A Smooth Solution to A Thorny Problem - Displaying Belts

[Fiziwater]

Here's the lazy-man's solution for easily displaying cartridge belts.
The only, and I mean, ONLY, display space I had left in my small war room was on doors.
So, I used the Elfa system from the Container Store to mount 12 cartridge belts.
I'm still hunting for two of the twelve belts, so "Future" labels serve as placeholders.

 

The set-up includes the door hooks (clamps, really) that secure an 84" long metal vertical piece called a "standard".

Tension, coming from the top and bottom door hooks, firmly holds the standard.

No holes need to be made in the door. No tools are needed at all.

All components snap together.

This means that if you move, you can unsnap it and take it all with you, or move it to a different door.
From the standard I hung four 18"x15" metal wall boards. That's the maximum that will fit vertically.

Each wall board holds three cartridge belts, using 4 plastic board hooks per belt.

 

The second shot is a close-up of how the plastic white hooks are arranged (here for a future belt).
Three support the belt from below.
One fits between the buckled belt tips to keep the belt from falling over onto the floor, even when opening and closing the door.

 

The third shot is a close-up of how the belts snug between the upper and lower hooks.

Prior to this, the belts were piled on top of each other in a glass case too small for spreading them out.

 

With this set-up I can view them all at one time.
Even my wife, who rolls her eyes every time a new militaria item arrives in the mail, was impressed!

 

I've also used this system on a wall for mounting bayonets and scabbards.

If I ever get around to posting my war room photos, there's a good shot of that to be seen.

 

All the components used to mount these belts cost a total of around $100.

That's for the door hooks, one standard, four wall boards and 48 of the little plastic hooks.

It was a fun little project that took a matter of minutes to complete.

[Old Marine]

That’s a great collection and an ingenious display solution.  Thanks for the photos.

[jmd62]

Very nice collection and thanks for sharing the great idea!

[Greginva]

I like it...great idea!

[Fiziwater]

Glad you guys like it. I erred when I said no tools are needed. Just one is: a 5/16th inch hex wrench for tightening the standard. There's one hex screw that goes at the bottom of the door, so its easy to get to and turn. If anyone mounts one of their own, post a pic!

[mruiz]

love it, man

[conn]

i remember an old time (ww2) marine, and collector had displaced his war belt collection on a stack of spackle cans with a usmc blankets wrapped around the white plastic cans , they were stacked 6 ft high, it looked good

[Backtheattack]

I used perforated plates, they looked like the one you used, in different ways for a display of items, used it for belts, sports items like baseball bat and something else.

[Fiziwater]

Would like to see that, if you have a pic of it.