says it's a bit flimsy for what he considers a belt) then I'll just have him make it again, laminated.

He is dropping a few samples of the leather in the mail in the next week or so, when he gets it, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

who is your guy? how far up north? just belts, other small leather goods? shoes? thanks.

 

[Chips]

He doesn't have a website, but his business is called Iron Mountain LeatherWorks, in Chico, CA. He stocks a lot of hand made leather goods. I think he has some much nicer quality biker gear and outdoor goods, etc. It's a small shop, but it sounds like he can source a lot of raw materials, that he uses in his custom creations, which keeps me rather optimistic.

He mentioned that the hide he's expecting in, is for use in part, for a custom made briefcase he's making, so that sounds rather promising, as far as him knowing some of the finer details of leather working.

Good point on the buckle attachment Vox. I'll add that on to my request. My local cobbler here in the bay shortens all of my belts for me, for free half the time, because I've had him do so much other work for me.