PyramidBlaster wrote:As for me, I'm just lucky I found one of these buggers on an old belt...
I found a place online that makes belts and other leathercraft---in the UK. They show a solid brass-cast belt keeper as an option, and it looks to be really SA. I don't know, however, if they'd sell them outright...but it's worth a shot.
Here's the link, they're at the very bottom of the page...
http://www.greencraft.me.uk/Products/index.html?
Thanks for the link, you may well have noticed by my username that it's my website that you linked to. I had wondered who it was so decided to find out.
Any questions you have about anything on my site feel free to ask. Also any help that I can give with reference to distressing leather or leathercare please just drop me a line and I'll help in any way I can.
I can tell you that the belt buckle itself is similar to one of the Britannia Buckles , that it will have been made as either old silver or nickel plate (another option is west end buckles) and then worn in, the first captive belt loop looks to be cast, these would be a little difficult to get hold of in either nickel plate or old silver (you can get nickel plated brass I just checked with the queens saddlery).
The belt itself will have been made from 8ounce or greater thickness leather which will be approx 1.5 inches deep. It looks to be either Oil tanned or Veg tanned. My thought will be along the lines of brown Veg tanned and then oiled (possibly mink oil) which will darken the leather and protect it as well as making it slightly more supple.
I have seen a number of copies that they use chicago screws with a large cap (12mm) to hold the buckle and keeper in place, there is no evidence of this on the ones that I have seen in the films, if anyone has any pictures of one like this I would be interested to see them. If chicago screws are not being used then they will almost definitely have used linen thread with a thickness (grade) of 18/3 or possibly 18/4.
This is not a commercial post, I am just interested in what you guys are doing and as I say as a leatherworker any help I can give you are most welcome, all the best,
Leon
