I received a nice belt for Christmas but it is too large. I’d like to get it resized. Exchanging for the right size isn’t an option since it was purchased out of the country. Anyone know a guy who can make a belt smaller?

Anyone with a leather punch.

I’m not looking to punch an extra hole in it and have 10” of belt hanging past the buckle. I want the buckle end undone, then the belt cut, and the buckle re-attached, shortening the overall length of the belt.

I would think that a good shoe repair(cobbler) could do that for you.

Or one of these.

Used to be, pretty much every shopping center had an old dude who did leather work, shoe repair, etc. Often on the spot while you waited. Seems nobody wants to do this any more, although the need for it is still there.

Have you tried doing a search for "Leather Craft" in your area? I just did one for Tampa and found a Tandy Leather store in town. If there's a Tandy Leather store nearby, then there are people who work with leather nearby. Try using your favorite search engine.

quote:

Originally posted by dwd1985:
I’m not looking to punch an extra hole in it and have 10” of belt hanging past the buckle. I want the buckle end undone, then the belt cut, and the buckle re-attached, shortening the overall length of the belt.

Shoe repair shop may be available to you and save you shipping it off.


I used to do leatherwork including belts. Your fix is easy for you to do if you want to try and feel confident in doing the work.


Remove the buckle and dampen the "fold" from the back side, then lay it flat sandwiched with a towel and put a weight on it for a day.

You can use a couple pieces of wood and a bench vice, vise grip or C clamp. You don't need a lot of pressure, just to get it flat so it is easier to work with.

Then measure from the "cut end" to the point you want to remove, and use a sharp razor or knife that wont flex and cut the end off. You can cut using several passes. You can use a straight edge if you want, but not necessary.

Use the cut off part as a template for the buckle slot and the hole(s) for the screws.

Use thin wood one each side of the belt, clamp and use drill to drill hole(s) through the wood for the buckle, and one hole on each end of the slot for the buckle prong. Then remove the belt and cut the remainder of the slot between the two slot holes.

Then wet the belt where the center of the slot for the prong is, fold and clams as first described and let it dry.

The put the buckle on.

You can use a black sharpie to dye the cut end it you like, but it is not visible, you can leave it.

I've been watching videos on YouTube on shortening belt lengths and have discovered that belts from other countries use different buckle ends then I am used to. You should watch some of these videos and see how they shorten various belts with your style of buckle to see if it's something that you are willing to do yourself.

This is the type of buckle end I was unfamiliar with.


How to cut your leather belt to size

This is the type that all my belts use.


How To Shorten A Non-Stitched Hanks Belt

I found a very experienced cobbler ( after 20 phone calls to five cities)
He did the job wonderfully,

I made the mistake of d.i.y. hole punching with less than satisfactory results.

I can send you his contact info here in No. West Illinois if you desire.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

Anything involving leather and belts and I'd contact the Beltman.
Even though this isn't really their line of work (working on other shops work), they've always been extremely helpful and may be able to point you in the right direction.

https://www.thebeltman.net/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 220-9er,

If you were closer, and my tools weren't still packed away, and it wasn't +5F in my leather shop right now....I'd hook you up.

This is a very easy task for almost any leatherworker. Do it yourself even...with $50 in tools.

We used to have a fellow here that did leather work, lives in Rose Bud Arkansas. Perhaps he'll chime in?