DIY Network

Rockin' Belt Buckles Michele Beschen shows how to make your own inlaid belt buckle. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-104

Scroll down to see how to make this great buckle!

You don't have to be a country music star to sport a custom inlaid belt buckle: You just need a few easy-to-find materials and this how-to from Michele Beschen, host of B. Original.

Michele loves to reuse materials, and this buckle is no exception: She used some old cherry flooring as the buckle's body. If you want to reuse a piece of hardwood flooring for your buckle, remove the tongue-and-groove edges and smooth out the grooves on the back. Your wood needs to be thicker than the piece of stone you will inlay, and also thick enough to accommodate your buckle hardware.

advertisement

Materials:

wood
non-slip work mat
thin slices of agate (available at gift shops, tourist attractions and airport shops)
Dremel multipurpose rotary tool with router attachment OR hand tools for carving wood
wood filler
goop household glue
polyurethane
sticky-tac
belt buckle backing (available at shops selling leather goods)
non-slip mat
safety glasses

Note: The finished dimension for Michele Beschen's wood was 4" x 2-3/4" x 5/8" thick. Make your wood as large or small as you like: It just needs to be thick enough to accommodate the thickness of the rock you're inlaying and the screws on the buckle hardware.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

• Place your wood block on a non-slip mat. Michele created a small frame to hold her wood securely while she worked.

• Place your agate where you want it inlaid and use sticky-tac to hold it in place.

• Trace around the agate and set it aside.

• Adjust your straight-edge router bit to the same thickness as your agate. Beginning in the center of your traced outline, router the agate shape into the wood (figure A). If you don't have a Dremel tool, you can carve and chisel the wood by hand.

• Set agate in place for a dry fit and router more as needed. You want the stone to fit as snugly as possible, but don't worry if you have some gaps around the edges: You can fill them in later with wood filler.

• Set the agate aside again and attach the belt buckle hardware to the back of the wood with small screws (figure B). Most buckle hardware includes screws.

• Secure your agate in place with contact adhesive and let dry (figure C).

• Fill in any gaps around your agate with wood filler that matches your wood. If you get any wood filler on your agate, be sure to wipe it away before it dries.

• Finish by sanding where needed and applying a couple of coats of polyurethane. Avoid putting polyurethane over the agate.

• You can embellish your buckle even more with wood stain, paint and even a wood-burning tool.

• These buckles are designed for belts that have an open/close snap closure on one end. You generally can find these at stores that sell leather goods or western wear. You can even buy belt blanks and B. Original with them as well!

RESOURCES :

Dremel Tools
Website: www.dremel.com