Awesome video Bill is truly a artist what a Talented guy he makes building a belt look so easy . Trinity that belt he made for you was amazing thank you for great video 👍
Bill and his family has made 4 custom belts for me. His belts are works of art. They're not cheap but when you see the craftsmanship that goes into each belt money isn't an issue. Spoken w/ Bill on a couple of occasions to verify exactly what I wanted on a particular belt. Loved this video.
I enjoyed this video as I love seeing how things are made - especially handmade craftsmanship! What I love about these leather belts is that over time, they become even more beautiful with character. Btw - Bill has an amazing rich and soothing voice! He would be great as a story teller about the Old West!
Great content! Back in 1967 I started a custom leather products business, part time! This brought back pleasant memories! Beautiful workmanship on the belt!
Really nice belt, I love the Basket weave too! Bill and John are true artists. My dad did leather work for years and I always admired his attention to detail and I think that's were I got mine. Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to see what's next.
Wow that was very interesting to watch how they hand make these belts. That’s an awesome belt, love it. Hand made items like leather belts are almost an lost art now days so you should cherish yours. 👀
I love how he acknowledges the value of that old strop. As a hand tool woodworker, it instantly grabbed my attention. I'm reaching for the strop between every action. I hate sharpening and establishing a bevel even more so the more you maintain that edge, the less work in the long run.
Beautiful belt. Awesome craft work. That basketweave pattern is beautiful. So much time goes into that. We went fast forward, but man, that's a lot of work. Thank you.
For reasons that I do not understand most/many belt makers do not use full thickness leather; rather they shave the leather in approximately one half and scab on junk. This shortens the life of the belt making you buy another and another. These belts are excellent and will last for many years if not a lifetime (except when your waist outgrows it.)
He can keep it thick because he's tooling by hand using very little pressure. With the typical methods it puts pressure on the leather that gets it out of shape....to avoid that they glue a backing to do it keeps its shape while they work the leather. Then they sew on a finished backing to cover the structured backing. All that stuff makes it so thick they have to start out with a thinner thickness. This guy's methods are gentle so he doesn't need to use a backing. But for a company with employees, they need a method that just about anyone they hire can do it. I LOVE this far more artistic method.... excellent. I'd love to get a belt from them but being handmade by an artist makes it a $300+ belt.....which is fine but more than I can spend.
Anything over 9 oz will last 20 years for a belt. I know because I've seen a 40 year old belt that was made from just a 9oz piece. Every day belt. Not just occasional use.
The craftsmanship on these is incredible. I just used their site to build a custom belt-- it was way out of my price range but beautiful. Maybe someday.
I have come to really enjoy your video RUclips. You've got such a calm nature to you and you explain things really good. Your videos are so enjoyable the way you go around to different places to explain how things are different than just car ranching. It's been really very educational and a lot of fun and I really enjoy you and your family. You're just really good Christian people. I love that. I wish you the best. I hope you grow really big on RUclips. You deserve it
Me & my boyfriend have made belts the last 8yrs. An old biker taught me & i taught my boyfriend,so he has the most practice. I've become the painter. We sale mostly to ppl in the MC world which my bf is in. Even though my mentor taught me w/the bare essentials we most definitely have tweaked things. I'll admit we haven't used most of the tools i bought,so there is still plenty to learn in tooling leather. Will i make cowboy boots some day or chaps maybe. A saddle is a whole other ball game. I do want to make a horse harness jus incase i gotta go catch a horse some day😉 Some ppl that have money don't blink an eye on the cost & some don't or can't spend that kind of money. I believe ours are affordable,i have compared & did the math. You should most definitely charge accordingly for something handmade & leather. My boyfriend isn't a good business man & often under charges or gives away. So we bump heads a lot,to the point of my not wanting to make belts. I still have other machines & tools to learn on,like my industrial sewing machine. I'm doin this full time as my living,i retired from my job of 22yrs in 2019. My boyfriend is a mechanic & has his regular job. I wish him & other ppl would stop treating us making belts like it's a hobby. I keep saying the more i do & learn is goin to drive my price up in the future. Not because i'm gouging potential customers but because i want to continue to make whatever i'm making. So much respect for anyone who does make anything from scratch,even ppl that get their leather belts precut on a roll. I haven't checked out the quality of the precut on a roll,my mentor said not to buy that. All i care is that the customer luvz their belt,some will say "i wear it everyday" & making a living at it to make it worth my time. Today i told my bf i'm not goin to make them anymore. I should be spending time on my other machines anyway. Here's the other thing i noticed this during the pandemic how many of our goods are cheaply made in another country. At one time everything was made here. Now a days try to find a shoe cobbler,they barely exist. I'm guilty of buying cheap products too but more aware now. Would i like a real pair of cowboy boots? Yes! Can i afford them right now? No! But i'd pay what real cowboy boots cost if i could. You can tell the difference in handmade or mass produced anything when you hold & touch it.
Love watching the master belt craftsman work the leather. So beautiful. Its therapeutic and calming to watch the belt making process from a skilled craftsman. How can we reach out to get belts made.
I am a self taught leather artist as well so I don't see his workmanship as anything but creative. I work in garment weight deer hide. I am a fringe cutter mostly. I hand cut every strip of fringe. Usually ⅛ inch to ¹/¹⁶ inch depending. I make masks mostly but also native style blessing shirt or dresses based on everyday and ceremony hide clothes from the souix. Blackfoot and Pueblo tribes. My family was share crop farmers in the Dakota territory before they went into Casper, then phoenix. My parents opened a business in west Yellowstone mt and carefree az back in 76, then bozeman and in 1980 for a few years, we had a ranch in wilsal for awhile but no longer. So I come from that history when I started my work in the mid 90s. Obe thing I know is when cutting fringe when I make any mistakes I take notice, 3 mistakes mean it's time to stop. I hand cut a whole hide into small fringe can take days since it's up to 4 5 feet in length I leave a base to sew onto whatever the peice is. I also do all my own beadwork sewn onto the leather and cut my own lather fo stitching. A Navajo medicine man I know told me if I do everything in the traditional ways I would be successful. He was correct.
I did things my way while learning. It's damn hard to find a good handmade belt these days. He should be busy as a 1 legged man in an ass kicking contest.
Absolutely awesome. Thanks for sharing your talent. Love your work. By the way you were talking about a conditioner at the end. What kind of finish and conditioner do you use to get a belt to last that long?
People of North call that rounded knife an 'ULU'. They use them for everything from skinning, butchering and everything else. Just a little note of interest. Loved withing your artistry!
great video and awsome belt making! what blue film cover is that used on laser engraving? Pretty cool to se how your logo was painted over the blue film masking
I had three belts made by Bill and his family. Than I was diagnosed with AFIB. After they figured out the med I gained about 30lbs. Now non of them fit. Talk about a bummer!!! I hope your belt fits you for a long time.
I always wanted to do leather work. Finally ordered me a half hide of Herman oak. I cut 15 belt blanks out of that hide. I make mostly plain working belts but also make really nice full tooled ones and give them to friends or family. Once you start, you'll never buy a belt again!
Now I'd have to beg to differ on the comment about not knowing where they'd end up in 10 years because if I had heard Bill's voice with it's cadence, accent, and drawl 10 years ago, I'd been like, " You sir are gonna be a hell of a leather belt maker!" 😂
I wish I could show you a few things so you don't have to work so hard at it. But turn out a good product, just take a few more steps getting there than I would.
Went to the website, they require me to accept cookies. Absolutely will not accept cookies. Pound sand. I don’t care how good your product is or how much I want it. Your loss!
Wow, gorgeous video! I never thought I'd be mesmerized by watching a belt maker!
God bless you and your family, sir 🙏✝️🇺🇸
I am so glad you enjoyed it. Bill’s personality really makes it interesting to me.
The Briggs family are great people!!
They really are! Bill has an amazing personality and he passed it to his kids.
That was so interesting and I love your new belt!
Awesome video Bill is truly a artist what a Talented guy he makes building a belt look so easy . Trinity that belt he made for you was amazing thank you for great video 👍
Yes. Watching Bill free hand all of that was truly amazing. And my belt is awesome!
Great video. Takes me back to watching my dad making his belts. I can smell that shop right now sitting in my home.
Bill and his family has made 4 custom belts for me. His belts are works of art. They're not cheap but when you see the craftsmanship that goes into each belt money isn't an issue. Spoken w/ Bill on a couple of occasions to verify exactly what I wanted on a particular belt. Loved this video.
I enjoyed this video as I love seeing how things are made - especially handmade craftsmanship! What I love about these leather belts is that over time, they become even more beautiful with character. Btw - Bill has an amazing rich and soothing voice! He would be great as a story teller about the Old West!
I have always thought the same thing about his voice. It’s Awesome! Kind of a Sam Eliot quality.
@@LifeintheWest Ahhh - Yes!! I was wondering who it was he was reminding of 😃
I could watch him work and talk all day long. 😊
Well, this is quite a video! I had no idea there was so much work in a belt. And to get your logo on it, too, is super cool.
A real craftsman there, very nice belt, he's very good. Next will be a halter for Calibar. Thanks Trinity.
Great content! Back in 1967 I started a custom leather products business, part time! This brought back pleasant memories! Beautiful workmanship on the belt!
Really nice belt, I love the Basket weave too! Bill and John are true artists. My dad did leather work for years and I always admired his attention to detail and I think that's were I got mine. Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to see what's next.
Wow that was very interesting to watch how they hand make these belts. That’s an awesome belt, love it.
Hand made items like leather belts are almost an lost art now days so you should cherish yours. 👀
Absolutely! Hand made one at a time was interesting to watch for sure.
Very nice tutorial, video and editing, humble man including his son, great belt and detail.
Nothing like a beautiful leather belt, Thanks for showing us.
I love how he acknowledges the value of that old strop. As a hand tool woodworker, it instantly grabbed my attention. I'm reaching for the strop between every action. I hate sharpening and establishing a bevel even more so the more you maintain that edge, the less work in the long run.
Beautiful belt. Awesome craft work.
That basketweave pattern is beautiful. So much time goes into that. We went fast forward, but man, that's a lot of work.
Thank you.
What a beautiful tribute to a friend and a lifetime keepsake.. wonderful work of art...one of a kind! ❤..thanks Trinity...this is special for sure..
i loved this! never saw a belt made before. that man is talented! and your belt is beautiful a work of art. thanx trlinity!
Yes. I really enjoyed watching this process as well. It was very cool to watch Bill free hand all this and have it come out so well.
Wow what beautiful craftsmanship.
Trinity thanks for sharing this.
Have a blessed day.
That is one beautiful belt and alot very intricate work went into it very beautiful. Great job Bill and great video as always Trinity
Thank you. I love the belt! Been wearing it everywhere for a couple weeks now.
WOW! great video. True craftmanship. little machine work. GREAT video.
Beautiful craftsmanship!!
Yes. And this one is one of there simpler designs.
So incredibly talented, I loved this episode and followed them on social media. Now I know where to go get a custom belt in Montana… beautiful!
Love the way he tells about his craft and his faith at the same time.
Thanks Bill, John and Trinity, what a great presentation!👍
For reasons that I do not understand most/many belt makers do not use full thickness leather; rather they shave the leather in approximately one half and scab on junk. This shortens the life of the belt making you buy another and another. These belts are excellent and will last for many years if not a lifetime (except when your waist outgrows it.)
He can keep it thick because he's tooling by hand using very little pressure. With the typical methods it puts pressure on the leather that gets it out of shape....to avoid that they glue a backing to do it keeps its shape while they work the leather. Then they sew on a finished backing to cover the structured backing. All that stuff makes it so thick they have to start out with a thinner thickness. This guy's methods are gentle so he doesn't need to use a backing. But for a company with employees, they need a method that just about anyone they hire can do it. I LOVE this far more artistic method.... excellent. I'd love to get a belt from them but being handmade by an artist makes it a $300+ belt.....which is fine but more than I can spend.
My grandparents owned a leather shop and made many custom belts and you can definitely lengthen belts if done correctly
Anything over 9 oz will last 20 years for a belt. I know because I've seen a 40 year old belt that was made from just a 9oz piece. Every day belt. Not just occasional use.
I absolutely loved watching this!❤
Well thank you. Bill and his sons are a tremendous amount of fun. They have all kinds of personality! 😁
Beautiful Craftsmanship, I wish I could get into that as a hobby …. There’s a lot of pride in that belt , some very nice work that family dose .
Great video keep them coming please
Thank you. I will do my best. For sure.
Nice pants holder you got there. That was fun to watch.
Awesome video. Love watching craftsmanship at work.👍👍
Thank you. I think Bill is fun to watch anyway. 😁
Awesome job. I like the way you lay out and begin your basket stamp.
Always great to see an artist at work, thanks for posting.
The craftsmanship on these is incredible. I just used their site to build a custom belt-- it was way out of my price range but beautiful. Maybe someday.
Mesmerizing! What a beautiful belt. You will have that when they put you in the box!! Lol
I have come to really enjoy your video RUclips. You've got such a calm nature to you and you explain things really good. Your videos are so enjoyable the way you go around to different places to explain how things are different than just car ranching. It's been really very educational and a lot of fun and I really enjoy you and your family. You're just really good Christian people. I love that. I wish you the best. I hope you grow really big on RUclips. You deserve it
Beautiful belt and amazing video! I could listen to that guy all day and he is cute as well!
That was awesome! Gorgeous work!’
Glad you liked it.
Any little imperfections let you know it's a custom belt. Anyone who has done some leather work can tell he has been doing this awhile.
Thank you for a wonderful video. I really in truly loved it. Ontario Canada.
thanks for sharing your talent and I admire your values in life
Love the belt Trinity, looks fantastic. Feel like placing an order for one, all the way from Australia 🇦🇺
Me & my boyfriend have made belts the last 8yrs. An old biker taught me & i taught my boyfriend,so he has the most practice. I've become the painter. We sale mostly to ppl in the MC world which my bf is in. Even though my mentor taught me w/the bare essentials we most definitely have tweaked things. I'll admit we haven't used most of the tools i bought,so there is still plenty to learn in tooling leather. Will i make cowboy boots some day or chaps maybe. A saddle is a whole other ball game. I do want to make a horse harness jus incase i gotta go catch a horse some day😉 Some ppl that have money don't blink an eye on the cost & some don't or can't spend that kind of money. I believe ours are affordable,i have compared & did the math. You should most definitely charge accordingly for something handmade & leather. My boyfriend isn't a good business man & often under charges or gives away. So we bump heads a lot,to the point of my not wanting to make belts. I still have other machines & tools to learn on,like my industrial sewing machine. I'm doin this full time as my living,i retired from my job of 22yrs in 2019. My boyfriend is a mechanic & has his regular job. I wish him & other ppl would stop treating us making belts like it's a hobby. I keep saying the more i do & learn is goin to drive my price up in the future. Not because i'm gouging potential customers but because i want to continue to make whatever i'm making. So much respect for anyone who does make anything from scratch,even ppl that get their leather belts precut on a roll. I haven't checked out the quality of the precut on a roll,my mentor said not to buy that. All i care is that the customer luvz their belt,some will say "i wear it everyday" & making a living at it to make it worth my time. Today i told my bf i'm not goin to make them anymore. I should be spending time on my other machines anyway. Here's the other thing i noticed this during the pandemic how many of our goods are cheaply made in another country. At one time everything was made here. Now a days try to find a shoe cobbler,they barely exist. I'm guilty of buying cheap products too but more aware now. Would i like a real pair of cowboy boots? Yes! Can i afford them right now? No! But i'd pay what real cowboy boots cost if i could. You can tell the difference in handmade or mass produced anything when you hold & touch it.
This is one good video. Going to try this method today. Thank you for sharing.
I used to do ALOT of Leatherwork when i was locked up in Juvenile Youth Center. I miss it
So cool. Thanks for making such an awesome video.
Thanks for the video. New hat,belt and boots you can show us a new saddle now.
That's true craftsmanship Awesome
Awesome video Trinity!!!
Tks for sharing the process. Very cool
Great work
Great leather work...i love watching dale harwood
Dude this cat is the new star of the show!
I want one, that is a beautiful belt Trinity, and I too have not had a new belt in years, so I shall order one as soon as I can.
Awesome video
Love watching the master belt craftsman work the leather. So beautiful. Its therapeutic and calming to watch the belt making process from a skilled craftsman.
How can we reach out to get belts made.
Great video, a real craftsman..Be cool to see a saddle maker work his craft.
I am a self taught leather artist as well so I don't see his workmanship as anything but creative. I work in garment weight deer hide. I am a fringe cutter mostly. I hand cut every strip of fringe. Usually ⅛ inch to ¹/¹⁶ inch depending. I make masks mostly but also native style blessing shirt or dresses based on everyday and ceremony hide clothes from the souix. Blackfoot and Pueblo tribes. My family was share crop farmers in the Dakota territory before they went into Casper, then phoenix. My parents opened a business in west Yellowstone mt and carefree az back in 76, then bozeman and in 1980 for a few years, we had a ranch in wilsal for awhile but no longer. So I come from that history when I started my work in the mid 90s.
Obe thing I know is when cutting fringe when I make any mistakes I take notice, 3 mistakes mean it's time to stop. I hand cut a whole hide into small fringe can take days since it's up to 4 5 feet in length I leave a base to sew onto whatever the peice is. I also do all my own beadwork sewn onto the leather and cut my own lather fo stitching. A Navajo medicine man I know told me if I do everything in the traditional ways I would be successful. He was correct.
I did things my way while learning. It's damn hard to find a good handmade belt these days. He should be busy as a 1 legged man in an ass kicking contest.
I love it man ❤
Beautiful belt!!
Absolutely awesome. Thanks for sharing your talent. Love your work. By the way you were talking about a conditioner at the end. What kind of finish and conditioner do you use to get a belt to last that long?
People of North call that rounded knife an 'ULU'. They use them for everything from skinning, butchering and everything else. Just a little note of interest. Loved withing your artistry!
WOW I AM IMPRESSED
Had the same belt made stitch and lined worth every penny my every day belt
Fabulous !!! BLESSINGS !!!
Just checked out their site using the custom belt order feature but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Man the guality of their work is worth it though.
great video, got one from Wyoming handmade from bison leather, thanks.
Merry Christmas, Semper Fidelis
great video and awsome belt making! what blue film cover is that used on laser engraving? Pretty cool to se how your logo was painted over the blue film masking
Wish youd show the whole stamping process. How else can we learn.
INTERESTING & EDUCATIONAL. 🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦
There's a leather crafter in South Carolina who is as good as anybody in the West. Lonnie Hyatt Leather Salem, SC.
Stunning!!!
I wanted to ask if you are using the medium or large BK basketweave stamp for belts?
Wow, That’s a Beauty
I had three belts made by Bill and his family. Than I was diagnosed with AFIB. After they figured out the med I gained about 30lbs. Now non of them fit. Talk about a bummer!!! I hope your belt fits you for a long time.
I would love to know what weight that leather is. It looks awesome !!!
Me too. It looks to be 10 to 12 once to my amateur eye. That is simply awesome!
Would make a great fan giveaway! 😮 😉 😂
You are right! Great idea.
I always wanted to do leather work. Finally ordered me a half hide of Herman oak. I cut 15 belt blanks out of that hide. I make mostly plain working belts but also make really nice full tooled ones and give them to friends or family. Once you start, you'll never buy a belt again!
That was great, I've made a few but it's just the best showing the process
Curious. How do you "condition" a leather belt?
Now I'd have to beg to differ on the comment about not knowing where they'd end up in 10 years because if I had heard Bill's voice with it's cadence, accent, and drawl 10 years ago, I'd been like, " You sir are gonna be a hell of a leather belt maker!" 😂
That was very interesting thank you
An heirloom piece.
How much do these belts cost? Does this fella have a website? What’s the best way to get a belt made?
Link is in the description.
No gloves while staining the belt?
What size Chicago screws?
Wear in Denver can I learn the basics ? :) anyone know ??
Nice!!!
Every good leatherworker knows that Beef 🥩 is just a byproduct of Leather!
Exactly what Bill said. 😁
how much did your belt cost?
Perfect
Thank you. It was a fun experience, for sure.
👍
Cool
Nice people
I wish I could show you a few things so you don't have to work so hard at it. But turn out a good product, just take a few more steps getting there than I would.
❤
Anyone else get nervous when he was doing the rough measurements? Aha
Went to the website, they require me to accept cookies. Absolutely will not accept cookies. Pound sand. I don’t care how good your product is or how much I want it. Your loss!
😄. You realize that every website that sells anything is required be law to have that?