Ray's Handmade Leather Belt
Ray's Handmade Leather Belt
Handmade in Yoakum, Texas โ Since 1946
Ray Vandiver is 74. His grandfather opened this shop in 1946. His father ran it next. Ray has cut every strap since 1979. After him there is nobody.
โMy father handed this shop to me. There is nobody for me to hand it to.โ
Ray Vandiver, Vandiver Belt & Strap
What Arrives
Cut and finished by hand. No holes.
Poured and struck in the shop. Pick one of three.
How to cut it to your size. Takes a minute.
Comes free with the Eagle.
Three Buckles That Never Stopped Selling
Solid brass plate, cut deep. Brown strap with a crocodile pattern.
Open frame. Wings across the whole width. Cognac strap with scrollwork. Keyring included.
Open frame, mid-stride. Dark red strap, stitched edge. The only one Ray has never had returned.
What Makes It Different
A fine toothed track runs inside the strap. The buckle locks every quarter inch. Four settings per inch instead of one. You are never stuck between two holes.
Ray cuts every strap in one pass. If he stops, the edge keeps a mark for good. So he does not stop.
Ray wets the leather. Then he cuts the pattern with a swivel knife and deepens every line with a mallet. Nothing is printed on.
The edge is rubbed smooth with heat, not painted. Paint flakes off. A rubbed edge just gets darker.
Nothing is cut out of the strap. So there is no thin ring to stretch and split. That is where belts fail.
Cut it to length at the kitchen table in about a minute, then click the buckle back on. The belt fits you, not the other way round.
โI look at two things first. The edge, and the hardware. A smooth, rubbed edge means somebody took time on a part the customer will never mention. And a strap with no holes takes away the most common reason belts fail. That is not styling. That is how it is built.โ
Marguerite Doss, leather goods appraiser, Fort Worth, Texas
Worn For
What You Are Buying
- One pair of hands. Ray has cut every strap that left this shop since 1979.
- Carved, not printed. The pattern goes in by hand while the leather is damp.
- No holes. The spot where belts normally tear does not exist here.
- Quarter-inch steps. Four settings per inch. It sits where you want it.
- Eighty years, ending. When the shelf is empty there is no second run.
Wear it for a month. If it is not right, send it back and get your money back. One email to info@cedarandtinco.com is enough. No form. No reason needed.
Please note: the strap comes long on purpose. Cut it to your size with normal scissors, then click the buckle back on. It takes about a minute. Every strap is cut and carved by hand, so the grain, the pattern depth and the edge colour vary a little. That is not a flaw. That is why it looks like this.
Details
| Material | Leather strap, pattern carved by hand, stitched and rubbed edge |
| Buckle | Ratchet buckle in antique brass, poured and struck in the shop. Dragon, Eagle or Tiger |
| Adjustment | Toothed track. Locks every quarter inch. No holes |
| Width | About 1.4 in (3.5 cm) |
| Length | Comes long. Cut to size at home. Fits up to about 49 in / 125 cm |
| Included | Belt and fit card. Keyring with the Eagle. |
| Care | Wipe with a dry cloth. Keep it off radiators and out of water. |
| Made in | Vandiver Belt & Strap, Yoakum, Texas. Open since 1946 |
| Left | 94 belts across all three buckles. No second run. |