The very first commissioned new style Keable Belt is currently under construction:

Step one is the selection of top grain cow hide belting leather and taking a straight length cut down the hide.
The use of a Vegetable Tanned leather allows for the process called “casing” in which the leather is moistened with water and allowed to sit until it is just about re-dried, at this time the leather becomes soft with a clay type consistency and can be stamped & carved. The reason for doing this on the modern day Keable Belt is to embed our Makers stamp insignia into the belt just passed where the buckle mounts and the plaiting begins.

Keable Leather Makers Stamp

Once the stamp is completed the belt length is flipped over and a process call skiving is done on the buckle end section, this thins down or splits the leather virtually in half so when the buckle is attached the folded leather is not too thick from being doubled over…. next a lining of quality Black Kangaroo Leather is adhered along the full length of the belt and the excess trimmed away.

The marking out of the plaiting area and the stitching grooves are carved into the belt followed by the tedious operation of punching all the stitching holes with a hand awl & then the plaiting holes with a 8 pronged lacing punch. Once all holes are completed it’s then time to do the first finishing run along the edges of the belt, the edges are beveled at 45 degrees on the reverse side and a semi-dome bevel is placed along the front facing edges. The edges are re-dyed from the trimming previously and then burnished with a wooden tool that starts the sealing process that binds all the leather fibers down into a smooth rounded polished edge finish.

Keable Belt Buckle End Preparation

Plaiting is the next process and takes a long time to weave each row by hand, a standard belt with just a center plait as show in the image below will use up to 12 -14 metres of Kangaroo Lace (at approx $2.00+ p/m). Lace is perfectly joined on the belt during the process with each end being adhered to the base leather and the new lace being skived down and adhered over the previous lace end and once the plaiting process begins again the invisible  join gets another lace over the top as part of the pattern which totally secures the join.

Kangaroo Lace

The plaiting then continues with the kangaroo lace along the length that has been pre-punched… we then mount the belt in what is called a stitching pony ready to commence the highlight hand stitching that will also ensure the kangaroo lining stays intact for years to come.

Hand Stitching Commences

Both ends of the belt are stitched .

Stitching & Lace Completed

Last operation is to fit the press studs on the buckle end which like very few belts on the market today allows you to change buckles with ease, the belt will take any type of buckle and sit perfectly on your waist. Also attached between the press studs is a leather belt keeper, it can not fall off when you remove your belt so does not become lost.

Buckle End Completed

Hover your mouse over the the LEATHER BELT link and select the Original Keable Belt section if you are interested in ordering one of these limited edition custom made belts or click here to go straight to the section. If there is no stock available please contact us to place an inquiry for us to discuss your requirements, ie, size and colour etc.