Leather Belts: A Long Process to Create a Beautiful and Durable Finished Product

Due to its durability and versatility, Leather has been a common material for centuries for clothing and accessories. It was appreciated by early people because it was a way to use all aspects of their game that would last for several years. It is not less common today – the look and feel of real leather just doesn’t substitute.

Leather making process:

The hide of many animals, including deer and the kangaroo can produce leather, but the most common is cowhide. If the grain of the hide is present in the finished product, hides can be selected for their own characteristic, but many leathers can be processed to eliminate any defects in the hide.
Before it can be tanned, the hide must take a range of preparatory steps. These measures may include preservation, soaking, boiling, unhairing, fleshing, separating, rehabilitation, deliming, bating. These processes strip the hide and prepare it for the tanning chemicals of any unnecessary materials and defects.

Then the actual process of tanning will start. Many different processes of taning, including tanning of vegetables (one of the oldest kinds, which makes a dark brown product), tanned chrome (also known as wet blue), tanned aldehyde (sometimes referred to as wet white, for safety purposes, this form is phased out), and brain tanned tanned (another old form of tanning using animal brains).

Vegetable tanning in leather carving or stamping is common among hobbyists as it is the only leather type for use. The vegetable tanned leather is not durable in the water; it will begin to discolour, then it will shrink and become less flexible and harder if left to soak and then dry. It drastically and partially shrinks in hot water, becomes rigid and ultimately smashy. Boiled leather is an example, in which the leather is cured by immersion in hot water. After hardening, it has historically been employed as an armour and even used for book binding.

Making a belt:

The finished leather is now ready for completion. We want to make our tanned hide a belt, let’s say. The hide is arranged and weighed carefully. The hide will cut and remove a precisely calculated strip.
Some items can be done to decorate simple leather. Shapes and patterns can be sculpted or stamped into leather, producing complex designs or even letters. Like lace, leather can also be cut to make designs. Various layers of leather may be stacked to appear in the upper layers via the gaps. Sticking or beading is common, with threads and beads in leather.

If the craftsman has achieved the desired leather designs and accessories, the edges are tightly sewn and hardware attachment is carried out. Depending on the particular belt form, various types of hardware may be used.
The method ranges from the hide of animals to the finished product, with a great number of steps and considerable expertise. The price of good leather reflects this tough phase, but it’s worth paying – your new leather strap will last for several years.