How are the majestic belt and the beautiful silver pouch made step by step?
Satisfy your curiosity ~ Let you experience the charm of handicrafts ~
Presenter: Ten Knives from the Study and Production Group
Finished Product Showcase
Making a beautiful belt requires a lot of effort and procedures. Here, Ten Knives will give you a simple demonstration ~
Step 1: Purchase the required snake skin material
Snake skin is relatively thin and cannot be directly made into a belt. It must use a double-layer leather technique, with a layer of cowhide attached to the back. This can greatly increase the strength and make it more aesthetically pleasing.
So I specifically bought a piece of cowhide for the inner lining. This is a top-grain cowhide from half of an adult cow's back. The snake skin is 1.45 meters long and 12 centimeters wide, so you can see how big the cowhide is in comparison.
Step 2: Utilize the characteristics of the material, plan the placement of the snake skin and the layout of the scales and patterns
This time, two white-bottomed black-patterned snake skins were used. Does anyone know what species they are?
This one is cut from the belly and will be used to make the belt part, with attention to the direction of the scales.
The second piece, shorter and wider, about 1.1 meters long, is cut from the back and is often used to make wallets in modern times. I plan to use it for the silver pouch.
Below is the process of attaching the skin. Lay the snake skin on the cowhide and prepare to glue them together. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of the middle process as I was busy working alone.
Step 4: Cut the attached snake skin into main belts and small straps for backup
The tools used are shown in the following image. Pay attention to cutting the small straps uniformly in length and width.
I forgot to take photos during the cutting process… Now the main belt and the small straps have been cut, and the skin for the silver pouch has also been attached.
The cut belt, you can see the cowhide backing on the back. It is 1.45 meters long and fully hand-cut.
Step 5: Punch holes in the small straps, attach decorations, and polish
The decorations for the small straps were quickly installed. The copper flowers and tail pieces are cast copper, and the small flowers were made using new molds and cast. Each one needs to be polished by hand, which is quite labor-intensive.
The endless knot buckle needs to be painted black for better three-dimensional effect.
The belt part is now complete, and the silver pouch will be made next. The snake skin cut from the back has already been prepared.
After a night of hard work, both parts are assembled, but still need sewing. On the left is a cowhide version of the silver pouch for comparison. To highlight the natural patterns of the snake skin, these bags do not have too many metal decorations.
This is a difficult part, the belt buckle hinge, which needs to be hammered bit by bit.
(～ o ～)~zZ After a month of effort, we can almost see the finished product.
Next, we just need to assemble them one by one.
The rear part of the belt is quite long, and the pattern is very beautiful. I feel that this little life did not die in vain when it fell into my hands.
Install the small straps, the small loops are really hard to make, any difference in length won't do. After installing the small straps, they can still be freely disassembled and adjusted in length.
Close-up of the right side, note the brass cloud-shaped eyelet.
This is the third small bag. The shorter piece of snake skin was just enough to make 3 small bags. The first two were attached to the belt, and the third one was made into a detachable style.
The front does not have too many decorations to highlight the natural patterns of the snake skin.
Bonus:
The initial intention behind making this waist belt must be mentioned – my sister.
One day in April, after participating in an event, we decided to browse the city center. Since it was close to the leather market, and knowing that my sister also likes doing handicrafts, I took her there.
At first, my sister said she wanted to look at snake skin. Over the years, I've bought countless pieces of cowhide but never paid much attention to other materials in the store. In the store, we picked out several large and beautiful snake skins from dozens of options. I asked my sister what she wanted to use them for. She thought about it and said, “Why don't you make them into a belt?” I thought it was a good idea, so I took the materials home.
After a month of deliberation, planning each step, I finally started working on it. It took me about two weeks to finish, and it coincided with my birthday. My sister came over to celebrate my birthday in the evening and also modeled for me.
