TomE

I am repairing a heavy surcingle and the copper rivets appear to be coated in a pitch-like substance. As I ground off the tip of a rivet with a Dremel tool a black, tarry liquid oozed from underneath the burr. The tar is solid a room temperature. I haven't found any mention of using pitch in the harness making books I have, or from a Google search. I am interested in why this would be done, and the type of pitch/tar used in saddlery/harness work. Thanks for the information.

Silver also has antimicrobial activity. Silver sulfadiazine is a wound treatment. Perhaps the Lone Ranger chewed on his silver bullets. The farriers I have asked about copper coated nails said they don't know if they work, but they look cool and they can charge more.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Great information and fun stories! I look forward to learning more. Your description of nails reminds me of horse shoe nails. There is a (dying?) fad of coating nails with copper that supposedly inhibits growth of bacteria in the nail hole. Maybe they also keep the farrier's breath fresh?

A picture would help to understand how the leather is curling/twisting. Is it consistent with cutting the reins in a spiral pattern? That would be a major fail in my book. Reins should lie flat and have minimal stretch. Cut lengthwise from the back of the cow. The split reins below were made from 11 oz harness leather, which is heavy and stretch-resistant, and latigo strings. I requested a "rein selection" side (= a big cow) from the Hermann Oak tannery and was able to get 3 pr of 7-1/2 ft reins from the top of the side. Could probably make a few more pair of ~7 ft reins from this side. Harness leather is stuffed with fats/waxes and doesn't take a stamp particularly well, but it is tough and fairly weather resistant. Has the right weight and feel according to the folks that use these reins (I mostly make/repair English tack). If yours don't feel right then I agree you should request your money back.

I purchased a (barely) used Class 26 several years ago and have had no problems. I am impressed with how handy it is, its ability to feed fairly thick material, and ease of setup for thick(er) and thin projects. No problems with matching stitch length in F and R although I mainly use the range of 6-9 SPI.. It's been a good addition and complements the Class 4 that I started with. I think many of the problems you see in the FB group are due to operator error/inexperience. Because the Class 26 is a popular machine for beginners you might find a used machine in your area.

This velcro bell boot uses a sandwich of velcro tabs. https://walshproducts.com/products/velcro-bell-boot-with-fleece-147f I haven't tried this one but the price is not much more than plain rubber bell boots, and Walsh is a quality brand. @Silverd's leather boots are a work of art and the closure looks very secure. In my experience, heavy rubber bell boots have the right amount of weight and flex to stay in place on the hoof during work. Thankfully, our shoe puller mare is now barefoot and pregnant so I am not dealing with bell boots as often.

Those are beautiful leather bell boots but they wouldn't stay that way on our horses that need them. In my experience it's hard to improve on the utility of one piece rubber bell boots. The velcroed/synthetic boots tend to ride up (at least the ones we've tried) so they don't protect the feet or horseshoes from damage caused by interference. When a horse is a shoe puller they usually wear rubber boots 24/7, on pasture and in the barn, and when working under saddle except in show classes where they are not allowed (so the judge can see the foot movements). So the boots take a beating. I'd find out how/when they are using the boots and why they prefer the velcroed type boots vs slip on rubber boots. If leather bell boots seem workable then I would consider harness leather as a tough, weatherproof choice.

The book "Tanning Chemistry The Science of Leather" by Covington and Wise has a chapter on dyes. They mention that too much surface reaction during tanning with chromium salts can cause splotchy coloring with dyes or act as a complete resist to dyes. From what I could gather in a quick read the amount of surface reaction with chromium is determined by the tanning conditions (pH, chromium concentration, etc) so dye uptake is a problem with some, but not all chrome tanned leathers. The authors say chrome tanned leathers are cationic (positively-charged) and therefore generally react well with acid dyes. This thread has some information on dyeing chrome tanned leather. A comment by veedub3 in this thread mentions Dharma acid dyes for leather and provides a link. Perhaps they can help.

What do you want to make? Ashley Hopper (Punky's Saddlery, Cuba MO) mentioned her plans to host courses in her new workshop. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/iuoAHCCXYq7r1d3P/?mibextid=oFDknk Lisa Sorrell (Sorrell's Custom Boots, Guthrie OK) teaches boot making courses. https://customboots.net/

Have you tried dip dyeing a piece that is dry? You mentioned soaking the hides (in water?) before dyeing. That might require longer for the water be displaced by the dye solution. I certainly see that wet edges take up less Pro Dye than dry edges. Does the lighter color develop after the leather is fully dry or while it is drying? It sounds like you're in touch with the tannery so I would ask them for dyeing tips. I am not familiar with Angelus deglazer but the Fiebings deglazer is a mixture of organic solvents (MSDS mentions ethyl acetate and ethanol) and I think it's designed to minimize removal of existing dye from the leather. Folks use acetone and lacquer thinner for thinning Fiebings leather dye and pro dye, instead of Fiebings dye reducer, which might be an milder alternative for pretreating the leather before dyeing.

How we sew is each leatherworker's doctrine. It depends on your goals. Lots of great advice in the pinned post that @Northmount shared above. For me, the first consideration is thread size for a project and the stitch spacing depends on thread size and the leather thickness. Unless I am sewing on a machine, I will tend to use the finest spacing I can tolerate and an awl that makes the smallest holes to fit the thread. The only time I pre-punch holes is when sewing leather to woven fabric, to avoid cutting the woven threads with an awl. For example sewing girth straps/billets on the webs of a saddle. For most other projects using an awl ensures that the holes line up and that they aren't too big for the thread. Looks tidy and makes for stronger seams. I use a slanted pricking iron or an overstitch wheel to mark the holes, and a $10 sewing awl. Mostly 9-10 SPI or 6-7 SPI. I don't do production work. It is all made to order. Fine stitching with design details that can't easily be mass produced is how I try to set my work apart. Using a drill, chisel, or round tooth irons for the holes is against my religion.

Beiler's catalog shows a wax pot assembly (#44160) that appears to be the style in your photograph with the thread wipers. $70.00 The part is shown as a drawing not a photograph so I can't judge what it is constructed of. Call them for info and a catalog. 717-768-0174

Beiler's doesn't have a website. Call for a catalog. They carry a wide range of leather, supplies, hand tools, and machines and parts. For example, they sell Juki sewing machines and parts. They cater to the harness and saddlery trades but this includes general leathercraft tools (Osborne) and supplies (Fiebings). They do also sell some finished harness and riding horse tack, rope products, and stable supplies. I have been pleased with their quality, prices, and service.

Looks like a good list. I would add Beiler's Manufacturing (Hermann Oak, Wickett & Craig, and SB foot leather and lots of hardware), Batz Corp (heavy brass and nickel hardware), and Zack White Leather (hardware for tack). Also Jerimiah Watt (Ranch2Arena.com) for conchos and tools. Bruce Johnson Leather for tools.

Thank you! I find that repairs are a good way to learn how tack is made and where the weak points are.

Thanks, everyone. I am enjoying learning to refine my skills.

...stainless and nickel-bronze hardware, instead of brass. Wickett & Craig bridle leather, hardware from Zack White and Beiler's. Learn something with each one I make.

I know nothing about western saddles, but the Saddle Restoration Facebook group has a lot of saddle identification posts. Also, the owners of Ruxton's Trading Post in Manitou Springs CO are experts who might assist you. They have written books, and articles for Western Horseman about historic saddles and their value.

That is an epic level of cool for Cool Johnny! Beautiful work and so many original details. The colors are great and the accents on the medicine bag frame the whole necklace. Powerful medicine.

Beilers sells "Chrome Tanned Oiled Sides" in 5/6 oz that I use to cover padding on horse tack and I split it for lining belts and straps. It is smooth and slick (should clean up well) and comes in a variety of colors. I think it would make a nice apron. The side I received was produced by the SB Foot Tanning Co who supply Red Wing Shoes with leather. https://www.sbfoot.com/

Looks like an adventure! Keep us posted, Jonas. I am considering buying a large clicker press from a friend for less than a custom die will cost. He closed his business making boot insoles for major brands like Thorogood and has retired. It would take up space in my machine shed but I'm considering clicking out the yokes and decorative pieces for farrier aprons like the one I previously posted. I haven't done any production work before and I'm debating whether to branch out or stick with made to order tack.

A leather rougher/scratcher will prep the grain side for gluing if you need a strong bond to the grain. The wire teeth are pointed and sharp to tear through the grain and create a suede like surface. A wire brush doesn't do this. I routinely rough up leather filler strips inserted into a rounded leather piece that is wet molded around the filler. Roughing the leather is necessary to hold it together until the leather dries and can be sewn. The larger rougher in the link below is a very sturdy tool. You can find smaller roughers at lots leather crafting supply retailers. https://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/scratcher/

@bruce johnson is an expert who can advise you on value and how to refurbish.

Harness and bridle leathers are vegetable tanned cow hide that is stuffed with fats/waxes for water resistance. Plain vegetable tanned leather will accept tooling, stamping, and wet forming better than bridle or harness. Harness leather is generally stiffer than bridle bc of additional waxes added during the currying process. Bridle leather typically has a more polished/shiny finish than harness. I make English reins for jumpers and dressage out of 9/10 oz bridle leather. I make split reins for western riding from 10/11 oz harness leather. The split reins that I am familiar with are not sewn. The bit end either folds back on itself, or is capped with a leather chape and is tied with a latigo saddle string. I think the best bridle and harness leathers in North America come from the Herman Oak Leather Co. and Wickett and Craig Leather. The Hermann Oak bridle and harness leathers tend to be stiffer, which I equate with stretch resistant. Wickett and Craig is a bit softer temper and they offer bridle and harness leathers in a wide variety of colors. You can request samples from either tannery. Both are top quality tanneries. Wicket and Craig has no minimum order whereas Hermann Oak generally requires a minimum of a roll = 5 sides. Single sides of either leather can be purchased from retail distributors. You can request a side for reins and they will select a larger hide that should cover 7+ feet along the topline. Springfield Leather sells Hermann Oak and does a lot of custom clicking/cutting. They could probably sell you the straps you need for reins.

Weaver Leather Supply has 3" SS flat cinch buckles, and 3" polypropylene webbing.