Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Nickel-free belt buckle wanted
Q. I am searching for a nickel-free belt buckle for my young son. I have searched the web until I'm cross-eyed and I need some direction. Any volunteers with information would be greatly appreciated!
Suzanne B [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Waterford, Michigan
2003
Q. Suzanne,
Did you have any luck finding a nickel free belt. I am also looking for one for my daughter.
Judy L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Madisonville, Kentucky
2004
A. See letter 10826. Watch out for department store imported buckles labeled or stamped "solid brass" -- they may contain considerable nickel. I've had good luck with some from Lands End, bought a few years back.
Bill Waslo- Cincinnati, Ohio
2003
Q. Hi,
Anybody had any luck getting a nickel free belt. I recently developed rash around my belly, which is getting worse. I would greatly appreciate if you could let me know if you have any information.
Thanks many.
Tiffany L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]student - Niskayuna, New York
2004
A. I am from Canada and have the same problem as you guys. But here is a company in Canada, near me, that supplies belt buckles, nickel free (solid brass). You can call them to order and ask them if those are really nickel free. I will definitely do this!
Leathersmith Designs Inc., Dartmouth, NS, Canada
Pascal Furlong- Moncton, NB, Canada
2004
Q. I am 15 years old and ever since I was 12 I have been getting a nasty rash on my stomach and I can't find a belt that is nickel free. I found nickel free jewelry but no luck with belts if anyone has a site please let me know I'm desperate!
Kristie D [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- New Lenox, Illinois
2004
A. Try nonickel for nickel free belts. They have a decent selection.
Chris Hall- St. Louis, Missouri
2004
Q. Hey Guys,
Did anyone ever find out where we can get nickel free belts. My son is only 7 and has be diagnosed with a nickel allergy. I have been on the web searching for a long time. I did however, find a belt on shopping.com which has a canvas belt with a plastic closure, now that I think of it it looks like those dog collars you can get which has a plastic closure which clips together! How are you guys working around the jeans buttons? They are nickel, too!
Tania A [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Nova Scotia, Canada
2004
A. For the buttons on jeans take those round band aids and put them on it. The other option is to take a thick piece of fabric and double it and sew it around the button on the belt so that you don't get the rash. I am still searching for a belt buckle. It is hard when you have this allergy.
Good luck everyone.
Lynd H [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Toronto, Ontario
2004
Q. Well, I am in the same boat as everyone else here... and frankly I'm fed up with the lack of options (I'm an information mole, and believe me there isn't much out there). So what on earth does this mean? Well, I'm a creative gal. Jane of creative trades if you will, esp. fashion. SO, I shall keep you posted. It seems my interest in producing wearable products may be taking a new twist now that I too am a part of the nickel allergy club. I'm gonna start researching this and see where it takes me :)
Xan Angellika- New Jersey
2005
Q. I've had this rash for a really long time now and I've tried not to wear belts but is practically impossible to not ... Could painting the belt buckle work?
Chelsea Berry- Southwick, Massachusetts
2005
A. Yes. Coating the belt buckle with either nail polish or polyurethane has been reported to work on some dermatology forums. It's a temporary solution since it will wear out though. Probably any will work.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005
Q. Could you try to tape up the buckle with invisible scotch tape?
Bert Slinger- Richmond, BC, Canada
2005
A. I just wanted to let everyone know I searched and searched for nickel free belts and finally found them at nonickel.
Frank Frank- Chicago, Illinois
2005
Q. Thanks for posting on the belts, but I need nickel free jeans. If anyone has any clue on where I can get this next to impossible to find item, please let me know. You know its really hard to be a teenager during the summer with swimming and everything with this allergy. I'm glad I'm not the only person though, because in my school I am, and I hate it. But yeah, just if anything on jeans is found post something please! (and if I find anything I'll post too!) Thanks.
Anna P. [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2005
A. I haven't had any luck finding jeans without nickel in them. I found it best to paint the button with clear nail polish once every couple of weeks. I haven't gotten this to work with belt buckles since the surface area is greater than on a button though.
Kathy W [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- La Crosse, Wisconsin
2005
A. Hi. There are jeans that most likely do not feature nickel but they are very expensive. Some of them have silver and some have gold. You can research the more expensive and usually higher quality brands via thesuperfuture.com forums, just ask any that feature buttons which are unlike nickel (gold, silver, copper). I have a pair of Levi's which use a copper rivet button. You could also sew a patch over the spot were it contacts the skin.
As for a belt, again, you will probably have to fork out some cash to get one that does not feature nickel. Your best bet is to call up the company that makes the products and ask if they have any that do not feature this metal.
- Westmont
2005
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Ed. note March 2022: Sorry, that domain name is for sale
A. I found a website that has information on nickel allergy including non-allergy earrings.
tlcearrings.com
- Branson, Missouri
2005
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Ed. note March 2022: Sorry, that domain name does not appear to be on line anymore
A. My son has the same rash problem as everyone else on this site. We finally found a belt solution. At Kohl's you can get a Braided Leather Belt made by Dockers. The belt buckle is covered with the same leather as the belt. It comes in either black or brown. The smallest size is 32" so it doesn't work too well for the young ones. He still hasn't grown into his yet but it beats having rashes on the stomach. I hope this helps.
William Freed- Loomis, California
2006
A. We were told yesterday by a dermatologist that once nickel gets into one's system, it takes a long time to go away ... months and maybe even longer!
I, too, sew a double layer of felt over all the rivets in my granddaughter's jeans and she still breaks out.
The doctor said this doesn't work, that the nickel still will seek through.
We all need to write all the jeans companies and complain. It's just not fair to all of those that suffer this allergy.
My husband's answer is just make her wear sweats or cottons. Try telling this to a teen in this fashion-conscience society! She'd prefer the itchy rash.
- Georgetown, Kentucky
2006
A. I've had a nickel allergy for about 25 years now I'm 33. While growing up it was impossible to find jeans that I could wear. My rashes got so bad that I still have scaring on my belly. However, my mother did come up with a solution that has been working great for the last 25 years.
For Jeans: Iron-on patches work great for any exposed metal on jeans. You can buy a large piece and cut them into small 1" x 1" squares. They work great trust me. Get the thicker kind.
For belt buckles and eye wear: Try titanium or stainless steel. It works great for me.
Hope this helps!
- Cincinnati, Ohio
2007
A. Hi,
My 6 year old daughter also suffers from a nickel allergy. We have tried many different things for the snaps on her jeans. The best that I have come up with, are the waterproof band aids from Nexcare. They also come in children's versions with characters on them, they are called
Nexcare Tattoo band aids. They will stay on the pants for at least 2-3 washes. They work very well. We are still searching for the right belt and a good pair of earrings. I even bought her platinum earrings and she still broke out in a rash. I did find a watch at Disney that was completely plastic. Even the battery on the back was covered.
Good luck to all with this problem. It is heartbreaking to watch your child cry because they can't wear the same things as everyone else. Hopefully, we can find some good solutions.
- New Milford, Connecticut
2007
A. I have the same problem and got a belt at www.nickel-free.net.
- Monroe, Wisconsin
2007
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Ed. note March 2022: Sorry, that domain name is for sale
by Robert D. Friedel
on AbeBooks
or eBay or
Amazon
(affil links)
A. Hi. I have the same problem as others here and I found some information on which type of clasps to look for. Look for the "YCC" logo on the metal (buttons, clasps, snaps, zipper pulls, etc.)! Growing up, I remember noticing that most of my clothing had "YCC" on the metal parts and in retrospect, I never had a problem with this allergy. Lately, after developing this nickel allergy, I've noticed that NONE of my metal clasps have the "YCC" logo. I've added information (below) that I've found in my search. (Note: Not ALL Walmart products have YCC metal clasps... I have plenty of shorts from WalMart that I cannot wear so, check the clasp!)
I wanted to post here since I just made the connection (no allergy with "YCC" metal while younger and now, their website stating such!) I have not yet tested this ... will look for "YCC" clasped jeans first thing tomorrow!
Anyway, the following is what I've found on another site when I searched "Ask.com" with the words: "nickel" & "jeans." (cut & pasted below):
says their products are nickel-free, and are used by Kenneth Cole, Wal Mart, etc.
You may want to look for the YCC brand on zippers and buttons, or try contacting them directly to identify particular clothing lines that use their products.
I feel for those w/ little ones w/ this allergy... my toddler son has not yet shown any signs. Do a search on "Nickel" and "Allergy" and or "belts" and you will find places to purchase nickel-free belts.
Take care and God Bless!
- Sacramento, California
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Ed. note March 2022: That domain still exists but has been re-arranged and that URL isn't found.
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