Expert: Shasta McLaughlin - 8/4/2008

Question
I live in the Atlanta area and I am interested in making and designing my own belts and buckles or someone who does it if you supply your own design, where do I start? Or are there websites to go to?

Answer
Honestly I've never made my own belts but I've had belts made from everything from leather to metal rings.  You could probably use beads if you strung them on the proper materials so that they would be sturdy enough to stand up to the wear and tear that they would encounter.

I did a search for belt making and sorted out a few sites I hoped would help they are below:

http://mysite.verizon.net/oldschoolleather/makeleatherbelt.htm -this one is great for instructions, supplies, and links to tools etc. for leather belts.

http://www.sbearstradingpost.com/Belts.html#link-belt -This site has many leather belt making supplies.

http://www.ehow.com/how_15431_make-leather-belt.html -Leather belt making instructions

http://www.ehow.com/how_15439_make-braided-leather.html -How to make a leather braided belt

http://www.nrhunt.com/making_belt_1.php -This site is more about how this gentleman makes his belts than about how to make them yourself but contains some good information and pictures of how he does it.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Arts-Crafts-Business-2598/want-own-belt-buckles.htm -This is another AllExpertsAnswers question regarding belts from 2006

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/58572_belt-buckle-design-tips.htm -contains video of custom belt buckle making instructions

http://www.zelikovitz.com/index.php?cPath=19_85 -Supplies for both leather belts and buckles

http://www.zelikovitz.com/index.php -lots of supplies

I answered another question about belts not to long ago so I've copied and pasted that answer below.

I did a search on belt parts and came up with this website:
http://www.hhhenterprises.com/index.php?cPath=31

Belt Buckle bases turned up this site:
http://www.custombeltbuckles.ca/Products/Cbb_Team_Beltbuckles_blank.htm

This place in Italy has many different types although I wasn't sure if there were any that would work for you:
http://www.anteosrl.com/v1/catalogo-en.php?page=48

This one in Taiwan has many interesting possibilities:
http://www.buckles.com.tw/dap1.html

These sites in Hong Kong has some possibilities:
http://www.superbmetal.com/index.htm
http://www.ttbutton.com/web/p.aspx?categoryname=Metal+Buckles

This site had many finished belt buckles but I thought they had some interesting although expensive buckles that might work:
http://www.robdiamond.net/category/westernflavabuckles/

So I have a question for you was there a particular material you were thinking of using it might to help narrow the search for what you're looking for?

Good luck in your belt making adventure,

Shasta McLaughlin
The Extravaganza Craft Productions