How to cover up scratches on a belt?

[BehindBlueI's]

I put a nasty scratch on the belt i normally wear for work while taking a holster off. I'm not sure what happened, but it wore through the finish quickly. Any recommendations on how to cover the scratch? Is it feasible to re-dye the leather somehow and it not look like butt?

 

[SSGSAD]

NOT to be a smart A, but google may be your friend .....

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Probably 90% of the posts here that don't involve Rhino cutting himself can be resolved via Google or Armslist, but I'd rather see what people I know to have a track record on giving good info have to say, as opposed to random interwebs folks have to say about the topic. If that fails, off to Google I go.

 

[chezuki]

I put a nasty scratch on the belt i normally wear for work while taking a holster off. I'm not sure what happened, but it wore through the finish quickly. Any recommendations on how to cover the scratch? Is it feasible to re-dye the leather somehow and it not look like butt?

Black belt or brown? If brown, the scratch is likely to absorb more dye than the surrounding leather effectively highlighting the scratch rather than covering it.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Brown, and a pretty light brown.

 

[vitamink]

As I see it, this is the perfect opportunity to either:

A. Buy a new belt
B. Stop wearing pants.

As you can see I scratched my belt a long time ago.

 

[Gabriel]

Do they make Kiwi Leather Scuff cover in the color of your belt (it says it comes in brown, but that may not be light enough)? I use it for my duty belts and boots, but they are black. It covers scratches and worn spots quite well.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

As I see it, this is the perfect opportunity to either:

A. Buy a new belt
B. Stop wearing pants.

As you can see I scratched my belt a long time ago.

You know, I don't see anything in General Orders about detectives having to wear pants. Tie and have jacket available, no denim...seems like I'm good.

Just not sure where to hook the radio....

 

[printcraft]

You know, I don't see anything in General Orders about detectives having to wear pants. Tie and have jacket available, no denim...seems like I'm good.

Just not sure where to hook the radio....

Just get a belly chain and hook it on there.

 

[chezuki]

You know, I don't see anything in General Orders about detectives having to wear pants. Tie and have jacket available, no denim...seems like I'm good.

Just not sure where to hook the radio....

Keister it.

 

[vitamink]

Prison wallet. It may sound muffled though.

 

[chezuki]

Prison wallet. It may sound muffled though.

Muffled is better than echoey.

 

[actaeon277]

Trying to blend would be difficult.
You could try a light dye. Have a rag available when applying. Leave dye on only a short time, then wipe. The longer you leave dye on, the darker it gets (to a point). Let sit to check color.
Repeat with longer times if needed.
When close enough, reseal.

 

[jzwhts]

Sharpie, they come in every color you can think of.

 

[tradertator]

Keister it.

Prison wallet. It may sound muffled though.

That's what the shoulder mic is for

 

[Cameramonkey]

You guys arent right in the head.




I LOVE it here!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Keister it.

......no.

 

[Vigilant]

In all seriousness, how light brown, and how bad are the scratches? Surely with your background, you know the quick easy fix is shoe polish, but depending on the severity of the scratches, and the value of the belt, then look at a leather dye that is a couple of shades lighter than the belt, then, apply sparingly a first coat (very light) for color match, then go from there! Or, keister it...

 

[Bfish]

BBI, even if you color the scratch correctly how bad is the scratch? I had this happen to some boots and it became a bad wear point.

I would try putting mink oil (on the whole belt maybe) on just the scratch as it'll help with it, but it does change color where it's applied and darkens greatly. Anything made for leather boots I'd think would work well. I have zero experience with this and belts but I have had issues such as this with many pairs of boots.

A friend of mine had this happen to a horse saddle and they used some form of tanning substance I think it was, or something for serious leather treatment. After that he just conditioned it as normal like he would to the whole thing and while you could see the scratch I was impressed with the after effect. I will shoot him and text and see what he used...

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The scratch where the holster sat was bad enough it was completely through the finish and into the fibers of the leather. Where it slid off wasn't nearly as bad. I used leather conditioner and let it dry and then used a darker brown shoe polish and then another treatment of leather conditioner. There was no way to keep it it's original finish and lessen the scratch that I could figure out. It's quite a bit darker now but I'm sure it will lighten up some as the leather conditioner dries. If you know where to look you can still see the indentation, but anyone that close probably isn't doing a belt inspection anyway.

So, I won't have to clinch to key up the radio, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.