TomE

Seat belts in the US are a soft polyester weave that is a good match to existing on our blankets. You can have a choice of colors, black or black. It rarely breaks, but we use new webbing to add reinforcement to the fabric or reconfigure the straps. What does break is cheap zinc diecast bolt snaps on the closures.

We bought this seat belt webbing for $0.17/ft at https://www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com/seat-belt-webbing/ to repair horse blankets. Free shipping in the US.

This book on rug repair might be helpful. https://www.ebay.com/p/16038802178 The author is a master saddler and I own his other books on bridlework, repair of harness and tack, harness decorations, etc. They are well written and have filled gaps in my knowledge. The JA Allen pictoral guides are brief but cover main points of each subject. This article on the JA Allen book shop is a fun read for anyone interested in equestrian history https://www.museumofthehorse.org/j-a-allen-the-horsemans-booksho/

My experience with DMT sharpeners is they are more agressive than my Arkansas oil stones. The DMT sharpeners in blue (medium) and red (fine) are a good substitute for coarser stones to shape a blade. I'd use a finer grit to finish.

Thanks for the info. I started with making halters on a Class 4 but I am drifting towards bridles that I'm sewing by hand. I did buy the narrow feed dog/plate and use it for everything on the Class 4.

That is the pinnacle of the craft! Thanks for sharing. Curious how you made the swell in the billet, and the needle/thread combination you're using. I am learning to make raised leather pieces, and swells with a rounding block, and would welcome any tips. I've been testing out in-line presser feet on a Cobra 4 for sewing the edges but my hand sewing looks neater for the raised pieces.

Thanks, @Samalan. I polished the knife surfaces that contact the strap using a buffing wheel and green compound, staying away from the cutting edge. After stropping the knife had improved and I can cut more easily. I will next try sharpening and stropping as you recommend, producing a wire edge then polishing on the strop.

Thanks @jcuk! I do use HO bridle for halters but the flesh side is covered by padding or multiple layers stitched together back to back. My current bridle sides are 10-12 oz and I’d probably split them to 9 oz for a bridle. I’ll check out the Astral wax. I’ve been using Fiebings Aussie conditioner for burnishing edges and as a finish for HO bridle. It’s a balm with beeswax and undisclosed other stuff. I like it because it doesn’t lift dye and discolor thread, and it doesn’t darken the leather. Plan to try bridle leather from Sedgwick and W&C to compare with HO. Also, unsure how harness leather compares with bridle leather and might need to try it.

Guess I like the smooth look on the backs of pieces that aren’t padded. For my first couple of bridles I’ve used Hermann Oak veg tan and Fiebings Pro dye, which tends to raise the fibers on the flesh side. I’m still working out my process and welcome your suggestions. I notice that some saddlers add wallpaper paste to their edge dye. I haven’t tried harness leather which may be a better choice for bridles.

I'm using gum trag and a large glass slicker from SLC to seal the flesh side of veg tan straps for bridles. Will experiment with chrome tanned but I doubt there's a difference in this regard.

I bought a new Blanchard 10cm plough gauge and find it pushes the strap so hard against the guide that it takes a great effort to cut 8-10 oz veg tan. This is most noticeable with narrow straps, 1 inch or less. The strap has a tendency to ride up on the guide to relieve the pressure as it exits the blade. I understand that the one sided bevel on the knife is designed to keep the strap against the guide but it seems excessive. I sharpened and honed the blade and it is quite sharp by my standards. It easily slices through 12 oz HO veg tan when using the knife freehand without the plough gauge. The bevel on the new knife was a bit rounded and I worked on flattening the bevel (20-25 deg. taper) as well as the flat backside, finishing with a 4000 grit waterstone and stropping. This didn't relieve the pressure. Next I tried shimming the blade a slight amount, moving the point away from the guide. No improvement. Finally, I put a tiny (barely visible) taper on the backside of the blade edge. No change. I'd appreciate suggestions about sharpening and using a plough gauge. Previously I've had good results using a draw gauge and a wooden strap cutter. I bought the plough gauge to cut wider straps consistently, although most of my strap work is in the 3/8 to 1-1/4 inch widths.

Keeping your awl sharp and correctly shaped is a big factor in generating quality stitching. The Stohlman books show how. I use Osborne awls and harness needles, and like most of their tools the awls take a bit of work to get ready for use. I do a lot of hand sewing with #207 or #277 bonded nylon thread in combination with machine sewing. You can wax any thread and use it for hand sewing.

If you search the leather sewing machines forum for "inline presser foot" and "paddle foot." you'll see some options for sewing next to a raised piece. I don't know the available options for your machine. I use the inline presser foot for the Cowboy 4500 on my Cobra Class 4 machine. It requires about 3/16" of edge allowance to operate. If you have the option you can trim the edge after sewing. In tighter spaces I sew by hand.

I learned more from those books than from watching many Youtube instructional videos. Lots of construction tips that apply to many types of projects. Stohlman’s book on Leathercraft Tools is another worthwhile read. I think @Dwight is referring to what I learned as a single needle backstitch. JH Leather has a video on making a running loop that shows the process.

Time to buy "The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" and learn a new skill. This task is similar to repairing tack - fixing broken stitches by hand.

From Stohlman's The Art of Making Leather Cases Vol. 2.

Yes, you could get something useful for that price like a side of leather.

https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/item-detail/65-3041/leather-thickness-gauge/pr_8768

Bottom scale is ounces. https://www.springfieldleather.com/SLC-Plastic-Leather-Gauge

I just received the book from a seller in the U.K. I’m enjoying the learning. Maybe I’ll be able to do a repair someday. For skiving, I’m using an Osborn #67 knife with a rounded blade. I also like using a round knife but mine is big and the points get in the way of holding on to the strap. Guess I need a half round knife.

Yes, thanks so much @jcuk. I’m also making good progress on sewing fixed loops in the 3/8 in straps - using your tips, and I bought some smaller tacks to assemble the work before sewing. Got distracted by the endless variations of nose bands, and learning to skive to make swelled nose bands. Should have my first bridle finished soon.

In the book "To Handmake a Saddle" JHL Shields mentions covering the springs of the tree with "basil," which according to Wikipedia is radoul tanned leather. Does anyone know if this leather is still available or what a modern equivalent (weight? tannage?) would be? He is describing the build of an English saddle.

Mike Graham, owner of Ruxton's Trading Post (Manitou Springs CO), is an expert appraiser of collectable/historic saddles. He was a regular contributor to Western Horseman when we subscribed.

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/19121-casing-leather/

https://vergez-blanchard.fr/en/saddlers-cutters-and-round-knives/2051-adjustable-edge-creaser-boxwood-handle.html