In this video I show how I made my DIY Full Grain Leather Belt. It is really simple and beautiful. I wanted a basic hard wearing belt for everyday use, they are a simple leather do it yourself. Make sure you watch the video above or on my YouTube Channel for a video guide.

For this belt you will need;

Step 1: Punch & Cut

I started with a veg tan leather belt strap. I bought a nice thick and wide one, I didn't want to make a fancy belt, I just wanted something strong and sturdy that would last and I could wear for years. I trimmed off the excess leather from the end of the strap as it was too long. Remember to always keep any offcuts of leather for future projects.

I then punched 2 x holes about 2cm apart, and used a ruler and my knife to make a slot for the belt buckle. This was very thick leather so I used a new and sharp razor blade.

Step 2: Skive & Dye

I used my razor blade to thin down the leather where it would fold over. This is called skiving, I have a skiver but it is terrible. So I just end up using my knife which doesn't work very well, but better than the skiver that I have! This is to thin out the belt so that it fits much better when wearing it.

I then used Feibing Water based leather dye in black. Using a wool dauber I put several coats of the dye on to make sure I had full coverage. I made sure to do front, back and all the sides.

Then I took a clean rag and buffed off all the excess dye sat on the top of the leather.

Step 3: Rivet & Stitch

Once all the dye had dried, I slid on the keeper and punched a couple of holes all the way through and attached some metallic black rivets. Once that was held tight I then took my leather forks and punched some holes along the top in front of the keeper, but behind the buckle itself. Then I took some black waxed thread and saddle stitched the two together. This made a really strong secure fold that won't come undone.

Step 4: Slick & Wax

I then took some water and wiped it on the edges of the belt, and used my edge slicker to make a beautiful slicked edge. It takes the rough cut edges nice and smooth.

Step 5: Finished Photos

And that's the belt done. It's not the prettiest and fanciest belt, but I wanted something strong that I could wear every day and that will last. If you make your own remember to share photos below!