Olarom ner'Vod!
Well you've come to the right place! They come in all sizes and colours and they really are as simple to make as you want them to be.
Below is my A-Z of what i did to build my girth belt.
Items used.
A) 2 x 100 Ft of 550 paracord in your chosen colour.
B) Knife.
C) Scissors.
D) Wooden base to build Jig.
E) Metal ruler.
F) Pencil/Pen.
G) Lighter (for melting paracord ends)
H) Buckles.
I) Tape measure.
J) Fid - paracord needle.
K) Belts.
L) Table clamps.
M) Work table.
N) Saw.
O) Glasses - Safety first!
P) - For plants.
Q) Screws - to hold the buckles at each end of the jig.
R) Chopstick - or other stick like stick.
S) Spool - stick to wrap paracord around.
T) Hole punch tools.
U) Eyelets + washers.
V) Chicago screws.
W) Hammer.
X) Wooden impact protection - so you don't bang a hole through your table.
Y) Cutting mat.
Z) - Zee end
So, to start off, you'll need to know how big a belt you'll be making. I took a tape measure and measured around my middle, level with my belly button. I then marked that distance out on a plank of wood, cut and mounted two blocks of wood at those points then used screws to mount my belt buckles and clips to the blocks. I had to use rings on one end as the screws were too big to pass through the buckle.
I then tied off one end of the paracord to the block and ran it up and back between the buckles then tied it off at the end again. It should look a little something like this.
I then spooled the second pack of paracord around a wooden peg to make it more manageable.
I tied the end of the paracord off and started to weave. To do this, i took a chopstick and used it to separate the horizontal strands of paracord, going over-under until through.
I then pulled back on the chopstick to move the woven cord tighter together.
I then opened up the separated strands with my hand and passed the spool through the gap. By using the spool, the working end of the cord can be passed through in one go instead of feeding through 100 Ft of paracord bit by bit on every pass.
I then used the fid to pull back in between the horizontal strands on cord just passed through by the spool.
Continue this sequence repeatedly and watch your belt grow before your eyes.
As you start to get closer to the end, the belt will tighten up as the weaving will reduce the slack. This also means the spool will soon not be able to pass through the gap. Take the cord off the spool and attach the fid to the end. Continue the sequence passing the fid along the chopstick until you can no longer make any more passes.
Remove the belt from the jig and tie off the paracord where you want it to end. Cut the cord by the knot and use the lighter to melt the cord back onto itself. Whatch your fingers! I lick mine first and give the melted end a quick press to seal, but you can use anything, even the side of the lighter, to press the melted cord. By melting it back onto itself it stops the knot undoing itself and unravelling your belt.
Next, i passed the leather belts through the buckle end and wrapped it around myself. This then showed me how much belt was needed for a snug fit. Mark with a pen/pencil and make sure each belt is marked the same so one isn't longer than the other.
My side release buckles were too narrow to fit the belt through, so you might not need to do this next bit.
To make the belt fit, i lined the buckle up and marked the inner edge of the loop hole. From here i drew a line to the end of the belt and cut with a ruler and knife.
WATCH THOSE FINGERS!!
I folded over the belt and marked where i wanted the eyelets to go. Using the ruler, i made sure this was the same on the second belt. I then used the punch tools to make holes in the belt and fitted one half of the eyelets to ensure they fit. I ended up using the knife to cut the holes out as my lever punch tool didn't have the size i needed and i didn't have much luck using the hammer punch tool (instructions below).
Using the wooden block to protect the table, i used the eyelet tool and hammer to set the washers to the already seated eyelets.
I then folded the belt over, fitted the Chicago screws through the eyelets and tightened.
And that is pretty much it all done. Punch more holes in the belts to adjust the fit and try it on.
I hope this helps anyone looking to make something similar. Any questions please feel free to ask as always.
Speeps.
