TomE

Unlike the color black, the browns represent a wide spectrum of colors. I would think it difficult to control the shade of brown color by exposing leather to sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is used to extract tannins out of tanned leather, but I haven't seen anything about using it to color leather. Recipes for brown dyes in old books on harness making typically include saffron, annotta, and/or tree barks to achieve different mixtures of yellow, red, and black-brown. Here's some examples. From The Harness Makers Illustrated Manual, second edition (1886). W.N. Fitz-Gerald. STAINS. The use of russet and brown leather for reins, etc., necessitates the employment of stains of various shades in the workshop, in order that the reins or other straps may be of a uniform color after being worked. In most cases rein leather is stained by the currier, but when worked, the freshly cut edges, etc., need to be stained to correspond with the grain. The stains used are generally made of Spanish saffron and anotta, or of saffron alone, made up in various ways, the most common and reliable being the following : Boil a given amount of saffron in water until the color is extracted ; cut a quantity of anotta in urine and mix the two together, the proportions of each determining the shade ; the more anotta used' the darker is the color. Another manner of preparing this stain is to boil 1/2 ounce of Spanish saffron and 1/4 ounce of anotta in water until the dye is extracted, to which must be added some alcohol to set the color. To make a stain of saffron alone, boil a quantity in water until the dye is extracted ; strain off, and, when cold, add alcohol in order to set the color. The shade may be changed by adding oxalic acid in varying quantities according to the color required. The proportions can not be given with any degree of accuracy, as the color is a matter of taste, and can be regulated by using greater or less proportions of each article. Another saffron stain is made by boiling saffron in a small quantity of water until the color is extracted, and reducing with urine. In using any of these stains, apply them with a cloth, and, when nearly dry, rub with a woolen rag slightly waxed. A yellow stain is produced by boiling fustic berries in alum water ; the shade may be darkened by the addition of a small quantity of powdered Brazilwood boiled with the berries. Another yellowish red stain is made of Brazil wood and yellow berries in proportion to suit, boiling them in water until the coloring matter is extracted. This can be applied to sides that have not been stained, when intended for flat reins, halters, etc., in the following manner : Lay the leather upon a table, and rub the flesh side with a warm stretching iron; turn it over and moisten the grain side with water, and rub with a copper stretching iron until the leather is nearly dry ; then apply the coloring matter to the grain, and rub with a copper slicker. When the leather is perfectly dry, rub the grain with a glass slicker. An edge stain is made by adding a small quantity of alum to the above mentioned ingredients. A brown stain is made by boiling equal parts of pine and alder barks in six times their bulk of water until all the coloring matter is extracted, and when cold adding a small quantity of alcohol. Saffron boiled for twelve or fifteen hours gives a good brown stain, to which alcohol must be added to make it set. Picric acid and water, in proportions of 1 to 10, heated to a blood heat, makes a good yellow stain. Wold boiled in water also makes a yellow stain. An orange yellow is produced by boiling fustic berries in alum water. This stain may be converted into a rich brown by washing the leather to which it has been applied, before the stain is fairly dry, with an alkali. A red stain is produced by boiling Brazilwood in lye. If mixed with wold, it produces a brown.

@Tim Schroeder Yes, I've been using @RockyAussie's narrow plate for over a year and like how it feeds heavy and light materials. Recently bought @Patrick1's extreme narrow plate/dog, and the holster plate with feed dog, to go with #21 needles that Leather Machine Co recently got back in stock. Looking forward to trying out his narrow "in-line" foot set for raised leather pieces. I'm going to need a heavier splitter to make purses out of the leftovers from the 9-10 oz bridle leather sides I typically work with.

@Tim Schroeder, sounds like you're up and running with the new machine. Have fun with it. I spent most of the past year hand sewing but with all the narrow plates, etc. now available I am learning to do finer sewing on my machine. It's great to have both options.

For sewing leather, I've been happy with bonded nylon from Leather Machine Co and Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine. I bought a few spools of thread from a local supplier and the strands were no longer bonded together. I'm guessing it was too old.

Nice! Sealing with beeswax is the obvious next step.

Thank you, @CowboyBob. No problems at present, but I have the manual and understand how the adjustment can be made.

@CowboyBob have you found it necessary to change the shuttle race on a 441 type machine to accommodate different sized needles? I don't have a means of measuring but the position of the needle scarf for #21 and #25 needles appears to be less than 1 millimeter different. My machine sews fine with both needles and appropriate thread, after adjusting the top and bottom tension. I am assuming that if the shuttle is positioned correctly it can accommodate a range of needles.

This little light came with my Cobra sewing machine and is still working 2 years later, although not in continuous use. https://leathermachineco.com/product/lda-1-led-magnetic-light/ I also use a Lightbar headlamp around the shop.

Try a new needle and rethreading. Check that bobbin is feeding normally. Also check the hook for burrs and polish if needed. I recently needed to increase needle size from #24 to #25 with a new hide that was slightly thicker than my usual work. The thread (277/207) was fraying on top and using a bigger needle fixed it. Needle size and leather thickness/temper are part of the tension equation.

Hmmm, well I guess I didn't know any better. I do switch between #25 needle (277/207 thread) and #21 needle (138 thread) without changing the inner race. I adjust the top and bottom tension and my Class 4 sews fine. I am sewing 20-30 oz of leather with the #25 needle, and 6-10 oz with the #21 mainly on narrow straps and raised leather features.

Not sure about locked feet, but this video from @Uwe was a great help for setting the timing of the walking foot mechanism.

Really nice. I like the popcorn idea. I saw some flax seed in the grocery store and decided it was time to make a crupper. This padded loop goes around a horse's tailhead to keep a saddle or driving harness from sliding forward on the withers. They are traditionally stuffed with flax seed, which also provides oil as a leather conditioner.

That's a handsome setup, @Tim Schroeder. I agree that the narrow plates and dogs are game changers for the 441 clones. I am learning to machine sew projects that I did by hand sewing previously. Still on my learners permit for sewing lightweight goods.

@Patrick1 Patrick Hennigan makes flat plates with dogs of various widths. https://heprecision.com/ . He also has an interesting narrow presser foot set as an alternative to an in-line foot.

The author of this harness making manual repeatedly says splitting strains and damages the leather. He recommends buying hides in all the thicknesses needed to avoid splitting whenever possible. Also says that removing thickness from the flesh side significantly weakens the leather, compared to an intact/tanned hide of same thickness. For example: "Running the hide through the splitting-machine has long been acknowledged to be detrimental to the leather, owing to the severe strain to which it is subjected, but the introduction of the belt-knife machine for splitting removes much of this objection, as the hide is split without being strained in the least." Since the band knife splitter is OK in his opinion, I am wondering if a crank or motorized splitter is similarly nondamaging. I am considering a Cobra splitter to handle wider pieces than I can split with a manual splitter. I'd like to split bridle leather bellies and shoulders for cases, purses, etc. These pieces are leftover from cutting straps from 9-10 oz sides of leather. I'd appreciate hearing your opinions and experiences about whether one of these feed through splitters damages the leather.

Really like how the border frames the leaves. Great textures. Did you use a beader for the inside of the border?

Good looking chaps, @Mulesaw! Smart looking tooling and stitching. I like your maker's logo as well.

Fiebing's online shop lists black Pro Dye in 4oz, quarts, and gallons. I found this old harness maker's manual with recipes for many different "blacking" dyes (Chapter XXV). https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/The_harness_makers'_illustrated_manual._A_practical_guide_book_for_manufacturers_and_makers_of_harness%2C_pads%2C_gig_saddles%2C_etc._.._(IA_cu31924000022636).pdf It's a fun read if you're easily entertained like me.

That all sounds good. Will be interested in how the felt burnishing works out.

What a pretty bag!

The "copperas" in the Hasluck recipe above is iron sulfate crystals. He adds "log chips" and "gall nuts" that I guess are for tannins. The "gum arabic" is polysaccharide and probably helps with slicking the edge. Old school recipe. @Dwight of course you can buy Fiebing's pro black dye from their online store or from Springfield Leather, etc. There is something different about black pro dye compared with the browns I use more often. The black tends to dry out the leather more (oiling fixes it), and I notice an oily residue (not seen with the browns) when I rinse the dauber with water.

I use the sanding drum on a Cobra burnisher as a first pass to level up edges after trimming or to even out a curve. Need to be careful about the heat generated that will burn the leather. A light touch is best. I finish by hand sanding before burnishing.

I don't think iron sulfate is very reactive. It is unlikely to damage polyester thread. Hasluck ("Harness Making" 1904) describes making black dye. "The dye or stain is made by boiling together for half an hour 1 lb logwood chips, 4 oz crushed nutgalls, 1/2 lb copperas, a little gum arabic, and 5 qt of water. Keep a little in an old bottle hung near the bench. The dye is applied with a stick having a piece of felt attached to its end. The ink can be thinned by the addition of water."

Maine Thread Co makes waxed polyester threads in heavy weights, some of which are called artificial sinew. I've used their 0.040" waxed polycord, doubled up, to sew new girth straps on a saddle and reattach the panel. Heavy stuff!

Very elegant! Thanks for sharing.