western belts

How to Prep Belts for Tooling

In this latest short video, I show you how to prep belts for tooling.  When tooling belts, they will usually want to stretch some because of the stamping process.  This is the method that I use on virtually all the belts that I make to help prevent this.

Many leatherheads will use a heavy packing tape on the back of the belt blank and then remove it when the tooling is completed.  I find the tape a bit hard to deal with so I use poster board strips in my belts.  I find the added body that it gives my finished belts a nice plus.

This is a short video just to show you how I prep my belts for tooling and should clear up some of the questions that I get concerning this important step.  Thanks so much for checking it out and I hope it offers value in your shop!

If you are interested in more information about making custom belts, I offer a short ebook that shows my entire process available for $5.  Click this link to purchase “Custom Belt Design and Layout