Tooled Belts

I've spent the last few days working on Tooled belts.

The tooled impressions are much deeper and cleaner if you have an unyielding surface under the leather -- I have this piece of granite that I call Big Block. It works exceptionally well for what I do, but you wouldn't want to drop it on your toes!

Water is used to moisturize, or case, the leather so it will take an impression. Then I choose stamps from the racks you see behind Big Block and start pounding with my 12oz rawhide mallet.

The stamps can be arranged into an almost infinite variety of patterns. Geometric and floral designs are a mainstay in my inventory.

Lots of pounding -- most of my tooled belts are impacted hundreds of times before they're done. I like the flow of a complex design!
Some are a bit more understated, like this flower chain I'm building.

When I'm working on a pattern I can see (in my mind's eye) what it will look like once it's dyed and that often affects the progression of the design.







Two more steps add to the "finished" look of the belt before I let it dry -- a beveling tool is used to take the corner off the edge and then the entire edge is compressed by rubbing it briskly with a hard plastic disk called a slicker.












Last but not least, of course, is color! I use a top-quality professional Oil Dye for the black and brown, usually 2 coats. For the bright color I get great results using ceramic-grade acrylic paint. Some highlighter to enhance the designs, my own secret 3-layer finish and a quick buff with my trusty shoe brush, then holes, snaps and buckles and I now have a pile of belts!

No doubt about it -- there's something very satisfying in any creative endeavor!

Before the Belts...

Even after all these years, I love when my leather shipments arrive.
The smell of fresh leather is overpowering to some; to me it's the aroma of possibilities.
I order my belt leather by the side, which is basically half of a hide. There are other cuts available, but for ease of handling and direction of grain, sides are my preference. Rolled out, this one measures over 7 feet in length, obviously more than I'll need for belts. The first thing I do is determine how much excess length there is and cut it away -- the end piece will go into other projects.

Then I line up and cut a straight edge with simple tools -- a metal straight-edge and a sharp utility knife.

The next tool is a basic manual strap cutter. Today I'm cutting wide belts, so i have it set to 1 1/2" for some of the straps, 1 3/4 for others. A quick pull down my straight edge and a belt strap falls away. Then another and another until there's a pile of straps and no side!

I cut them to length, trim the tips and I'm ready to go!


There are few things more exciting to me than a pile of ready straps waiting to become belts; the equivelent of an artist's blank canvas, I'm sure!


I'll take pictures of some as I go, so be sure to check back in a few days to see what becomes of this former side of cowhide.


Hope your day is as fulfilling as I know mine is going to be!

Polehenge

In the heart of Michigan, alone in a field, stand the mysterious remains of an ancient structure known to many as Polehenge. Though its origins and purpose are lost to time, one can easily imagine this rectangular arrangement of trimmed timbers as the focal point in important ceremonies , perhaps even sacrificial rituals...

Okay... lol... tongue out of cheek. I've driven past this once-started, never-finished structure hundreds of times over the years while driving along Hwy 127, and I've always laughingly referred to it as Polehenge. I was surprised and very amused to find out recently that I'm not the only one who calls it that. In fact, mention "polehenge" to almost anyone who regularly drives that stretch and chances are good they'll know exactly what you're talking about!