Vintage OBT Belt

Vintage OBT Belt by Tanner Bates
The Buy Me Once Verdict

A truly unique belt Handmade in South Devon from vintage stirrup leathers; dark brown, waxy and extremely tough.

• Made from a limited run of vintage hides, originally tanned for stirrup leathers. Minor scratches and irregularities are a feature of the belt.
• “Full-grain” leather is unbuffed, retaining scars and blemishes from the animal and making each piece truly unique
• Exclusive 25 year repair guarantee for Buy Me Once customers*
• Avoid fastening the buckle if unsure about the size to prevent marking around the belt holes/edges. Please note that belts with signs of wear or damage may not be eligible for returns.
• Solid brass Walsall foundry buckle and hand-peened copper rivets
• Belt width 1.5”;  leather thickness 4.5mm
• Naturally tanned leather benefits from an occasional dose of natural leather wax; detailed 'leather care' information card included with every purchase.

Devon-based brand Tanner Bates are master leather craftsmen with a reverence for traditional technique, provenance and heritage. Though contemporary in design their pieces are truly one-of-a-kind, full of character and history and made to last a lifetime. The brand is known for their “specialty leathers,” often painstakingly sourced from smaller traditional tanneries across the UK and Italy, and their leathers are always full-grain, meaning they can bear small marks and imperfections from the animal the hide came from. Their pieces have the intoxicatingly strong smell of “real” leather, achieved through an age-old process of natural tanning using tree tree bark. It’s hard to find leather products constructed with more care and craftsmanship than these. 

*Tanner Bates offers free repairs within 25 years of purchase to Buy Me Once customers only, with a reasonable cost of repair thereafter. Does not include general wear and tear, colour fading or damage caused by inappropriate care, at the discretion of Tanner Bates.

From the Maker:

"On a recent visit to Bakers Oak Bark Leather Tannery, East Devon, I discovered a pile of very old Oak Bark Tanned Leather. The hides were originally tanned for stirrup leathers - 5mm thick and incredibly strong. They were rejected for minor surface scratching, left in a pile in a dark corner and forgotten for 50 years – nobody really knows for how long exactly.  I got carried away and made a bid for the lot! The hides are hand-dyed a very dark brown, waxy and smell strongly of leather – truly old-fashioned and labour intensive."