Help me replace my husband's favorite belt!
October 8, 2014 7:26 AM Subscribe
I tried on my husband's favorite belt this morning and broke it. He's had this thing since he was a teenager, and we're both closer to retiring than teening at this point. I believe he bought it at a head shop in Tempe, AZ in the mid-90s.
Have you seen this belt? Is there somewhere I can purchase a new one?
Have you considered repairing instead of replacing? It looks like it would be fairly easy to remove the last bit of wraparound metal on the long portion and re-attach the broken part with a screwdriver.
posted by BurntHombre at 7:34 AM on October 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by BurntHombre at 7:34 AM on October 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: P.S I already told him I broke it. I want to replace it because he loves it. The underlying structure is leather. The leather tore, so I'm not sure taking off the bolt would help. /threadsitting
posted by headspace at 7:53 AM on October 8, 2014
posted by headspace at 7:53 AM on October 8, 2014
The leather tore, so I'm not sure taking off the bolt would help.
What they mean is shortening the belt by one of the silver pieces. Pry the last silver piece off the main part of the belt (it looks just riveted in) and then take off the bolt on the end piece and rebolt it to the new end. The belt end will be 1" shorter (or so) but work perfectly well.
posted by Brockles at 7:57 AM on October 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
What they mean is shortening the belt by one of the silver pieces. Pry the last silver piece off the main part of the belt (it looks just riveted in) and then take off the bolt on the end piece and rebolt it to the new end. The belt end will be 1" shorter (or so) but work perfectly well.
posted by Brockles at 7:57 AM on October 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
Best answer: What they mean is shortening the belt by one of the silver pieces. Pry the last silver piece off the main part of the belt (it looks just riveted in) and then take off the bolt on the end piece and rebolt it to the new end. The belt end will be 1" shorter (or so) but work perfectly well.
Oh, do not try to do this yourself unless you've done something similar before and know you won't fuck it up! Take it to a cobbler. They do belts and purses as well as shoes. A cobbler can totally fix this.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2014 [8 favorites]
Oh, do not try to do this yourself unless you've done something similar before and know you won't fuck it up! Take it to a cobbler. They do belts and purses as well as shoes. A cobbler can totally fix this.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2014 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Another thing you could do is take it to a shoe repair or leather work place. Either would probably have the tools to fix it in, like, 5 minutes (though shorter, yes).
Second idea is if you want an exact copy, Etsy is the way to go.
posted by misha at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Second idea is if you want an exact copy, Etsy is the way to go.
posted by misha at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yes, a cobbler will easily fix this.
Lovely belt by the way.
posted by cincinnatus c at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Lovely belt by the way.
posted by cincinnatus c at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Seconding take it to a cobbler, as suggested by showbiz_liz.
It's not a difficult repair - IF you are used to working with leather and metal 'parts'; a cobbler should have the necessary tools and expertise to fix it right up :)
posted by PlantGoddess at 8:07 AM on October 8, 2014
It's not a difficult repair - IF you are used to working with leather and metal 'parts'; a cobbler should have the necessary tools and expertise to fix it right up :)
posted by PlantGoddess at 8:07 AM on October 8, 2014
Best answer: If you really want to buy him a new belt, here are retro men's belts in similar styles.
posted by misha at 8:16 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by misha at 8:16 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Is it black? I think I found its twin on Etsy.
posted by zoetrope at 8:59 AM on October 8, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by zoetrope at 8:59 AM on October 8, 2014 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I think you should take it to the cobbler AND buy him one of those cool black belts listed on Etsy! Bonus!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:19 AM on October 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
do not try to do this yourself
This is good advice. And I say this as someone who got chuckled at when I asked a high-end shop to perform a similar repair for me. If the first shop laughs at you, just roll your eyes and find another, smarter shop to help you.
posted by cribcage at 9:35 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
This is good advice. And I say this as someone who got chuckled at when I asked a high-end shop to perform a similar repair for me. If the first shop laughs at you, just roll your eyes and find another, smarter shop to help you.
posted by cribcage at 9:35 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hey, I'm actually in Tempe. If he remembers the shop he bought it at and it's still open (a long shot), I'd be willing to duck in and see if they have a replacement.
posted by WidgetAlley at 12:12 PM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by WidgetAlley at 12:12 PM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
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Don't try to pretend it didn't happen but I wouldn't say the belt is completely ruined.
Think of it this way, it's possible the belt would have broken the next time your husband put it on, you just got there first :)
posted by eatcake at 7:32 AM on October 8, 2014 [2 favorites]