The Making of a Belt, pg.2

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Making a Belt, pg. 1 | Making a Belt, pg. 3

Staining

The staining process is the fun part. Neil uses stain, not paint. Paint does not absorb into the leather, it stays on the surface. Stain, however, absorbs into the leather, and becomes part of it. Except for the black stain, all the beautiful and almost endless variations in shades of tan, red, mahogany, chocolate, gold, and so on, depend on timing, stain combinations and viscosity, and leather porosity. Neil likens the process of staining leather to that of bringing out the beauty and grain of beautiful woodwork. The straps are placed on the bench on top of a pane of glass, and the stain is applied with a sponge. Depending on how long the leather is allowed to soak up the stain, the shade will be lighter or darker. Timing is crucial. Even air humidity plays a part in this process. In dry weather the stains dry out quicker, so one tends to add more stain, and the colors get darker.

After the right amount of time has passed, excess stain is wiped off with a clean rag. Some colors are achieved by adding a second stain, and now the timing of both becomes crucial for the right color combination. The second stain is often watered down, and thereby will absorb quicker into some parts of the leather. Wrinkles are more porous than other parts of the leather. This is how the beautiful grain, and marbling is achieved. The edges are stained separately in order to make them slightly darker, using a small brush to apply just the right amount of stain.

It is an art as well as a science, and no two straps will be identical, partly due to the fact that leather is a natural product and each strap has unique characteristics.

Burnishing

While the stain is still partially wet, all four edges of the strap are burnished. This is done with an old piano hammer. The edge of the felt hammer is rubbed firmly and quickly back and forth along the edge of the strap, literally heating it up and "burning" it, as the the word "burnish" might suggest. Timing is critical here, as well. If the leather is over-burnished, it dries out and cracks. Surfaces that will be attached flat against another piece of leather, do not get their edges burnished. After edge burnishing, the strap is put on its side, and a small piece of leather is folded over the edge and rubbed back and forth. This burnishes and rounds it further. The face of the strap gets burnished with a large, heavy piece of felt. This can really be a work-out.

Character

The character in this strap is emerging as the leather dries. This stain is light chocolate, which is one of the best for bringing out the grain. In this example, the "wrinkle" between the shoulders, can be easily seen. This will become the center back of the belt.

Sealing

At this point the whole strap, both edges, as well as the front and back, is sealed, in order to prevent the stain from bleeding. The edges and the flat surfaces get two different types of acrylic sealer with different viscosities. The sealer used for the edges is thicker and thereby stronger than the one used for the face. The face-sealer is thinner, so it absorbs more into the strap. From these pictures, it might appear that Neil is hardly touching the strap with the brush. However, from years of experimenting, he has arrived at just the right touch to get a very thin, but even layer of sealer on the surface. Too thin, and it doesn't seal, - too thick, and it gets milky.

Polishing

After the surfaces are sealed, the face, amazingly, gets scuffed with an abrasive pad. This creates a better bond between the polish and the strap. Neil uses a high quality boot polish, made with carnuba wax. The polish is applied with a rag, and simply wiped off with a clean rag. It is then polished with a new, clean rag. Timing is again critical. If the polish is allowed to dry too much, it will leave a pattern from the application on the leather. Ideally, the polish dries as it is removed. Each strap gets 2 to 3 coats of polish.

Making a Belt, pg. 1 | Making a Belt, pg. 3

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