So I had a wedding reception to play last weekend, and had to tuck in my shirt AND wear a belt. I've been trying to find a belt-rash free belt and a stroke of genius or something hit me the morning of the gig.
Note to mods: I'm placing this here in the Luthier forum, simply because the only other one that came up on this subject when I searched is here- AND it is an idea intended to protect the finish of my instruments.
In a nutshell, it occurred to me that I could add a tab of something to an existing belt which would cover the buckle pin. I scrounged around and found a shoulder strap off a cheap duffel bag from which I could harvest a scrap of nylon webbing. A hole punched in the tab sewn over the vertical part of the buckle could rotate into place over the pin.
Here's all the pieces of the puzzle (all but the seam ripper I used to un-stitch the clip from the end of the strap)- and yes, that's 550 cord taped to the lighter with 100mph tape (Army habbits die hard):
Next, we have the tab prepped. As you can see, I cut maybe two inches off the strap, and decided to keep the folded over end that was wrapped around the nylon clip, and duplicate that on the other end.
I also rounded the ends a bit so there wouldn't be any sharp or rough corners. The ends will be folded over and stitched so they're hidden. I heated them with the lighter to melt nylon a bit to prevent fraying.
Next, we have the detail shot of the hole, which I punched with the leather punch. I heated the hole a bit to prevent fraying.
To locate that hole, I just wrapped the whole thing in place on the belt buckle and guesstimated where the pin would line up.
The next pic shows everything pinned in place, the stitching begins and thankfully not the sticking. I generally suck at sewing, and it usually involves at least a little blood- usually from my finger tips. Being the morning of a gig, I was very careful to ensure the pins weren't sticking out at all, and used a thimble. It's still a wonder I didn't stab myself anywhere really unfortunate - like under a fingernail...
All done, ready to give it a try:
Rotating the tab into place:
...
...
And the final result- works as intended.
The whole thing took me maybe 20-30 minutes. Super simple. First time goes are always good.
I used it on the gig Saturday night and have used it a couple of times since. Not a hint of scuffing on any instrument. I was wearing a black dress shirt and slacks, and this just totally disappeared into all that none more blackness. It actually looks like it is meant to be there.
In retrospect, a tab of black leather would look even a little better and might be even a little gentler on the instrument finish, but this is honestly even more subtle than I imagined it would be. Besides, I have no business trying to stitch leather even if I have a leather stitching awl (It seems to have a hard time discerning between my skin and the leather, and quite frankly scares me). I'm still a little surprised just how easy it was, how simple it is and how well it works. Best part is, if I can do it, just about anyone could. Just mind your fingers while sewing and melting nylon!
Note to mods: I'm placing this here in the Luthier forum, simply because the only other one that came up on this subject when I searched is here- AND it is an idea intended to protect the finish of my instruments.
In a nutshell, it occurred to me that I could add a tab of something to an existing belt which would cover the buckle pin. I scrounged around and found a shoulder strap off a cheap duffel bag from which I could harvest a scrap of nylon webbing. A hole punched in the tab sewn over the vertical part of the buckle could rotate into place over the pin.
Here's all the pieces of the puzzle (all but the seam ripper I used to un-stitch the clip from the end of the strap)- and yes, that's 550 cord taped to the lighter with 100mph tape (Army habbits die hard):
Next, we have the tab prepped. As you can see, I cut maybe two inches off the strap, and decided to keep the folded over end that was wrapped around the nylon clip, and duplicate that on the other end.
I also rounded the ends a bit so there wouldn't be any sharp or rough corners. The ends will be folded over and stitched so they're hidden. I heated them with the lighter to melt nylon a bit to prevent fraying.
Next, we have the detail shot of the hole, which I punched with the leather punch. I heated the hole a bit to prevent fraying.
To locate that hole, I just wrapped the whole thing in place on the belt buckle and guesstimated where the pin would line up.
The next pic shows everything pinned in place, the stitching begins and thankfully not the sticking. I generally suck at sewing, and it usually involves at least a little blood- usually from my finger tips. Being the morning of a gig, I was very careful to ensure the pins weren't sticking out at all, and used a thimble. It's still a wonder I didn't stab myself anywhere really unfortunate - like under a fingernail...
All done, ready to give it a try:
Rotating the tab into place:
...
...
And the final result- works as intended.
The whole thing took me maybe 20-30 minutes. Super simple. First time goes are always good.
I used it on the gig Saturday night and have used it a couple of times since. Not a hint of scuffing on any instrument. I was wearing a black dress shirt and slacks, and this just totally disappeared into all that none more blackness. It actually looks like it is meant to be there.
In retrospect, a tab of black leather would look even a little better and might be even a little gentler on the instrument finish, but this is honestly even more subtle than I imagined it would be. Besides, I have no business trying to stitch leather even if I have a leather stitching awl (It seems to have a hard time discerning between my skin and the leather, and quite frankly scares me). I'm still a little surprised just how easy it was, how simple it is and how well it works. Best part is, if I can do it, just about anyone could. Just mind your fingers while sewing and melting nylon!
