Two things you always hear-they don’t make them like they used to, and they don’t make it here. It is still possible to find a great American made leather belt if you know what to look for.
The start of every day begins with putting on your pants, you carry stuff-your knife, phone, wallet, keys-you use a belt to keep gravity from taking over. Imagine that belt is handmade right here in the USA, looks great and has a deep long-lasting finish. Imagine that the same guy who makes it gives you a free downloadable leather care guide that takes the mystery out of caring for all your outdoor leather goods.
Buy an American made leather belt and the first thing you will be doing every day when you buckle up is connecting with an idea and tradition from our past when items were carefully made one at a time by skilled workers right here in our country. Years ago I started with a vision that has now come to fruition. I make a sturdy full grain leather belt crafted out of a single piece of leather. I use 100 percent American made leather, buckles and hardware.
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100 PERCENT AMERICAN MADE AND SOURCED LEATHER BELT-BLACK WITH BRIGHT NICKLE BUCKLE
WHY BUY AN AMERICAN MADE LEATHER BELT
Like you I want to buy and support the idea and concept of Made in America. I have spent most of my life in what many consider the flyover country, traveling by car, working in many small towns and cities. They all have abandoned factories and shops, each one of those represents lives changed with communities disrupted and damaged by lack of opportunity.
Buying American gives workers that option and each manufacture based in the USA supports a vast network of other businesses, communities, and individuals.
AMERICAN MADE LEATHER BELTS SUPPORT AMERICAN JOBS
HOW BELTS ARE MADE AND WHY THEY DON’T LAST
The belt you have right now is probably not an American made leather belt. I might not even be made of real leather. These cheap belts fall apart quicker than a Hollywood marriage. Belts used to be made primarily out of leather which was our wonder material in an age before plastic everything. Now plastics (pleather) or bonded leather (leather particle board) and lower grade leathers rule the stage.
These materials look wonderful at first, smooth, blemish free and not a problem in the world. Soon problems appear, cracks, wrinkles, and the unpleasant reality that it is not repairable. (Again, sort of like a Hollywood marriage).
None of these are meant to hold up to hard use. These materials-even cheap “real” leather will fail due to the construction and composition. Typically, more than one layer is used so you not only have two layers that can fail but stitching and often a fibrous core that is sandwiched between two thin outer layers. That same construction method with quality materials makes nice dress and gun belts but on discount belts will fail every time.
REAL AMERICAN MADE LEATHER BELTS REQUIRE REAL AMERICAN MADE LEATHER
While all leather belts will eventually fail from hard use the service life is greatly extended when using a high grade of leather. That sounds basic (its foundational actually) but to have a great American made leather belt you have to have great leather with no weird tricks or substitutions. Finding the right vegetable tanned full grain made in the USA leather that was thick enough and strong enough to hold up was a game changer.
Vegetable tan leather? Your thinking of the carrots and peas your mom used to make you eat, how does that relate to leather? In this case it means organic materials, primarily lime to remove the hair and tree bark to tan the hide. The hides are made into useful leather mainly with tannins that are found in tree bark which convert an unfinished hide into a firm sweet-smelling leather that lends itself to molding, stamping, shaping, and finishing. Those are all the qualities we want in our material and they are the key to making a quality American made leather belt. This tanning process can take a month or more and back in the frontier days even longer.
VEGTABLE TAN FULL GRAIN LEATHER READY TO PROCESS INTO BELTS
LEATHER THICKNESS AND WIDTH
Carrying a phone, knife, wallet all day adds up and you need a sturdy belt to hold all that and your pants up. I have found that a single ply belt of 10-12 oz thickness (about 3/16” on an inch) works best and will not stretch or crack as easily as a thinner belt. This type of American made leather belt can serve as an all-around everyday belt for those who do physical work indoors and outdoors. Or if you work in an office setting but want to be the coolest person in the room. It can also serve as an American made leather bush craft belt by supporting a knife and a few belt mounted accessories in the field or on the trail.
EDGE DETAIL MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
If you want a great American made leather belt you have to have great belt edges-these are the key to getting something that stands out from the discount store belt crowd. Here is another area where some makers leave you flat or in many cases fuzzy. Once you cut leather you expose the fibers which on a cheap soft leather turns fuzzy if not treated and finished properly. On firm leather this can be sharp and abrasive which can be uncomfortable to the user. Not burnishing the edges lends toward an unfinished look and allows dirt, grime, sweat and mildew the chance to penetrate the leather fibers and damage your belt.
Some makers will slightly bevel the edges and leave it at that, others will paint the edges with a specialized edge paint. Edge paint will do the job and it is a quick and inexpensive way to accomplish this but can look cheap and basic, not a look you want when trying to achieve a custom made in the USA leather belt.
COLOR
The dyeing or the color of the belt is another area many large scale or even other American made leather belt makers can cut corners in the name of efficiency. Purchasing drum dyed pre-finished leather right from the factory or dipping or spraying the whole belt in dye saturates and evenly colors both the front and back of the belt. This is a quick way to do things and looks great but there can be a few problems with those methods. I have found that some (not all) drum dyed leather tends to be a little softer and remember that could cause stretching issues.
If you sweat or get caught in a downpour some of that dye could transfer into your clothing, now most people don’t wear white Levi’s anymore (I am old enough to remember that) but it can still cause issues at laundry time with lighter colored clothes. Not a huge issue but one I prefer to avoid. This is an area that confounds OCD folks, the back of an individually dyed belt is unfinished, this keeps the leather breathable, less likely to slide around on your waist (has a natural grippy texture to it) and prevents transferring dye onto your clothes.
TOPCOAT
A great American made leather belt requires well burnished edges, a hand rubbed color application and a good topcoat of nothing other than an American Made leather conditioner to replace oils/moisture lost in the finishing process and protect from all the world will throw at it. This is necessary to keep the leather from drying/cracking and repel moisture and dirt. Later with use you can refer to my cleaning and care guide to know when and what to use.
FIT
Trust me, I have never found a customer’s pants and waist size to be the same ( or mine for that matter) and depending on the brand of britches you wear the measurement will be way off. The bottom line is your pants size is not your real waist size-ever-its ok-I was a little hurt when I found out but have learned to live with it. To enjoy a true custom American made leather belt you have to custom measure. See my easy to follow fit guide in the order section.
THE HARDWARE-AMERICAN MADE BUCKLE-CHICAGO SCREWS AND KEEPER
Many makers claim victory with just American labor or leather. To have a true American made leather belt I wanted everything to be made right here. There are very few buckle makers left in the United States and I wanted to make sure they were supported. The buckle and removable Chicago screws are crucial in getting the right look and to give you the option of switching out buckles faster than Hollywood couples switch out partners. Most cheap belts don’t give you that choice and stich or rivet the buckle in place-no way to ever change it. Being able to swap buckles is a cool option that gives your greater style flexibility. Even the keeper (keeps the end of your belt from flopping in the breeze) is made right here in metal or leather. There is also a minute staple that holds the leather keeper together and of course it is made here as well.
ALL THE COMPONENTS OF A 100 % AMERICAN MADE BELT ARE MADE RIGHT HERE, THE BUCKLE, THE REMOVABLE CHICAGO SCREWS THAT FASTEN IT AND THE SMALL BRASS STAPLE THE HOLDS THE BELT LOOP TOGETHER
BUY AMERICAN
It is possible, the leather, hardware, finish, and craftsmanship all sourced right here, a 100% American made leather belt. Seeking out American made goods and services is more important than ever. Handmade leather goods are a great connection to the past and need to be part of our present journey. The feeling of satisfaction you get from purchasing and utilizing these items is immeasurable, its why I started my shop, to share that feeling. Check out my belts today at Boone’s Lick Road Leather Company.
AMERICAN MADE LEATHER BELT BROWN WITH BLACK EDGES AND BUCKLE