Kidney belts

[MFP 2020]

I'm having a devil of a time finding something I like. I'm looking for a simple black leather kidney belt as seen on the "rapist" marauder, but the ones I'm finding are too ornate or too modern or too plastic or all of the above. I went to Tandy Leather today and they tried to sell me a piece of cowhide, but then I'm looking at dyeing and cutting and building the whole damn thing, and that's what I'm trying to avoid. Particularly when it's going to end up costing more than what I could get a pre-made one for. But if I can't find what I'm looking for, then what options do I have?



Any ideas/sources? It's not that I don't want to learn a valuable new skill like leather-working (and hole-punching and stud-placing), but my time is limited.

One more thing, costume experts: pyramid studs or those blunted spike-type studs? (And what's the proper term for those?) Thanks!

[Karol]

I know what it's like - I can never find anything I like either. No one sells simple things anymore.
If you don't want to do it yourself, then you should look into having it made for you. It may end up cheaper if you go with someone who already has a stock of leather and all of the tools and findings. It sucks having to buy a whole side of leather and tools just for one project.
I know of a couple places in LA, or I could even make one for you.
Most of the studs in MM2 are 3/8" cone studs.

[MFP 2020]

PM sent.

[Zarana-X]

Since all the Tandy stores closed down, finding material for stuff like this is a pain, especially stuff like the rivets, snaps, buckles and whatnot. You can probably find studs at some punk or metalhead stores, not Hot Topic, but independent stores.
I'm sure theres somethign online, but I never really looked.
I could make this, if I had all the mats and tools. Really all you would need to do it cheaply is a razor knife, a punch, (you can make one from a brass tube, and a die for the rivets. You can probably get a die from a biker shop, maybe some of the other bits, too. If you have dyed leather you can be cheap and dye the edge with shoe polish.
From 89-94 I used to make Punk/Metal/Bondage stuff like this for a "living" and airbrushed shirts. We made our stuff in the US, from real cow & elk hide. Our stuff showed up everywhere from Wayne's World, Power Rangers, and on Guns & Roses and Marylin Manson. (We devised a belt that was particualrly offensive to Christians, and I'm fairly certain I made this particualr belt cause noone else could use the drillpress to drill through the crucifixes without breaking them. that and we didn't make very many). Now all the leather gear comes from China & India from crappy leather.

[MFP 2020]

Spikes and Leather on eBay is a great source for inexpensive bulk studs. I've ordered several studded wristbands on the cheap because I'm just going to weather them anyway. At Tandy I was looking at $42 just for the leather; then there's dye and finish and studding and buckles, and labor, and at this point in my life I've finally learned the value (and convenience) of paying someone for his/her expertise instead of trying to do everything myself.

[Karol]

Zarana-X,
Tandy Leather has been back for years now. I've been going to Tandy for the last 7 years or so. You sure you don't have one out near you? They are also online.

As far as studs, why don't you guys try http://www.StudsandSpikes.com . Their bullet belts are the cheapest around. I like them so much I am doing a banner exchange with them. Tell them I sent you.

Like I say on my site, I go with the 3/8" cone studs they have for all of my MM2 stuff (I'm sure the 7/16" English 77's would be nearly identical if you just wanted the name.)

If you're going to put a lot of rivets in, I recommend investing the $15 or whatever to buy a good punch. I bought mine about 7 years ago and have used it hundreds if not thousands of times. I disagree as far as needing a dye (or rivet punch) for rivets - you can just hammer them straight in if you don't want to buy the tools (assuming we're talking about regular leather rivets).

Studs & Spikes sells an awl for making the holes to put studs in. I like to use it, but a razor works fine if you are only doing a couple projects.

[MFP 2020]

OK, here's the finished product. Karol did all the hard work (measuring, cutting, assembling); I studded it. I need to weather it, but it turned out so well that I'm hesitant.



Thanks, Karol!

[Karol]

FANTASTIC studding work! It looks so neat and symmetric!

[Max Replica]

Great work both of you guys.
Looks like you ended up with one that looks just like the one from the movie.

So, are you putting together a marauder outfit as well as your MFP outfit for Road Warrior Weekend?

[MFP 2020]

FANTASTIC studding work! It looks so neat and symmetric!

Aww, thanks. Up close it doesn't look quite so perfect. After the first arm cuff I did, I realized that I needed to stagger the studs. Now that I think about it, I could have spaced them out a little more. Live and learn.

Great work both of you guys.
Looks like you ended up with one that looks just like the one from the movie.

So, are you putting together a marauder outfit as well as your MFP outfit for Road Warrior Weekend?

Yessir, that's exactly what I'm doing. Playing both sides as it were. I was going to put my marauder costume on today for the first time, but I ran out of time. When I first decided to do a costume, I started putting together a sort of samurai armor deal made of rubber mud flaps (and did that silly Nerf shotgun). Then I thought I'd go more movie-inspired, but keep the armor and put working lights on it for nighttime. Then I got busy with other stuff. If there's another event, I think I'll build some pads with working lights.

In any case, I realize that many attendees won't care about the level of accuracy, but it's you guys that I'm hoping to impress.