Drilling holes in belt?

[SaviorSelfJT]

Hello, I've recently grown out of my belt (inzer 13 mm, forever buckle), and i was wondering if i could drill extra holes in the belt, to allow more room for me.


I have a very expensive drill press, and suficient drill bits.


Som my question is, would this work? I know on really thin, soft pieces of leather, the drill bit can tear the leather, but would that happen on one of these belts?

Any advice you can give me before attempting?

[.Excalibur]

Make sure you have the belt clamped down really tight, and close to the hole insertion point.

If theres some kind of lubricant, use it.

Use a new drill bit, im guessing the size needed is a 3/8"
Start with a small drill bit, and work up to the largest one.


Set the drill press to a very high speed, and drill very slowly.

Once done, possibly sand the inside bore, very finely(not sure on this)?

[MegaDave]

It'll be fine...

I've done it with a cheap power drill with a burnt out tip lol.

[spiderman997]

Take it to a leather shop. They will punch perfect holes in it either for free, or for 2-3 bucks. It's less than a minute of labor for them, and you get holes that are the perfect size.

[SaviorSelfJT]

Okay. I have two more questions:


1. Will the extra holes not make the belt legal in competition?

2. Can the extra holes compromise the structural integrity of the belt?

[Newbtime]

take it to a shoe repair shop or some where that deals with leather and have them punch holes... drilling the holes will probably cause the suede on the outsides to fray..

Okay. I have two more questions:


1. Will the extra holes not make the belt legal in competition?

2. Can the extra holes compromise the structural integrity of the belt?

if you drill the holes correctly it will look like it was made that way.... not all belt manufacturers have the same # of holes, and there is not an approved list for belts.... any leather 10-13 mm 4" power belt is allowed in all comps.

dont drill the holes any closer together than the ones the belt came with and youre fine






P.S, if you have an economy belt, drilling holes in it could really mess it up. (they are like 4-7 layers of thin leather sewn together) drilling a hole in it may cause the leather to fray, and you may end up ramming the prong inside the belt and separating the layers..... I'd only drill holes in good belt, not an econo.

[.Excalibur]

Okay. I have two more questions:


1. Will the extra holes not make the belt legal in competition?

2. Can the extra holes compromise the structural integrity of the belt?

Im sure that more holes will slightly decrease the tensile strength, but i dont think there will be a problem. As for the legality, i have no idea

take it to a shoe repair shop or some where that deals with leather and have them punch holes... drilling the holes will probably cause the suede on the outsides to fray..

thats true. im not even sure if a shoe repair shop would have such a punch........a pneumatic punch is the only was i could ever imagine going through that kind of material, or drilling.