Crocodile (belt) Surgery - You May Find this Useful

I am posting this in case you have a favorite old strap that needs repairs.

An Australian man who recently moved to our neighbourhood brought in his belt for repairs.

Impressive crocodile. Rugged and supple. The croc skin is mounted to what looks like cowhide.

A reputable maker. The two layers were coming apart. The owner had it repaired by the local tailor. Looks like they simply put a bit of glue and hoped for the best. I sanded both pieces where they are to be bonded together. I used Barge cement. I used to buy big containers of cement but they eventually get very messy. Small tubes are more expensive but work well. Buy these at your local shoe repair or on-line. With a toothpick or similar device, apply cement to both pieces that are to be bonded together. Do not press tight right away. Let the cement breathe for a minute or two. Then press both ends together. I sometimes use clamps but in this case I put a leather strip to cover the belt, and put an anvil on the work for a few hours. Impressive belt. It’s good to let the cement cure for 24 hours. The pieces were coming apart near the belt holes. This will likely be an area of concern again, so I used my finest pricking irons for pilot holes. Very small ones… I perforated the entire belt with a small awl. Three holes per section. And with a thread that matches the low parts of the croc skin - between the armour- I stitched the areas near the belt holes. I used very small needles and although I will tell the owner that I stitched, I doubt that he would notice. But this will keep everything together. Photo of the needles on my watch to show how fine they are. And the belt will now be good for quite a while. Check out the finished work. There are a few areas with my nylon thread, but they are hard to spot. I burnished the side of the belt and also buffed it with beeswax. Follow this process with an old but precious strap and reach out if you need pointers.

Amazing!