♪♪
Narrator:
BELTS HAVE BEEN WORN WITH
DIFFERENT TYPES OF GARMENTS
SINCE THE INVENTION OF CLOTHES.
MADE TO CINCH YOUR WAISTLINE,
THIS ACCESSORY IS WORN
WITH PANTS, SHIRTS,
ROBES, OR DRESSES,
MAKING A FASHIONABLE
ADDITION TO ANY OUTFIT.
DURABLE AND FLEXIBLE,
LEATHER IS A CLASSIC MATERIAL
USED FOR BELT MAKING.
THIS PRODUCTION FACILITY
MANUFACTURES STYLISH,
HIGH-QUALITY BELTS
AT TOP SPEED.
♪♪
A DESIGNER CREATES A BELT
PATTERN ON HER COMPUTER
AND SENDS THE DESIGN
ELECTRONICALLY
TO THE IN-HOUSE
LASER ETCHING MACHINE.
A CRAFTSMAN PLACES
A COWHIDE ON A LARGE TABLE.
HE EXAMINES THE HIDE
FOR ANY FLAWS
AND CAREFULLY MARKS EACH ONE.
THE COWHIDES ARE MADE
FROM MEAT INDUSTRY BYPRODUCTS
AND MOST ARE SOURCED FROM ITALY.
♪♪
A DEVICE SCANS
THE SHAPE OF THE HIDE
AND THE CRAFTSMAN DIGITALLY
MARKS THE LOCATION OF THE FLAWS.
A SPECIALIZED CUTTING MACHINE
USES THE MARKED INFORMATION
TO CREATE AN EFFICIENT
SERIES OF CUTS.
THIS PROCESS RESULTS
IN A HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCT
WITH MINIMAL WASTE.
♪♪
ANOTHER TECHNICIAN SORTS
THE VARIOUS BELT LENGTHS
INTO CONTAINERS,
PREPARING THEM FOR
THE NEXT STEP.
THE CUTTING MACHINE
IS CAPABLE OF SLICING
UP TO 2,400 BELTS PER DAY.
THE CUTTING MACHINE CREATES
STRAIGHT, SHARP-EDGED STRIPS.
THE TECHNICIAN FEEDS
THE BELTS INTO A MACHINE
THAT BEVELS THE EDGES,
AT THE RATE OF 6,000 PER DAY.
♪♪
AT THE NEXT STATION, A SERIES
OF SMALL SUCTION DEVICES
QUICKLY LIFT AND PLACE EACH
BELT ON A CONVEYOR SYSTEM.
♪♪
A STAMPING MACHINE
ACCURATELY CUTS THE SHAPE
OF THE BELT TIP
AND THE HOLES FOR THE PRONG.
♪♪
THE CRAFTSMAN STACKS
A GROUP OF BELTS
AND PACKS THEM TIGHTLY TOGETHER.
THEN, HE DYES THE EDGES WITH INK
AND SANDS THEM DOWN.
♪♪
THESE STEPS COMPLEMENT
THE EDGE-DYEING MACHINE PROCESS,
WHICH CAN ADD COLOR
TO THE BELT EDGES.
♪♪
THEN, THE BELTS ARE TRANSFERRED
TO A DRYING MACHINE.
THE EDGES MUST BE
COMPLETELY DRY
BEFORE THEY MOVE
TO THE NEXT STEP.
♪♪
POWERED BY WORLD WAR II
JEEP ENGINES,
A ROTATING WOODEN DRUM
TUMBLES THE BELTS
WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY
BURNISHING THE LEATHER.
THIS TYPE OF MACHINERY COMES
FROM ITALY'S FAMOUS
LEATHER-WORKING REGION.
♪♪
THIS IMPORTED MACHINE,
FROM MILAN,
RAPIDLY PUNCHES OUT
THE PATTERN OF PERFORATIONS,
WHICH MAKE UP THE BELT'S
SIGNATURE DESIGN ELEMENTS.
SINCE THE MACHINE'S DIE
IS LESS THAN 20 INCHES LONG,
THE COMPLEX PATTERN ALONG THE
BELT CAN'T BE STAMPED AT ONCE.
INSTEAD, THE MACHINE PUNCHES OUT
A SECTION AT A TIME,
RESULTING IN A PRODUCTION RATE
OF 1,400 BELTS PER DAY.
♪♪
A LASER-ETCHING MACHINE
BURNS A SECOND PATTERN
INTO THE LEATHER SURFACE.
THIS PATTERN WAS CREATED
BY THE DESIGNER
PRIOR TO PRODUCTION.
♪♪
AT THE NEXT STATION,
A CRAFTSWOMAN FILLS THE HOLES
OF A SPECIALLY CRAFTED
TWO-PART METAL DIE
WITH NAIL HEADS.
THE NAIL HEADS ARE MADE
OF ZINC WITH A BRASS FINISH.
♪♪
USING A PRESS,
AN OPERATOR PLACES THE DIE
IN A WAITING REPOSITORY.
SHE REMOVES THE TOP HALF,
ENSURING THAT ALL OF THE HOLES
ARE FILLED WITH NAIL HEADS.
♪♪
THEN, SHE TURNS
THE BELT AROUND
AND PLACES IT OVER THE DIE
BEFORE SLIDING THE BELT
INSIDE THE PRESS.
♪♪
THE PRESS AFFIXES THE NAIL
HEADS TO THE LEATHER.
BEFORE ATTACHING THE BUCKLE,
THE BELTS GO THROUGH
A PROCESS CALLED SKIVING.
♪♪
THIS DEVICE SHAVES OFF
A SECTION OF THE LEATHER
SO THAT, WHEN IT'S FOLDED OVER,
IT WON'T BE TOO THICK.
♪♪
A LOOP IS ATTACHED
TO THE END OF THE BELT,
FOLLOWED BY A BUCKLE.
THE CRAFTSWOMAN
USES THE LOOP
TO TEMPORARILY HOLD
THE BUCKLE AND TAG IN PLACE.
THE TAG CONTAINS THE BELT'S
SIZE, PRICE,
AND BRAND INFORMATION.
♪♪
ANOTHER CRAFTSWOMAN SEWS THE
BELT BUCKLE AND TAG IN PLACE,
USING 69-WEIGHT THREAD
AND A BAR-TACKING STITCH.
THIS FACILITY MANUFACTURES
NEARLY 10,000 BELTS PER DAY.
♪♪
THIS INTRICATE LEATHER
FASHION ACCESSORY
MIGHT BE A CINCH TO WEAR,
BUT NOT TO MAKE.
♪♪
