Hardware: Attaching a Buckle

Buckles are the classic hardware used to secure belts and straps. They are an easy, solid, and familiar closure. Buckles come in a surprising number of varieties, with and without features such as center bars and rollers, and can be secured by stitching, snapping, or riveting.

Materials

Leather strap

Buckle with center bar

Double cap rivet

Tools

Rotary punch

Bag punch

Mallet

Cutting mat

Hammer

Techniques Used

Cutting: Using a Strap Cutter

Punching: Using Hole Punches

Punching: Using a Rotary Punch

Hardware: Riveting

1 Punch the buckle tongue hole. Using the bag punch, punch an oval hole with the center point 2 to 3 inches (5–7.5cm) from the strap end. This will allow the strap to fold around the center bar, and the buckle tongue to protrude through the oval hole.

2 Punch the rivet hole. Fold the strap with the center of the oval at the apex of the fold and the ends of the oval hole aligned. Using the rotary punch, cut a rivet hole centered on the belt approximately ½ inch (3.8cm) in from the oval hole. Cut through both layers of leather at once.

3 Rivet the leather around the buckle. With the buckle tongue down, thread the strap into the buckle from the bottom to the top. Lift the buckle tongue and insert it through the oval hole. Fold the strap down from the top to the bottom, around the buckle’s center bar. Secure the buckle by setting a double cap rivet through the rivet hole.