thegirlsclub

Isabella E · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 5:09 pm Post subject: Finished C Belt.

I need a c belt. I'm gonna be making one and one of the things we keep talking about is chronicling our armor making or related projects. So, I'm going over to my brother's house today to go steal some of his leather. Hopefully he will have a big enough piece for me to steal. Then I'm gonna pattern and make a c belt with pics.
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Isabella E · Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 3:36 pm Post subject:

I got a wild hair last night at ten oclock and started this thing. I got it cut out and dyed, so I'll take pics before I start assembling along with the paper pattern I made and used.
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Isabella E · Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:35 pm Post subject:

It took me about 3 hours total to make this thing and it's so much better than the hurried thing I slapped together before Estrella. I realized though that I really need to redo my cuisses because I just made them too long in spots. >_< Pictures to come later today.

Edit- So, making a c belt is really easy. I went over to my brother's place and absconded with a whole cow's worth of about 3oz leather. If you have a heavier leg harness you might want to go with something a little thicker, but it doesn't need to be thick like a weight belt. My legs with knees weigh maybe 2 or 3 lb, so what I got should work just fine.

I made a pattern by taping large amounts of thick art paper to myself then tracing on it while wearing it until I roughed out the proper shape. It's easier to do with another person to help but I've done it myself before. Once you have a rough paper version you can make a cleaner one to keep. Mine is just half the full belt:

Next, trace your pattern out on leather and cut it out with a razor knife or really sharp scissors. If you don't want it to be natural colored, dye it.

Cut and dye some small straps to match. Cut your straps based on the width of the buckles you have. Also, longer is better because you can always shorten them if you need to. And for the straps with buckles on the end you're going to be doubling one end over the buckle tongue anyway.

Put the belt on and situate it. If it overlaps like mine, use something like an awl to scrape a line where the overlap is so you know where to put your buckles. I situated it so that my buckles would lie in the middle over the spot where the ends overlap each other.

Then, make the buckle straps. Put the belt back on and hold it in place. Use the awl to poke a spot where you want the straps to sit. Punch holes in the straps and the belt and rivet.

Punch holes in the straps without buckles. Buckle the other two straps to the buckles but don't rivet them to the belt yet. Put the belt on and with the straps buckled where you want them, mark the leather. Take the belt off again, punch some more holes and rivet the straps to the leather. Lastly, get your leg harness and put it and the belt on and figure out where you need to either buckle the legs or tie them or whatever before you go punching holes in the belt.

It only took me a few hours to finish the whole thing. It's way more comfy than my other belt and I'm sure it will be even moreso once it's broken in a bit.

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It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
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audax · Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 8:39 am Post subject:

Looks alot like mine. I plan on adding some suspenders to even out the load on my back but as always, YMMV.
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Isabella E · Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 4:13 pm Post subject:

My first leg belt had suspenders, but my first leg harness was also a lot heavier and it made a hell of a difference. Since these legs are spring steel and 1/8" plastic they weigh nothing.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
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