Q. How are your custom belt buckles made?
A. Metal buckles are cast according to strict specifications. The metal Buckle is then sand blasted, primered, and spray painted. A photograph is selected from a large inventory (only Premium Grade Glossy Photo paper is used). For Custom orders, the customer supplied image is used. That image is altered (colors manipulated, others changes made as necessary, and it is resized to fit either a large or small Buckle), the photograph is then backed with an adhesive and inserted into the blank Buckle. A thick, steel-like layer of space age clear liquid plastic is poured over the photograph and the buckle, forever sealing them with a thick steel-like coating. This protects and preserves both the photograph and the buckle. All of these steps are done by hand--no assembly line machines are used in the construction of these Belt Buckle Pictures. Numerous small steps (Company proprietary information) are omitted here. These are trade secrets; but the major steps have been listed for your information. This product is protected by U.S. and other patents. These procedures may look simple but they are not; the entire process takes from 3-8 weeks to complete. Please allow 2-3 weeks for stock photos and 6-8 weeks for all Custom orders.
Q. How do I pay?
A. We accept Visa, MasterCard and PayPal through our secure shopping cart.
Q. How much do the Buckles cost?
A. Buckles are $45 each; additionally for a Custom Buckle (you supply the image) there is an addition one time fee of $20. There is only one set up fee for each image regardless of how many Buckles of that image is ordered.
Q. Can I use my favorite photograph, poster,etc.
A. That depends: If you own the "rights " to the image, then yes. If the subject matter lies in the Public Domain, then yes. If someone else owns the copy rights to the image, then no; unless you can acquire the copy rights.
Some examples: you took the photograph yourself - it is yours to do with as you please. It is a picture of a politician, public building, public owned property, the "Space Shuttle", etc. - you can use these images regardless of who took the photograph.
See Examples of Custom Made Belt Buckles We Made For Our Clients.
It is an image of a "professional athlete", a "rock star", or an image out of a magazine that the photographer has the copy rights to -- unfortunately you cannot use these photographs. If is it a recognizable individual, than a model release is required (all stock photo companies sell "royalty free photos" in which case a model release is not required).
There are thousands of "stock photograph" websites on the internet which sells millions of images of just about everything. You can purchase images as economically as $5. each; some web sites even offer free images. An excellent "free"site is geekphilosopher.com
which also list dozens of other free sites. An additional way of acquiring "free" images is to do a search concerning your favorite subject: for instance if your are interested in hummingbirds search for that--how about searching for (hummingbird photographs + free).
Q. Can I use my own belt and what kind of belt do I need?
A. In most cases the answer is yes. See the BELT page.
Q. Can I have letters superimposed on the images of the "stock" Buckles? How about colored letters and letters of different sizes? How about manipulation or changes to those images?
A. The answer is the same to all three questions; a one time set up fee is charged each time Custom work is done on an image, please see CUSTOM page.
Q. Can I have an object other than a photograph installed in a Buckle?
A. No, unfortunately we only utilize photographs to install in our Buckles; that is why we call them Belt Buckle Pictures.
Q. How long will it take for my Buckle to arrive?
A. Please allow 2-3 weeks for Buckles made from stock photographs, and 6-8 weeks for all Custom orders.
Q. How will my Buckle be shipped?
A. Each individual Buckle is placed between two pieces of cotton packaging material and placed in a gold gift box, the box is then placed inside of a insulated mailer. The package is sent "USPS Priority Mail"- 2-3 day delivery.
Q. Can I send a favorite black and white/ or color photograph via the mail to be used to make a Custom Belt Buckle?
A. Yes, To send a black and white/color photograph please use the shipping address:
Belt Buckle Pictures
827 Westmount Drive
Suite #4
West Hollywood, California
90069-4650
Include with Payment:
One Time Custom Buckle
Set Up Fee - $20.00 +
cost of Buckle(s) being ordered.
