My belt is too big, and it is apparently made out of the toughest suede and leather-like material available, because the previous implements I've used have not helped me to make a new hole:
1. a hole puncher. Which I need to return to our department secretary.
2. a pocketknife. Honestly, it would not puncture the belt.
So today, after doing a bunch of writing and emailing, and still having time leftover before I needed to come to campus for a slate of meetings, I ventured down to the newly organized basement in search of harder core tools for the job. It turned out that three tools used in order can make a nice new belt hole:
1. an awl. This tool is apparently for carpetmaking, and I have no idea why we have one, but we do. It's also useful for making a small--too small, it turns out--puncture in a belt.
2. a drill. The awl gave me the drill idea, which I thought was brilliant. And the leather just stepped aside. Still, the bit I have in the drill is the teeny one I'm using for cabinet refurbishing, and so I was hesitant (and too impatient) to change it. But the drill got me thinking about other possibilities, and the final combo worked beautifully:
3. A big screw with an electric screwdriver. I think 1 and 3 would have worked just as well in tandem, but #2 was necessary in my thought process.
I thought of going online and seeing if anyone sells a belt hole maker, but after the tsk tsking from Rice over the panini maker, I figured I gots to earn his respect.
[Update]:
Spencer's image contribution is priceless, so I'm elevating it from the comments. See, it turns out that the only problem with the hole puncher was that the punch-part was too blunt. So at base yours was a really good idea, John. I just needed this thing:
What's great about it is the choice of puncture widths. And that it looks like a prehistoric sea animal.
