Leather belt construction

[PhilusEstilius]

I noticed that Byron mentioned bellcaps for securing rivets in leatherwork, I have only recently come up with a system for posting links and pics'. I have an original bellcap on a Roman horse bronze which I shall photograph and push out soon. There is much evidence for the use of these things in Roman times, and indeed they can be considered as an engineering innovation. They can only have been invented by a craftsman who understood the art of riveting, for they greatly reduce the amount of riveting poundage to about 10% of that required for a flat washer. They are semicircular domes with a hole punched in the top of them, it is the punching of this hole that creates a countersink for the rivets being used. These things are around only 4 to 6mm diameter across their base, and when the rivet is tapped down into the countersink it gives a nice 2mm high curved appearance that slides over armour and does not snag.