Another daywear outfit, featuring a new kilt in Lochcarron's Niagara Tartan

[OC Richard]

I go back and forth with the belt issue.

Generally I don't wear one. However most of the time I'm out in Highland Dress it's because I'm performing on the pipes somewhere, and for those occasions I usually button my jacket.

Yes I know that it's standard to not button Argyll jackets! But if I don't, when I strike in the pipes one side of the jacket can get pulled up by the bag, an unsightly look.

Since I'll be buttoning the jacket when it's Showtime the belt wouldn't be seen anyway.

When in Highland Dress and not playing the pipes (which is rare) I will keep the jacket unbuttoned and wear a belt if not wearing a waistcoat.

I did just throw together this belt a couple weeks ago to sort of go with my new Margaret Morrison hunting sporran.

I guess the belt should be darker...it's the leather I had. (I bought the buckle in the early 1970s at a craft fair in West Virginia.)

[Jock Scot]

The belt looks fine to me OCR. What on earth are you fussing about?

[ShaunMaxwell]

I go back and forth with the belt issue.

I did just throw together this belt a couple weeks ago to sort of go with my new Margaret Morrison hunting sporran.

I guess the belt should be darker...it's the leather I had. (I bought the buckle in the early 1970s at a craft fair in West Virginia.)

I agree with Jock that the belt looks fine as is, but a coat or two of Red Wing boot oil would darken it to a more chocolate color, if that would be more your preference.

Cheers,

SM

[12stones]

I'm planning on switching them out for normal straps. I might make my own, from brown leather, just to be different.

You could just skive them down a bit to make them thinner. A cheap skiver from Tandy Leather would do the trick nicely.

[OC Richard]

You could just skive them down a bit to make them thinner. A cheap skiver from Tandy Leather would do the trick nicely.

Interesting! I've never skived. Could the strap be skiven while still attached to the kilt? Sounds dangerous!

[12stones]

Interesting! I've never skived. Could the strap be skiven while still attached to the kilt? Sounds dangerous!

Absolutely can with some care. Take it slowly and only remove small amounts at a time and you should be fine. Worse comes to worst, you end up having to replace them which was your original plan anyway. ;)

The first 60 secs of this video will show you how easy it is using two inexpensive hand skivers:

https://youtu.be/qubdzTIBLyw

[OC Richard]

Absolutely can with some care. Take it slowly and only remove small amounts at a time and you should be fine. Worse comes to worst, you end up having to replace them which was your original plan anyway. ;)

The first 60 secs of this video will show you how easy it is using two inexpensive hand skivers:

https://youtu.be/qubdzTIBLyw

Thanks!! That looks easy (when they do it).

Good point that only the portion that goes through the buckle needs to be thinner, no reason to skive the whole length of the strap.

BTW during my year-long work-furlough I did some leather projects. For each operation I had to watch YouTube videos on how to do it and what tools were needed, leading to numerous Tandy Leather trips. This project fits in well with those.

(Offtopic but you're a leather person, at top is a screen shot from a TV show, at bottom is my reproduction.)

[12stones]

Thanks!! That looks easy (when they do it).

Good point that only the portion that goes through the buckle needs to be thinner, no reason to skive the whole length of the strap.

BTW during my year-long work-furlough I did some leather projects. For each operation I had to watch YouTube videos on how to do it and what tools were needed, leading to numerous Tandy Leather trips. This project fits in well with those.

(Offtopic but you're a leather person, at top is a screen shot from a TV show, at bottom is my reproduction.)

That looks great! Got a pic of the whole outfit?