What a great gadget! I need to figure out what to do my flopping endsIve heard about fashion tape, but I want a permanent solution! in my belts using his Swiss Army knife. OMG I just made two holes on my new belt last night and I totally did it the "old fashioned" way. Mine is still on the way from Amazon, but I'm glad it works so well for you. Great tool! It's too bad you didn't get to try any good Viet food here =( I think most Viet restaurants here are just mediocre to be honest.. except for when it's something fancier like The Slanted Door restaurant in my post! Between these 6 methods, theres bound to be one that matches the tools you personally have on hand. Definitely glad to hear I'm not the only one : ). I'm now browsing through your old posts and the other day I was JUST wondering if there was an easier way to punch holes in my belts without taking them down to the garage and taking a nail and hammer to them. Sooner or later, youre gonna have to do it. This is because, during this process, no parts of leather are removed. Its worth noting here that you probably want to have a piece of spare wood under the belt so that you have something for the nail to drive into. Prime Ethos is a dedicated mens leather belt retailer. You can also punch clean holes in your leather belt by using a heated nail and pliers. 2022 Leather Skill - All Rights Reserved, Use a drill bit that matches the holes of your leather belt, Ensure that you leave equal distance between holes, Make sure that your leather belt and the wooden block are secure during the process. Typically it makes no difference if you mark on the back or front side of the belt, since that piece of leather will be removed anyway when you poke the new hole. This is so genius!! Next, place the awl over the marked area and make slow and short strokes with the mallet to drive the point into the leather belt.. The good news is that youll be able to use other tools and methods to punch holes in your leather belt. No matter which method you choose to make a new hole, your success will greatly depend on where you put it in the first place. After a few minutes, when the nail is heated sufficiently, push the point of the nail where you want to make a hole and apply pressure. This is something our Kangaroo Leather Belts team think hard about to design our braided belts for both men and women, which are extremely flexible size wise to adapt to any situation and save you all the fuss of adding a notch to your favorite leather belt. Make sure that you hold the belt down firmly when drilling holes into the leather; otherwise, the belt may catch the drill bit and spin in place. He charged me $5 to shorten and punch holes in a leather belt, and $3 to shorten the shoulder strap and punch holes on my Gucci cross-body bag. Thank you! If you do not have an awl, then a large nail can be good enough. Take the belt off and secure it, good side up, to a piece of wood, using strong tape to hold it in place if necessary. Following that, there are 3 techniques that require a bit more finessing, but can readily be used in a pinch. To create this article, 19 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. I have that dress too and really like it! Drill in short bursts, especially when starting the hole. Maybe I should start looking for one in Toronto, hopefully one of the arts stores in the city sells it. You should also keep the belt properly secured during the process since it may begin rotating with the drill. Next, place a wooden block underneath your marked spot and ensure that its firmly held in place. I'll check out Michael's Thanks!! I don't even like wearing it to work because it's a little too fitted in the bum! Then, take a pen or an awl to mark exactly where on the belt you plan to drill the hole. These sharp steel tubes come in several sizes, but typically youd want to use the 3/16 size to make holes on a belt for a standard belt buckle. The power drill is a tool you likely already have on hand. I definitely have some belts that i'd love to wear but are too big. Love it! How cool! I don't have long hair so have no idea what a pony tail holder looks like but am off to Accessorize today. When it comes to putting holes into items, a power drill is probably one of the most common and useful tools you can think of. | Mens Leather Belt UK, How to prevent belt from cracking?| Leather belt for men | Caring tips. This can result in ruining the belt, and also some fairly impressive bruises. If you are making a belt from scratch, you'll also need an "English point" hole punch to create the hole where the strap end will be embedded. That seems rather dangerous. I have a belt that I love that is too long. Alternatively, consider using an electric drill with a brad-pointed drill bit to make a hole, which will give you a neater hole with cleaner edges. But this hole-punching gadget is amazing and super useful, thanks for sharing with us . Love the clear elastic trick too! Although awls are mainly used to make tiny insertions for stitching, they can also be used for punching holes into leather belts, with the help of a mallet. To create this article, 19 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Select one that fits smoothly but tightly into the hole. This is a tool not tough to find. I can never find belts that fit! We are a group of leather aficionados, hoping to share our knowledge and skills with our readers. Gladys oh I know what you mean it's the artificial leather belt smell. Start by keeping the belt firmly stretched on a surface, with one end beneath your foot and the other end in your hand so that you can easily create the hole. Center the punch over the marking, use a mallet to give it a few solid whacks to punch through the leather, and there you have it. Will keep it for future reference. And you're telling me there's a $5 solution?! My boyfriend S. might miss creating extra holes (and a mess!) Now that I live several states away, theirs isn't convenient to use anymore, but I'd never seen one for sale anywhere. Janice yes it's super clingy. Now I may actually start integrating belts into my wardrobe! wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Regardless of which method of hole-making you choose, youll first want to measure out and mark where you want the hole to go. For some of my skinnier belts, I've just been skipping the holes all together and wearing the belt with the metal piece off to one side I have one AN belt that really stays like that. It is tucked away below ground and is run by a very sweet old Armenian man. You must hold the leather belt very firmly or else, it can spin around with the drill causing major damage. Belts can be dismantled at the buckle and cut down to the right size, tho I'm not sure about women's belt. The hole poked with a knife is also more likely to tear away due to the shape of the blade that may make it hard to puncture the thick leather. First, you will need to find the appropriately sized punch tube. My grandparents have one of these that's older than I am. Using a hand drill is another possible and creative way of creating a hole in your leather belt. So keeping a wooden block or spare would protect your surface. Gah! You might not already have a punch, an awl, or a power drill around the house, or sometimes you can be away from home and do not carry those tools with you. Take note that average belt holes are between 4mm to 6mm (metric units) and 5/32 inches to 15/64 inches (imperial units) in diameter. P.S. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Leather belts are fairly thick, so it may take a little while. This is because the drill bits for hand drills are typically smaller in size drilling larger holes takes a lot more effort. % of people told us that this article helped them. Great video again and definitely much needed! Use a brad-pointed drill bit if available. useful and highly recommend wikiHow to others. I'm buying one of those gadgets with my next Michael's coupon! The standard measurement between holes in most mens belts is a perfect 1 pinch. i was seriously struggling a couple of days ago because i have a couple of belts that don't fit. Finish the hole with clear nail polish to prevent fraying, wear and tear in the future. This article has been viewed 265,063 times. This is a great tool that gives an easy hole in your leather belt without any hassle. Thanks so much for sharing!!! Stop it!!! Those little gadgets make life so much easier.I am giving away a beautiful necklace at PetiteLittleGirl.com. i am so interested in this hole puncher, but when i went to michaels, they said they didn't even sell those . The rotary punch is perhaps the simplest and most straightforward solution. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about sales and new products. Thanks for sharing! i didn't know you had a channel on youtube, i just subbed! Thanks so much for doing the shopping around. For 5 bucks,I would rather buy this handy little thing! And thanks so much for the review. Wow you worked near SF before, may I ask where? Otherwise, the belt may catch the drill bit, spin in place and be ruined, and more seriously, you might risk having some fairly impressive bruises. Then, place a sharp object, such as a Phillips-head screwdriver or a nail, on the mark and tap it with a hammer to push it through the leather. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. To learn how to punch a hole in a belt using a leather hole punch, read on! This article has been viewed 265,063 times. I was just telling myself the other day that I need to get a hole puncher like that. That looks like it goes in the petite HG pile I will definitely look for that next time. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. You can also opt to snipping the other end, once it has penetrated the outer layer a bit, instead of drilling a perfect hole. These soft leather-like pants are, A few more smart casual outfit ideas that are easy, DIY alteration: how to add a partial elastic waistband, 10 ways a cobbler can help revitalize your wardrobe, Two Small Alterations that make a Big Difference. 92 Oldfields Rd, Oldfields Trading Estate, Sutton, United Kingdom SM1 2NU, Belt like a Star: 6 belt styling tips for men, How to store leather belts? wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Pure Value Trading ", http://www.manmadediy.com/users/chris/posts/1676-how-to-3-ways-to-punch-a-hole-in-a-leather-belt, http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=17730, http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=27072, http://www.extrapetite.com/2010/07/how-to-punch-extra-non-crappy-looking.html, http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=21905. As mentioned above, when simply puncturing a rough hole into a belt, it is more likely to tear. And I love that dress on you . With a small, sharp pocket knife, you can pierce the leather, then slowly move it back and forth in a circular motion within the hole to remove small amounts of leather until it reaches the right size. If youre crafting a leather belt, you can use drill bits that are between 4mm (5/32 inches) to 6mm (15/64). Use clear shoe polish to seal the inside of the hole you have created a toothpick is handy to apply the polish to the sides. I'm glad this was helpful! Simply align the nail over your marking, drive it through with a hammer, and youve got your hole started.