It is believed that some of the best snakeskin products are made in Indonesia, where leather factories and special snake slaughterhouses are located. One of them is located in the province of West Java, in the village of Kapetakan. The slaughterhouse sells not only leather, but also meat, which is considered a cure for skin diseases and asthma, as well as a means of increasing potency.

Now they are still living snakes, but soon they will turn into delicacies for restaurants and handbags / shoes for lovers of luxurious snakeskin.

Snakeskin factories purchase hundreds of meters of leather every month, from which the factory produces bags costing between $15 and $30, depending on size. But first, the snake must be skinned.

Or cut carcasses that will soon fall into the oven.

Then these carcasses are washed a little.

After that, they are folded into such rolls. Looks colorful.

Snake rolls are neatly stacked on a baking sheet.

And they go to the oven.

The removed skin dries for some time.

The skin then goes to the dye house.

After the dyed leather dries, it goes to the sewing shop.

Here bags are sewn from it.

Or shoes.

If you like to show off in a new python skin jacket, or put a shiny zebra skin handbag on the table, then you are a potential client of the Momo factory. What is the difference between this enterprise and thousands of other leather factories? The fact that you can go into the shop and act up right among the sewing machines. Poke your finger into dusty aquariums, choosing the victim of your fantasies. Everything can be done here. Just pay.

Dozens of sewing machines are filled with machine-gun trills in the hot air.

Every square centimeter of space is occupied. There are no smoke breaks - demanding customers are often not ready to wait for an order for more than two days.

And these deadlines are met. Today your measurements are taken, and the day after tomorrow you can pick up your order.

Uncomplicated warehouse. It only at first glance seems that chaos reigns here. The main thing is not beauty, but the ability to find the right piece of skin in the shortest possible time.

Like? No?

Perhaps one of these would work?

There are no air conditioners. The room is open to drafts, and is blown by dozens of fans.

Finished products.

The equipment is ancient, but its rarity is compensated by the skill of the workers.

Do you want a bag from this python?

Or leather shoes?

By the time you read this note, the white light for these eyes has already faded. Forever.

And the skin of the reptile replenished the piles of such blanks.

All colors of the rainbow are represented.

Some work with a smile.

And someone periodically withdraws into himself.

“Yes, yes, Chief, I’m finishing!”

Warehouse stocks are replenished daily.

And they run out very quickly.

The shift lasts almost 16 hours. 16 hours in the same position. There is only one entertainment: stretch out a stiff leg, sitting on another, in which blood circulation has just been restored.

A measurement is taken from the feet of the future Cinderella, who desired shoes made of python skin.

"Honey, maybe from this one"?

I wanted to order a laptop bag made of the leather of this instance, but for some reason they refused me.

The shop at the factory is the only room with air conditioning. Rows of shoes run off into the distance.

The bars sag under the weight of hangers with jackets and leather jackets.

And money ... Money, as you know, loves an account ...

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Handmade belts

How handmade belts are made

What leather are the belts made from?

Leather for belts or belt leather differs from other types of leather, primarily in terms of the technology of dressing, but also in terms of purpose, since belts must first of all have high strength. The main thing in the manufacture of a belt is properly processed leather, everything else is a matter of experience and technology.

Making a belt from crocodile skin

It is considered the most valuable skin of exotic animals on the market. It is used by such design stars as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Chanel, Burberry, Versace, Prado, Valentino.

Crocodile skin belt strip is cut only directly from crocodile skins. This is not pressed leather from which many leather accessories are now made. In working with crocodile leather, success is determined primarily by many years of experience. There are not many masters in the whole country who master this art. There are only one or two such masters in St. Petersburg, and there are not many in the entire metropolis. Mastering the technique of cutting, tailoring or finishing requires years of work with various types of exotic leathers.

The body, tail and paws of crocodiles are covered with the legendary crocodile skin, because of which the crocodile was almost exterminated.

Crocodile skin is large, regular-shaped horny shields located on the back and abdomen in regular rows. The dorsal scutes of crocodile skin bear longitudinal ridges, but in the inner layer of the skin (corium) under the horny scutes of the outer layer on the back, and in some species of crocodiles on the belly, bone plates (osteoderms) develop. Osteoderms are firmly connected with the horny scutes, forming a shell that protects the body of the crocodile well.

A special chic is to have boots made of crocodile skin, a handbag, a purse or a belt. Today, the technology of dressing and coloring crocodile skin makes it possible to make products from it that are unique in shape and color, pleasing to the eye. The high quality and durability of crocodile leather will make the purchase desirable and enjoyable.

In ancient times, it was believed that by pulling on the skin of a killed animal, a person acquires its strength and magical abilities. Perhaps it is the subconscious echoes of these beliefs that drive a person who decorates the interior of his car with crocodile skin. However, there is a more pragmatic explanation. The skin of these reptiles has a number of qualities that put it above the skin of other animals, it is flexible, but at the same time extremely durable, wear-resistant and, of course, rare and, as a result, expensive. And of course, the very exotic appearance of alligator skin seems to be created in order to attract the eye.

There are many species of the crocodile order, both freshwater and salt water living in different parts of the globe. Each type of crocodile (Crocodile, Caiman, Alligator, Gharial and others) has a unique pattern of skin outgrowths at the base of the back of the head.

When cutting parts, only the crocodile itself determines the direction of movement of the cutter, as the craftsmen call a sharp flat blade for cutting leather. In the process of working with crocodile skin, it is necessary to take into account not only the cutting, but also the fact that the scales are combined with each other so that the emphasis is placed on the most beautiful fragments of the product. The most distinctive feature of crocodile skin is the pores on the plates. On each plate, the crocodile has a special hair that helps him to feel the world around him with his skin. When dressing the skin, the hair disappears, but a tiny pore remains on each plate, which can be seen up close. The plates on the belly of the alligator and crocodile are smooth and flexible. They dye well because the dye evenly penetrates the skin. In the crocodile, the plates have a more distinct square pattern, in the alligator the pattern is not so even and irregularly shaped plates are often found. However, alligator skin is smoother.

After the end of the cutting process, the skin is subjected to additional alignment to give it maximum softness.

But until the moment of cutting out the belt strip, crocodile skin undergoes complex processing. First, the skin of the crocodile is completely placed in a plastic bag in order to prevent contamination of the crocodile meat, which is also a commercial product. From the inside of the skin, the remaining insides of meat and fat are removed, and dust and sand are also removed. This process is carried out using high pressure water. After that, the skin dried in the shade is ready for salting, which is performed in order to preserve the skin from spoilage by microorganisms. When the skin is salted (this process takes up to 60 days), it is dried (for another 2 days) and bleached several times, after which the skin acquires a neutral white color. Then the skin of the crocodile is chrome-plated for softness and subjected to a tanning process. They are tanned with synthetic substances for dyeing in light colors or with vegetable oils to give the leather a beige color.

The next step is softening the skin with special fats and oils, after which it is dried for 2 weeks and finally dyed. But this is not the end. After dyeing, the skin is pulled out and dried again, then glazed and dried again. And only after that it is either finally glazed to give it a shine (the so-called glossy treatment) or a matte treatment is applied.

The skin prepared in this way is measured at the widest point, since the calculation of the cost of crocodile skin depends directly on the width of the skin. Their high cost is determined precisely by the length of the piece of skin - the longer the body of the crocodile was, the higher the value of the skin. In fact, the price of crocodile skin depends on three parameters: the size of the skin, the presence or absence of defects, and the quality of tanning and dyeing. The size of a crocodile skin is determined not by decimeters, but by a special unit - shoulder width (belly). The price is indicated for 1 centimeter by belly. This method of determining the size of the skin is used only for crocodile skin.

But the quality of the skin is evaluated not only by size, but also by the pattern of crocodile scales on the skin. Each species of crocodile has a unique pattern of skin outgrowths at the base of the back of the head. They are valued precisely for uniformity, for a uniform pattern of outgrowths and scales. Even if there are some defects in the pattern of the skin, this attracts customers even more and is highly valued, as they emphasize the natural and "wild" character of the product.

The checked, dressed and measured skin is rolled up, folding the legs and sides of the skin inward, and put into cardboard or plastic boxes, wrapped with burlap. Crocodile skin will be stored in a cool room until sold.

Crocodile skin is now coming into all forms of fashion, including being used in accessories such as stylish leather belts, trendy handbags, stylish wallets, purses and briefcases. On the market there are models of jackets, boots and boots made of crocodile skin. Our design studio always carefully selects the most beautiful, light and supple leathers that exist on the world markets.

All crocodiles, whose skin is used to make accessories, are grown on crocodile farms in full accordance with the convention of Washington adopted for the protection of fauna. This International Convention, known by the common abbreviation CITES or the Washington Convention, governs the conservation of endangered endangered species of flora and fauna and ensures that international production does not harm those species of wild flora and fauna that may be subject to use in industry.

Our design studio purchases and uses collectible reptile skins from the world's most famous Fashion Houses. You can be sure that products made from such leather are unique and piece.

Making a belt strip from snake skin

Bleaching is often used in the preparation of snakeskin for tanning and dyeing, which removes inclusions, markings and minor scratches and damage that occurred before the snake once again shed its skin, changing it to a new one. After bleaching, skin treatment follows. There are four ways of processing snake skin, and depending on the processing method, belt strips and other python skin products look different. After processing by any of the four methods, you can proceed to cutting the skin. When cutting the skin of a snake to make a belt strip, two types of skin incision are practiced - a dorsal and abdominal incision.

Type of processing of skin of a snake "Trapper"

In this way, the skin is processed minimally. In practice, it does not lend itself to any technological modifications. Therefore, the pattern on the skin acquires a soft shade and becomes a little blurry. Each centimeter of snake skin is unique and sharply individual. Belt "Silent" is made of python skin of the dorsal cut, treated with a trapper.

Processing type "Indio"

This method involves intense staining of the skin, giving a wide variety of bright, saturated, slightly predatory colors.

Type of processing "Millennium"

Millennium is a special skin coloring technology. It was developed by Italian tanners who achieved extreme softness of the leather, but also extreme density and wear resistance with a faded pastel color with golden veins.

Treatment type "Discolored skin"

This is a special treatment that makes the leather softer and more natural in appearance, while maintaining the texture of the leather, although during the processing of this technology, the leather loses its characteristic pattern from the disappearance of the iridescence of snake colors of natural color. The skin acquires a uniform color - either cream or white, but this makes the discolored skin quite unusual and attractive.

Making a bovine leather belt

Belt leather was originally used for the production of driving belts for various machine tools, which were called pulleys. Nowadays, belt leather is the only type of leather that is used for the production of accessories that retain their shape without the need for a frame. It is smooth to the touch, dense, rather thick and hard, most often bovine, calf or cowhide, obtained by the most common and cost-effective chrome tanning process. Its distinguishing feature is the high density of collagen and low fat content in the fibers. This gives the belt leather a special strength and low elongation.

Leather from cattle hides is considered one of the most valuable due to its high strength and elasticity. This category includes the skin of calves, cows, bulls and buffaloes. The layer of the epidermis in the skins of cattle is quite thin, consisting of two parts - the papillary layer and the reticular layer. The papillary layer is much thinner than the reticular layer. The fibers of the thick mesh layer have a large angle of inclination.

The interlacing of the fibers of the mesh layer is dense, which makes the bovine or cow hide taut. The content of fat in the skins of cattle is low. The hair follicles are located parallel to the surface of the skin of the skin and reach only the mesh layer, and the sweat glands break through the layer only in some places. Therefore, among all types of leather, the skin from the skins of cattle is the most durable and valuable. The thin fibers that form the papillary layer give a beautiful measure. Mereya is a drawing on the front surface of dressed leather.

To cut out a belt strip, as well as for bracelet strips, our workshop quite often uses the skin of cattle - bull or ox, preferably from the spinal part of the skin, since it is the most valuable and high-quality for a belt strip. But we also try to use the skin of young calves more often, which is dressed, finished and dyed under our strict control in the EU countries.

The skin of a young calf still living on its mother's milk is the most valuable skin. They call her a poop. The fibers of the calf leather are thin, elastic, with a dense interlacing of fibers. The hairline of a calf is thicker, thinner and more beautiful than that of an adult animal, since the hairline of cattle does not grow during life, but only intensifies. The skin of the calf is soft, full, with a beautiful measure.

Our studio offers only high-quality genuine leather. Black classic smooth leather goes with straps by default. This is the most discreet classic option, which is suitable for men and women who prefer a strict, sophisticated style in clothes and accessories. Brown leather, especially vintage, looks especially good in vintage versions. It is indispensable for casual style and is great with any combination and with any wardrobe. Below are the options for coloring bull skin for your choice.

Making belt buckles

But for a belt, not only the belt strip is important, but also the fittings, namely, and above all, the buckle. In our studio, buckles are made according to the author's drawings. The buckle is the main decoration of the belt, and it can be of any shape and decoration options.

Any buckle or pad begins its life in the hands of a professional waxer, who creates it from wax within a few weeks according to the designer's drawing. All models are made only by hand! After the model is made, a metal mold is made from it, according to which the buckle is cast either from steel or from jewelry bronze - at the request of the customer.

If the customer wishes, then after casting and processing, our buckles go through the stage of applying silver and gold by galvanic deposition. This allows you to apply 10-15 microns of pure silver and 24 carats of 999 gold to the surface. This is by far the most efficient way. If you want to make a combined buckle or patch, then the manual method of applying gold is used, like with an artist's brush, which requires special skills.

A belt is an important accessory for both women and men. It will decorate both strict trousers and an evening skirt. But an indicator of good taste and sense of style will not be an ordinary belt, but a leather belt. It is difficult to make it with your own hands, but the result is worth it. After all, such a thing will be truly unique, and therefore priceless.

Briefly about how to make a leather belt with your own hands

Very unusual and spectacular belt made of vegetable tanned leather. You can overlay a picture on it, which is initially printed on a printer, and then transferred to tracing paper. This material is relatively durable and can be used more than once. If you draw on the glossy side, the image will turn out to be three-dimensional, although this is not an easy job.

When performing embossing, in no case should the entire belt be wetted with water, only the part that is currently being worked on should be wet. For the background, any small stamps that are at hand will do. After the embossing is done, the belt must be left to dry for at least a day.

Where the skin will bend, it needs to be made thinner twice. The same is true in the place where the buckle joins.

Product processing

Before you start painting, you need to punch holes and sequentially process the ends. First with a face beater, then with sandpaper, and then with saddle soap. After the product dries, it is covered with bone oil in one layer. Thanks to him, the belt will become softer and acquire a shade of “light tan”.

To make the drawing seem brighter, it would be nice to paint it with a contrasting paint. After the paint dries, the belt is once again treated with oil and after that - with a finish.

Lastly, holes are made with a punch and treated with oil.

Simple leather belt

Before you sew a leather belt with your own hands, you need to prepare the materials. They don't need that many.

1. Leather tape.
2. Dublerin or any other lining fabric.
3. Pattern paper or plain paper.
4. Glue suitable for skin.
5. Threads and needles.
6. Iron.

Colored leather belts are always in trend, so you can experiment with shades. Perfectly emphasizes the waist and complements the image with a bright leather belt. It is quite possible to make such an accessory with your own hands.

Manufacturing technology

First you need to measure your waist. Add a dozen more centimeters to the received centimeters so that the belt is not back to back. Then we move on to the pattern, which should be twice as long as the planned length of the finished product. The width can be anything, but it is worth remembering that the pattern needs an allowance on both sides. It is better that it be about two centimeters. If the belt should be ordinary, then the pattern will look like a simple even ribbon. Here the edges can be both straight and rounded.

Now the skin is attached to the pattern, this can be done with pins and needles. Next, you need to cut it out. It is almost impossible to do this with ordinary scissors. Of course, it would be ideal to purchase a furrier knife for this, but if this is not possible, then you can use a scalpel or, in extreme cases, a new shaving blade.

Belt assembly

According to the same pattern, a dublerin is cut out. Only here it is necessary to leave without allowances. Accurately in the form of a belt. After that, the lining fabric must be applied with a sticky side to the skin and ironed. In order for these two parts to stick together well, you need to wait until the workpiece has completely cooled down.

The allowances that remain on the leather part are carefully folded inside out and fixed with special glue.

After that, the workpiece is bent in half and secured with pins. Now it needs to be stitched. To do this, you must either have a special sewing machine, or purchase certain needles for a universal device. You can use decorative stitching, but do not forget that handwork is valued above all else. Although making leather belts with your own hands is hard work.

Belt trim

It's just a matter of fittings. This refers to the buckle and various decorations. Although you can fasten the belt with buttons, hooks and even buttons with loops. And as a decor in some cases, even lace is suitable. It all depends on the flight of fancy. So it is quite possible to make any leather belt with your own hands. You don't have to be a master to do this.

Tip: to make an ordinary buckle more interesting, you can tie it with multi-colored threads, sheathe it with bright fabric, or simply cover it with braid.

You can make a purely female leather belt with your own hands. It's not that hard. You need to prepare a narrow tape of flexible leather, high-quality scissors and a standard sewing kit.

We remove the excess

It is necessary to decide how long and wide the belt will be, and cut off unnecessary parts. Since the belt will not be buckled, but tied to a beautiful bow, then, accordingly, the skin ribbon should not cover the entire waist. It is better to remove ten centimeters from each edge. It would not hurt to overcast the edges of the belt with a sewing machine.

Ribbon preparation

There will be ribbons at both ends of the belt. And you need to immediately decide on their length. It depends on what the bow will be. It is worth noting that a beautiful lush decoration is obtained with a ribbon length of sixty centimeters. The fabrics need to be folded across in half, and then their width should be slightly wider than the leather strip. This is a reserve for allowances. That is, two strips of the same length should lie on the table, the width of which is twice the main belt. Now these pieces of fabric need to be folded in half lengthwise with the wrong side out and stitch the edge.

Next, using a pencil or other device, we turn the ribbons out. To make the edges look processed, you need to make a small seam, retreating a couple of centimeters from the edge with which the tape will be attached to the skin. It remains only to attach the fabric to the main belt. And that's it, a wonderful accessory for an evening look is ready. It is not at all difficult to make such a leather belt with your own hands.

Types of weaving

When you see products made of woven leather, it takes your breath away. They look quite elegant and expensive. It seems that in order to make such a thing you need to be a real master. Is it so? Is it possible to make a braided leather belt with your own hands? The answer is yes. It's very possible, you just need to be patient.

Today we will look at two of the most popular and least difficult weaving methods.

This requires a long strip of leather. Without touching the edges, you need to divide it into three narrow strips. One of the ends, which remained intact, is fixed on the desktop. We stretch the lower end well, and then we skip the first tape - the strip - between the second and third.

The first tape should lie on the second, and then it is pulled between the second and third. We throw the third tape over the first, and the second over the third. The tip of the weave must be pulled back and again skipped between the second and third tape. And so on, until you reach the logical conclusion. The diagram below will help you understand how to do this.

If the belt is purely feminine, then it will not be superfluous to decorate it with beads or rhinestones. The decorative buckle won't ruin the look either. But if a man will wear a belt, then it is better not to add any details to such weaving at all. Otherwise, it may look clumsy and tasteless.

A very useful method. It is widely used in the East. In this way, you can weave not only a leather belt with your own hands, but also a horse harness or a handle for a bag, for example. This is not a simple weave, it can be used to firmly connect two leather ribbons without using metal clips.

First you need to prepare two long strips of leather. It is better that they are not too wide. With the help of a blunt awl, it is necessary to mark the edges of the slots.

There are two important secrets for this weaving:

1. The distance between the slots should be equal to the width of the strip divided by two.
2. On the first tape there are one more slots.

In order to make cuts, it is most convenient to use a chisel. Using the same tool, you can sharpen the edges of the ribbons.

In the left hand, you need to take the strip on which there are more slots. And in the hand should be the edge on which there are no holes. The nearest slot needs to be widened, for this you can use a screwdriver. The short tip of the second strip must be passed into this hole so that the slots are at the bottom.

The short end of the second strip is attached to the bakhtarma of the first strip. Then the procedure is repeated in reverse: now the first is passed into the nearest slot of the second tape. And from the bottom up. And on this principle to the end. The lower strip must always be passed through the upper one.