Building Boba: Ammo Belt

I got this awesome ammo belt from Delta Leatherworks in Poland back in July 2018.

I really dig this belt! The stitching, the color of the leather, the workmanship. I want to wear this everyday! It wouldn’t look weird, would it?

But, alas, the belt just looks too new. So I needed to weather it. (No video for this one. Sorry!)

Side note: I also ordered a sidearm holster from Delta Leatherworks. It is a lovely holster, but I didn’t use it in the end. The real holster was a Nemrod spear gun holster with its knife sheath cut off and its logo covered with tape. This leather replica is probably close enough for basic 501st approval, but I don’t think it will be approvable for tier 2. I’m not gonna use it, but I will try to find it a good home.

Sidearm Holster

Looking at the reference material, I couldn’t see much weathering on the Empire Strikes Back version. There’s much more weathering details on the Return of the Jedi version. But some weathering was still needed, otherwise it would look out of place, brand spanking new.

First I used sandpaper on all edges and folds. This is most noticable on the flaps of the pouches, but you can also see it on the belt. I also gave the leather som nics, dings and scratches with a highly advanced and technical tool: my finger nails. I then rumpled up the belt, twisted and bent it.

After a round of sanding

The GML still thought it looked too new, and suggested using hairspray and sand/dirt. So that’s what I did next. I sprayed on hairspray, rubbed on a handfull of sand, and whiped off the excess with a piece of cloth. And repeat.

My neighbors probably had some thoughts about this. I definetly got some weird looks, where I sat in the ditch digging around in the sand and spraying hairspray on a belt. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Tools and materials used:

  • Sandpaper, 240 grit
  • My finger nails
  • A cloth
  • Hairspray
  • Sand

I did test my acrylic paint weathering mix (see: flight suit or vest), but it dissolved the brown dye in the belt and left ugly spots, so I stopped.