Best untanned belts

Originally Posted by mikecch

Click to expand...

Totally mate...buying from these guys not only nets you a great product at a great price, but also invaluable knowledge through conversing with them.

Not that there's anything wrong with Sugar Cane belts, Pherrow's belts, or whatever......but I reckon anyone into the denim/natural leather hobby should give 'custom-made' a go at least once - it's not for everybody, and much more work on the buyers behalf, but at least for me the results are worth it

Some of the dudes who make belts for the various Japanese brands also run their own little operations and do house-brands for various denim shops - these are worth tracking down too

yeah, i bet they are. i will see what i can do

Today I received the answer to the question posed by this thread:

thats awesome man! how thick is the leather. that looks thicker then my samurai curve...

is the buckle brass? its hard to tell in the photo.

Originally Posted by whatever123

Click to expand...

thats awesome man! how thick is the leather. that looks thicker then my samurai curve... is the buckle brass? its hard to tell in the photo.
Can a belt ever be too thick? I have a 33" waist and I have a LGC belt (I think it is 9-11 oz if I recall correctly) and I find thickness kind of too much for my small waist. It just might be too much belt for me or am I wrong? Adding to this, I recall seeing a 17 oz belt here the other day, how the hell do people wear such belts? It would be so thick it would be like wearing a rectangular curved O ring made of leather.

Originally Posted by whatever123

Click to expand...

thats awesome man! how thick is the leather. that looks thicker then my samurai curve...

is the buckle brass? its hard to tell in the photo.

Leather varies from 6 to 6.4 mm - so 15 to 16 oz as measured via calliper.

Originally Posted by iroh

Click to expand...

Can a belt ever be too thick? I have a 33" waist and I have a LGC belt (I think it is 9-11 oz if I recall correctly) and I find thickness kind of too much for my small waist. It just might be too much belt for me or am I wrong? Adding to this, I recall seeing a 17 oz belt here the other day, how the hell do people wear such belts? It would be so thick it would be like wearing a rectangular curved O ring made of leather.

Mmm, all my belts are at least 12/13 oz, and most are 15 oz.
I think it's only a problem in the leather comes really stiff (then a small oiling does wonders)...but usually well process leathers (like the oak-bark from Bakers or naturals from Tochigi tannery) come very supple and well oiled, making them very flexible.

This may be a little off topic, but if I'm developing more interest in leather, which I assume will eventually lead to jackets, bags, shoes, etc... would belts be a logical starting point? It's seems like the smallest initial investment, if nothing else.

Also, I see that many are suggesting buying direct from the makers. Are the names listed (viz., terry dear, scott (unlucky)) forum members, or how would I get in contact with them.

here is unlucky's. [email protected] you will have to search sufu for terry dear's.

^ Oh nos, you ain't supposed to post it.

Now Scott will be flooded with empty-minded e-mails

Its cool. I already found the e-mail in a different thread. Thanks for the help anyway "whatever123".

totally. its not a deal at all.

Well, this is my current undyed cattlehide belt rotation, all private label craftsmen made. Top to bottom in first pic: Unlucky, faith x Ken (type II industrial), Kyoto Free-Mart for Atomic Wrap, Terry Dear's oak bark (worn 2 days), Terry Dear's oak bark (brand new, keeping in storage for later)

mike do you think you need more versatility? maybe more brown, burgundy, etc.

Originally Posted by pronxs

Click to expand...

mike do you think you need more versatility? maybe more brown, burgundy, etc.
Haha, yeah, I do have brown and black belts which I wear for work, and some silly brand name belts (Dunhill, Kenzo, etc) for more formal occasions. Just thought the natural ones would be more interesting.

i wanna get your unlucky sword belt. but i alr have 1 untanned belt which is more than enough actually.

Originally Posted by pronxs

Click to expand...

i wanna get your unlucky sword belt. but i alr have 1 untanned belt which is more than enough actually.
Are you gonna steal my design ?????? Just jokes man, here's the original sword belt from Kawatako (same Tochigi leather as my Free Mart belt, you've probably noticed that Japanese natural veg. tan has more variation in it's tone than it's UK or US counterparts, a little more similar to horse-hide) : I just accentuated the curves and added the rivet to break the monotony. I find that when natural belts achieve a light tan, the colour is very versatile and go with pretty much any indigo denim (which is all I wear when not at work) - so I have very little use for brick or burgundy belts. The concept of the natural belt evolving fits in with the denim's story too, so it's more cohesive for me.