Workbench
Cutting a strap down at home without ruining it
A strap that runs too long around your waist is simple to trim down if you measure twice and cut the right end. Here is how we build them to be shortened.
Wear the belt before touching the shears
We build straps that arrive long so you can trim them down to fit your exact waistline. Belt widths across the range run 1 1/4″, 1 3/8″, 1 1/2″, and every strap behaves differently once it sits through your belt loops. Put the strap on, slide it through your buckle, and wear it around the house for an entire afternoon before you decide to trim off any leather.
Leather flexes and settles against pants fabric over several hours of normal sitting and standing. If you slice the strap the moment you take it out of the box, you will almost certainly take off too much. Once leather is cut, it stays cut, and we cannot add inches back to a short strap.
Releasing the clamp on the buckle
48 of our straps are built with detachable buckles that clamp directly over raw leather ends. Turn the buckle over to locate the small metal door or toothed lever holding the back of the strap. Pry this clamp open using a blunt butter knife or a flat tool so you do not gouge the metal casing.
Slide the strap out of the buckle housing entirely. You will see a straight, unfinished edge where the teeth bit into the leather. This raw end is the only side of the belt that should ever see a blade, keeping the finished tip intact on your hip.
Marking and making a straight cut
The most common mistake is slicing the tapered tip where the belt points out. Always cut the flat buckle end instead. Use a pencil and a small ruler to mark a line that sits square across the strap, taking off only an inch or two on your first attempt rather than guessing the total difference.
Lay the leather flat on a scrap piece of wood or a cutting mat. Take a sharp utility knife or heavy kitchen shears and cut through the strap in one single, steady stroke. A jagged or diagonal cut will sit crooked inside the buckle and can cause the teeth to grip unevenly under tension.
Clamping the hardware back into place
Slide the freshly cut leather edge back into the buckle throat until it stops firmly against the inner wall. Press the toothed clamp down hard with your thumb until it snaps completely flat against the leather. The teeth must sink deep into the strap so it will not slip free when pulled.
Thread the strap back through your trousers and test the fit once more. If the tail is still slightly long, repeat the process and remove another small section. Trimming twice is tedious, but it prevents you from ruining a strap by taking off too much in one slice.
Take small cuts from the buckle end, check the length against your waist, and remember that leather removed from a strap is gone for good.
