A classic Leather belt design using a whole Swage buckle.
My Rochester handmade leather belt uses a swage buckle. These are usually used on horse headcollars but make a perfect buckle for a leather belt. Solid brass is used for this leather belt.
Leather is Oak Bark tanned for a superior, individual finish to your bespoke leather belt. Bridle leather is used as it is one of the finest cuts of the hide, strong, flexible, and resilient. Dark Havana is used for this handmade bridle leather belt.
St...
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A whole swage buckle is used for this leather belt for a classic design and style.
Full grain London Tan bridle leather that is made to measure for the perfect fit. ! 1/4 inches wide is just right for your casual trouser and jeans.
My three lines of Oakside signature stitching is carried out by hand using traditional saddlery skills. Waxed linen thread is used with double hand stitching. This means that each stitch passes completely through the leather before moving on to the next stitch. Each ...
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A solid Brass Swage buckle sets the Rochester Leather belt apart from the rest.
Dark Stain Oak bridle leather from J&FJ Bakers in Devon is used to make your made to order leather belt. Hand cut and finished to your exact size means that you get the best fit for your waist.
Three lines of Oakside's signature hand stitching compliment the Rochester leather belt's equestrian roots. Notice that the stitching runs along the length of the leather? This keeps the strength of the leather by not making ...
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The Perth Leather belt

At 3 inches wide, or 76mm, which ever you prefer, is the widest leather belt that I craft. A dress belt designed to be worn over your outfit.

Leather
As with all of my leather belts I use only top quality bridle butt leather. Bridle butt leather is very strong, yet pliable and supple. It ages beautifully and develops an outstanding individuality. Being made to measure ensures that you have the perfect fit.

Buckle
A solid brass London Dee buckle is used for the Perth leather ...

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So you want to buy a Conwy Handmade Leather Belt but you are worried about how to buckle it?
Well check out this post on how the traditional Conway buckle works

Firstly pass one end of the strap through one of the loops. Pass the leather through from the back of the buckle with the grain side out (The nicest side of the leather)

Secondly pass the same point on the belt back through the other loop on the buckle.

Locate one of the three punched holes over the Conway buckle's centre pin and push it ...
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A new belt that has just joined the Oakside Saddlery line up. The Hereford handmade leather belt is a wide leather belt with a double or twin pronged buckle and two leather loops.

Buckle

The Hereford has a large double prong West End roller buckle fitted for the ultimate in form and security. The two prongs buckle into matching holes making for a stylish finish to a beautiful hand-crafted leather belt.  This twin pronged buckle is available in two widths; a 50mm (2 inch) wide buckle, and the mo...

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Time for a look at one of my new belts. The quick release Oxford handmade leather belt with Marshalsay Buckle.

Leather

As always this Oxford Leather belt uses to grade bridle butt leather from Metropolitan Leather. At between 3.5 – 4 mm it is some of the best leather you can buy. It is very supple but supremely strong. A super smooth finish to the grain making for a true one of a kind leather belt. There are not too many markings on the leather, but that is what makes leather unique.

Buckle

The...

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3350BC – 3100BC – The Ice Man

This amazing fella was discovered on a mountain in the Otztal Alps, South Tyrol, Italy on 19^th September, 1991 by two hikers. He was partially encased in glacier ice and so well preserved that originally he was thought to be an unfortunate mountain hiker that had met his end. After recovery of the body radiocarbon dating revealed that the iceman lived between 3350 and 3100 BC, making him 5000 years old.

Among the many items of well preserved clothing found...

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What is a running loop?

A running loop is a small loop of leather that is free to move up and down your belt. It is normally the piece that you lose when it falls off!

What does a running loop do?

The reason behind the running loop is that it is there to keep the point of the leather tight against the rest of the belt, and hence, your waist.

Do I need one?

This all depends on the style of your belt. A casual belt, for instance, worn with jeans will not normally require a running loop as the point ...

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The point when making leather is the part of a belt or strap that passes through the buckle. There are a variety of designs and styles that a Cordwainer can use, and sometimes traditional methods dictate what style of point a strap should have. Nowadays, on leather belts and the like, this is just a case of personal preference.

There are two styles of point that I use and both are traditional designs.

Cathedral Point

The cathedral point, or harness point, is probably the most common point end in...

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What is a Skinny Belt?

A Skinny Belt is usually any belt that is less than 1 inch wide. And although you can buy many printed, cloth, and other fabrics, I am obviously going to look at Leather Skinny Belts.

Many of my belts can be made as a Skinny Belts as many of the buckles that I use are available in these sizes. Check out the following belts which can be less than 1 inch wide.

• Lincoln Leather Belt 

  • ½ inch wide leather belt

  • 5/8 inch wide leather belt

  • ¾ inch wide leather belt

  • 7/8 inch wide leath...

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I am by no means a fashion expert so I may have ‘borrowed’ a lot of these style tips from people who are more in the know!

Essentially Men’s belts can be placed in to two styles; Casual and Formal, with each suited to a particular situation.

The Formal Belt

Should men even wear a belt with their formal wear? I'm going to say yes! That is because it would be pointless of me not to if I want you to read this and then buy one of my belts! So lets forget the ins and outs and look at formal bel...

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The usual reason is that many belt buckles are named after towns. This is more than likely that that style of buckle originated in that town.

If a buckle is not named then my naming convention goes to the town from where my first order for that belt originated.

Simple really!

So if you want to be the first with a belt named after your town, pop over to Oakside’s Custom Belts and design your one=of-a-kind masterpiece!

Si

www.oaksidebelts.co.uk

www.oaksidesaddlery.co.uk

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So you have been looking for a handmade leather belt. There are many available from really cheap ones – to really expensive ones, and I mean really expensive, even some made from human skin!

So why would you choose one of my handmade leather belts?

Maybe it is just because you like to support UK small business? Whatever the reason, I would like to think that you choose to buy a leather belt from Oakside because you like the look and quality of my work!

I am trained as a Cordwainer (someone who...

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