So you have decided that you just had to make your own belt buckle. After all, a custom-made belt buckle proclaims your individuality and unique fashion style. The belt buckle can be designed after your own specifications. You can then decide whether you want an additional finish or just go with the natural polish or add color to the buckle’s recessed areas, raised areas or both. Available finishes include antique or bright brass, antique or bright silver or antique or bright copper).
Custom belt buckles are made from molten metal. The most common metal used would be pewter or zinc. Both have their own advantages and benefits.
Pewter or zinc?
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why pewter or zinc can make a great customized belt buckle:
Zinc
Cost. Zinc is cheaper than pewter and works best for companies or organizations who want belt buckles on a budget. Or those who want to sell the belt buckles as part of their fund-raising campaign.
Quality. Zinc can be quite durable, with some consider it stronger than pewter. In fact, even if zinc is thinned to a plate, it still retails its strength. Inola Castings only used high quality zinc to provide you with belt buckles that you can enjoy for a long time.
Options for finishing. Zinc belt buckles provide a lot of options for finishing. You can choose from antique or bright gold, antique or bright silver or antique or bright copper. Another option will be to add color to the design to mimic a company logo.
Safety. Zinc is produced and processed in an environmentally friendly manner and contains very little or no lead content.
Pewter:
Great design detail. The quality of pewter allows greater sculpturing since it is malleable. It is best used for multi-level designs that aim for a 3-dimensional effect. The metal also works well for slightly curved surfaces.
Quality. Pewter is a strong and durable metal; it is an alloy that is traditionally made with tin (85% to 99%), as well as a mixture of bismuth, antimony and copper, rather than lead. You can be sure your belt will last for a long time. Pewter is considered as a semi-precious metal. The belts are made usually by spin casting using centrifugal force, or by hammering. The modern pewter used is resistant to tarnishing and keeps it color and sheen for a long time.
Shine and texture. Pewter produces a naturally bright surface when polished, similar to natural silver. You can further enhance this by adding color since the bright surface makes for a great backdrop for colored details. You still have the option of choosing a different type of finishing (i.e. antique brass or bronze), but this is usually not used for this metal.
Safety. Inola Castings uses only high-quality, modern pewter for its custom buckles. The pewter used has little or no lead.
Custom belt buckles provide you with an excellent opportunity to express your individuality and fashion sense. It can really cinch that look that you’re aiming for. You can be quirky and kitschy (with a wide range of cartoon character, superhero or computer game character), nationalistic (with images of the stars and stripes or the symbol of the American eagle) or formal (with a belt buckle finished in jewel tones).