The TIE Pilot Costume: Belt

Costume Quick Links

The belt consists of a 2" wide belt with a rectangular metal buckle and greeblie. Both the belt and buckle can be acquired from Tandy Leather:

Belt: item #44518-00 2" belt blank with snaps Buckle: item #116880 2" Rectangle Buckle Blank

Additional items to consider for the dyeing process, if you do not already have black leather dye and applicators:

Fiebings Pro Oil Dye 4 oz Black #2110-01
Jumbo 1" Wool Daubers 10 Pack #43081-000
Fiebings Resolene 4 oz #2270-01 finish
Fiebings Edge Kote 4 oz Black #2225-01
Fiebings Deglazer 4 oz. #2105-01

Clean the belt blank thoroughly, as with any item we will work with. If necessary, use the deglazer to clean off any surface finishes or waxes that may be on the belt.

Using long, even strokes, apply the dye to the leather. Work slowly to ensure a uniform color. Let the belt dry thoroughly and examine the finish. If undyed or thin patches remain, carefully apply more dye until the coloration is even.

Apply Edge Kote to the edges of the belt for more coverage.

When dry, apply the resolene as a finish with the same technique as the dye -- long, even strokes.

Finishing the Buckle

Upon arrival, the buckle from Tandy will be scuffed, scratched, and generally just seemingly in a used state. Tandy assumes that the purchaser will actually be mounting a new face to the buckle and thus, treats the buckle as nothing more than raw material.

A brushed-aluminum look will remove the grind marks, hide any remaining scoring, and give the buckle a satin appearance. Take a needle file and, working in a single direction going with the length of the buckle, file the metal down to smooth out the major divots from the factory grinding.

Next, go over the rest of the buckle with the file just to get the heavy scratching in place to achieve a "brushed" appearance, filing in the same direction. With the main texture in place, sand the face of the buckle. Start with 60 grit, then 120 grit, and finally 150 grit. When sanding, make sure that you sand only in the direction that you used with the file. Sanding further with finer grits (like 600) will start polishing the aluminum and all of the flaws in the metal started will show up again. A polished face does not hide imperfections very well.

Attaching the Greeblie

Upon finishing the buckle, the greeblie may be attached in one of two ways -- drill-and-screw, or epoxy. To attach the greeblie with a screw, drill a hole in the buckle to fit a 6-32 screw. Drill and tap the greeblie likewise with a 6-32 tap. Screw in a 6-32 machine screw to attach the two pieces and apply some Loc-Tite to seal the screw in place.

To epoxy the greeblie in place, use the 5-minute epoxy. Use half the amount of epoxy you think you may need -- apply a very small amount. Press the greeblie in place and allow the epoxy to cure.

To finish the buckle, apply some Future Floor Wax to prevent oxidation and protect the buckle.

Note: the answer to the obvious question of "Where do I find a greeblie?" is the usual second-hand market. Other pilots found success by constructing a series of washers.

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