Stretching leather for a set of sliding reins

[Mulesaw]

I had repaired a set of sliding reins for the stables where Gustav works, and I got inspired to make a set of sliding reins myself.
The reins measured 2.5 m each (about 8' 4"), and they are basically just a strap of 5/16" leather with a carabin hook in one end and a buckle in the other end. So a very doable project.

The hechte that I had was only 7' 4" long, so I needed to stretch it a bit to be able to get the desired length including bends around the carabin hook and the buckle. 
I soaked the straps in water for about an hour or so and left them in a plastic bag for casing during the rest of the day. In the evening I made a setup that allowed me to stretch the strapos uniformly. 
I clamped a small G clamp (woodworking clamp) on each end of the strap. I put small pieces of wood between the jaws to protect the leather a bit. The clamps on one end were tied to a post in the workshop, and the clamp on the other end was attached to a truck type lashing strap which was connected to another post.

This gave me the opportunity to stretch the straps by slowly tightening the lashing straps. I alternated between the two straps, and occasionally I would release and reposition the lashing strap. 

Once I had reached the correct length, I stopped and let it sit over night. The next morning the leather had stretched and dried, so I could make the sliding reins (I forgot to take pictures of those)

 

[Gezzer]

Clever !!!! Nicely done 

[Samalan]

That's very cool, and it worked. Great job!

[Mulesaw]

@Gezzer @Samalan Thanks for the nice comments, It worked like a charm. I forgot to write that I cut the straps a smidge wider than the 5/16", so that they would end up being the correct width after stretching.

Brgds Jonas

[TomE]

Neat solution!  Would require a big cow for 8+ ft reins.  Now I'm thinking that I need to make a pair.

 

p.s.  Just finished replacing zippers on the boots-from-hell.  Tonics tall boots with a curved zipper on the outside of the leg.  They were so heavily oiled that barge cement and/or sticky basting tape wouldn't hold the layers together for sewing.  Had to manhandle them and broke a couple of needles, but all's well that ends well.

Edited Wednesday at 08:17 PM by TomE

[Mulesaw]

59 minutes ago, TomE said:

Neat solution!  Would require a big cow for 8+ ft reins.  Now I'm thinking that I need to make a pair.

 

p.s.  Just finished replacing zippers on the boots-from-hell.  Tonics tall boots with a curved zipper on the outside of the leg.  They were so heavily oiled that barge cement and/or sticky basting tape wouldn't hold the layers together for sewing.  Had to manhandle them and broke a couple of needles, but all's well that ends well.

The sliding reins ended up really nice. I polished the edges and gave them, a solid amount of my own leather grease (ox lard and neatsfoot oil), I found myself just sitting and running them through my fingers when I sat in the sofa in the evening, so I decided they were a success even before Gustav started using them 🙂
 

I have a bad conscience.. I had promised to write a tutorial in here about changing zippers. Bu I still haven't pulled myself around to do it.
Glad to hear that you managed to fix those boots. Once in a while I get some boots too that are so heavily over oiled that the leather feels kind of tacky. But it is like you describe: Impossible to get anything to hold, whether contact glue or tape. That really doesn't help with the project.

I haven't done any with a curved zipper on the outside, it sounds terrible! The worst kinds I think are tall dressage boots with the zipper in the front. They are just a pain in the neck to do, it is so hard to make it look decent at bottom. 

Repairing zippers isn't the most economically sound thing to do for our little business. We charge a fixed amount for a zipper, and it doesn't give a lot per hour if I try to calculate it that way. But it is really generating a huge customer base once word gets around that you can do it. 
Plus when I am home I really try to do it within a day or two. People really appreciate that since the normal lead time can be a couple of weeks as far as I have been told.
 

Brgds Jonas

[TomE]

Thanks, Jonas. I would welcome a tutorial. I am still learning to use a patcher. Its walking foot is more prone to slip than the compound walking foot machines I am used to.  I did smooth and polish the foot to decrease marks on the leather but it still has a fairly positive transport action. Trying to power through the learning curve on boot zippers and I’d welcome any advice.