How to Make Custom Belt Buckles

You have your own sense of style and your own flair and you're truly unforgettable. If only there were stores that carry accessories to match your flash. Belt buckles in the retail world are a dime a dozen. Don't flock to specialty stores since with some ingenuity you can make your own custom belt buckles.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wood block
• Work mat
• Sticky-tac
• Thinly-sliced stone
• Pencil
• Wood-carving hand tools
• Belt buckle hardware
• Glue
• Wood filler
• Cloth
• Polyurethane
• Paint brush
• Safety goggles

Make a Custom Metal Belt Buckle

1. Decide on a design and decorations for how you want to put it together. Buy the belt buckle blanks and materials.

2. Follow the instructions on the jewellery cleaning solution to clean the belt buckle blank.

3. Put the belt buckle blank in a vice to hold it steady. Glue the decorations to it with metal adhesive, and let it dry.

4. Fasten the buckle to your belt.

Make a Custom Inlaid Wood Belt Buckle

5. Put the wood on a work mat and use sticky-tac to stick the stone where you want it inlaid.

6. Trace around the stone with a pencil and then set the stone aside.

7. Carve and chisel out the shape of the stone from the wood. Use the stone as a guide for depth as you go. You want the stone to fit snugly, but don't worry about small gaps around the edges.

8. Attach the belt buckle hardware to the back of the wood. Use the glue adhesive to set the stone into the front of the buckle. Let the adhesive dry.

9. Fill in any gaps around the edge of the stone with wood filler, and wipe any excess from the stone using a dry, clean cloth.

10. Apply a few coats of polyurethane to the wood but not to the stone.

Tips & Warnings

• Add paint, appliqués or use a wood-burning tool to customize the belt buckle further.
• Wear your safety goggles while you chisel the area to inlay the stone to keep wood chips and dust out of your eyes.

Resources

• Purchase belt buckle blanks