Well, first off let me say that this is TRUELY a budget belt. But it came out looking a lot better than expected. The items i used for it were:
-1/4" Poly Rope (50yards) - got it at walmart for about $3.50, camo colored
-Red Oxide Primer spraypaint - walmart for 95 cents
-2 belts (i had 2 of exactly the same type that did not fit me already at my house, so i used those
-popsicle sticks (you'll see)
-needle and thread
1.) What i did first was cut the rope into 14 strands of all the same length, i then used TK409's method of sewing them into 2 blocks of 7 strands each, by passing thread through the ropes at various points. At the end of this step, your left with what looks like 2 mini rope belts, both only 7 strands thick.
2.) I used the popsicle sticks to help the belt keep a more rigid shape. After i had the two halves together, i lined them up next to eachother and hot glued popsicle sticks accross the two at various points, since its poly rope, the hot glue gets a great hold on the poly rope. I did it at 6 points spread out accross the back of the belt, enough so that the strands would keep their positions, but also so that the belt could freely flex and bend to go around someone's waist.
3.) next i just took it out back and sprayed the entire thing down with red oxide primer spray paint. I used heavy coats on it, and then just let it sit for about an hour, then came back to give it another coat, as well as a liiiittle bit of black misting. After it dries the rope maintains its original integrity all except for the fact that its texture is now a bit rough, instead of smooth like it was before. All and all however the paint doesn't bog the rope up.
4.) Next came attaching the belt parts to each side, i chopped up my belts, cut off the buckle ends, and cut off the opposite ends wit hthe holes in them. Then just simply attached them to either side of the belt with a mixture of thread and hot glue. I also put 2 staples through each part of the belt and into the end popsicle stick to make sure it was holding on even better.
The pictures show the finished product. Now although the construction is not very accurate at all, the finished product (sitting under your amo belt and being pretty much what looks like a coil of rope) is decently accurate. I think im going to reconstruct mine to make it a little longer for my waist, but i think im pretty happy the way it turned out.
