Aart Report post Posted June 11, 2009 Hi all, How would one use this item? (Sorry, but From the Weaver catalogue and receiving that catalogue , I had a good read for an hour ) Before (and the result was NEVER show quality) I made rounded parts as follows. - A piece of leather reduced to approx 1,5 / 2 mm was - soaked in luke warm water - sewn around a piece of rope (tapered towards the end and the stitches a bit further from the rim than usual) - soaked again - hammered into a piece of wood with a half round groove in it so the the remaining leather outside the stiches folds over and takes the form of the rounded canal. - let it dry - buckles or french snaps etc. - And I was / am not satisfied after burnishing etc. Is this just a lack of experience or do I do something wrong? Might the machine help ? By the way it looks like the thing the plumber used for his piping. Best regards, Aart. rein_rounder.tiff rein_rounder.tiff rein_rounder.tiff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimsaddler Report post Posted June 12, 2009 Hi all, How would one use this item? (Sorry, but From the Weaver catalogue and receiving that catalogue , I had a good read for an hour ) Before (and the result was NEVER show quality) I made rounded parts as follows. - A piece of leather reduced to approx 1,5 / 2 mm was - soaked in luke warm water - sewn around a piece of rope (tapered towards the end and the stitches a bit further from the rim than usual) - soaked again - hammered into a piece of wood with a half round groove in it so the the remaining leather outside the stiches folds over and takes the form of the rounded canal. - let it dry - buckles or french snaps etc. - And I was / am not satisfied after burnishing etc. Is this just a lack of experience or do I do something wrong? Might the machine help ? By the way it looks like the thing the plumber used for his piping. Best regards, Aart. Hi Aart Over Rope is not ideal as the rope is soft and it's hard to get much of a round on it especially when the Leather is split. I always use a Rounder like the type you've shown. It is not easy to explain how to do rounding but I'll attempt it for you. For the exercise we'll say the strap is 1'' wide x 4mm Bridle or Harness. For simple Rolled work mark a line with a Compass aprox 3/16" from each top Grain edge for the length that you want to round, you can use a Compass Race if you want to allow the stitches to be below the surface. Turn over the Strap and make 2 grooves 7/16" from Flesh side edge similar length to the outside mark or groove. Wet in luke warm water and mellow the leather for 20 minutes. I then fold the Strap down the centre so that it becomes a U Shape because of the 2 grooves inside. If the Leather is too stiff to fold I use a Smasher to rub it into shape. The Mark or Groove becomes the stitching line. Hold the Strap in Stitching Clams or Horse. A special Clam is used when doing a lot of Rolling, that has a special Jaw to hold the doubled strap while stitching. Start stitching making sure that the Stitching is into the Grooves or marks exactly each side. Sew at aprox 4 to 6 stitches per inch, pulling each stitch firmly into place so that the Leather is pulled firmly to-gether. When you finish Stitching, back stitch 2 stitches to lock the sewing. While the leather is still mellow (or damp it again) shave the raw edge to a rounded shape from stitch line to stitch line (avoid cutting the Stiches). Now it is ready for rounding. Pick a hole that is jsut a bit bigger then the Sewn Strap and place the Strap in it and clamp the top down. Pull the Strap through from one end to the other and you will get a rounding effect on the Strap. The move down a size tighter and pull from one end to the other smoothly this may be the right size to burnish the Rounding or you may have to go down another size to get a perfect round. Which ever is right use this to create a burnish, you may use a small amount of Lyddys Saddle Soap as a Lubricant if you want a good finish. This can be Dyed over also. Remove the Strap and it should be aprox 10mm in diameter, you should now rub out any marks with coarse cloth or Brown Paper. Then let it dry. Remember this is the basis of Rounding or Rolled work. You can use a filler (belly) in lighter Leather or cut a stitch Groove and sew in it so that the Stitches don't show in the finished product (best Rolled Harness is done like this). Sewing Buckles and Rings on is simply achieved by doubling the turnback into the centre of the Rounding. Allways use firm Curried (Bridle or Harness) Leather as you will get a better finish then. I hope this is some help to you, I've allways prefferred Rolled work for my Best Harness and Bridle Ware as it shows the Horse off to best effect and doesn't Chafe. Kindest Regards. Jim Saddler. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aart Report post Posted June 12, 2009 Thank You Jim, Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. So basicly if I use 4 mm leather, no filler is needed? And any series of holes would do as long as the gadget opens up and provides for bigger to smaller holes. Funny thing is that I almost knew that it would be either you or Barra, that would answer from down under. B. Must be away on holiday. Thanks again, from (sunny) Southern France Aart. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimsaddler Report post Posted June 12, 2009 Thank You Jim,Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. So basicly if I use 4 mm leather, no filler is needed? And any series of holes would do as long as the gadget opens up and provides for bigger to smaller holes. Funny thing is that I almost knew that it would be either you or Barra, that would answer from down under. B. Must be away on holiday. Thanks again, from (sunny) Southern France Aart. That is correct for larger sizes a Filler or Belly is used. I've seen a number of wooden Rein rounders used that were home made and they seemed to work alright. They were made from 2 pieces of Hardwood clamped together, then the holes drilled through at the joins and countersunk. Then cleaned up with sandpaper and polished. Held to-gether with G Cramps they worked but were cumbersome. I prefer the Osborne as is works easier every time. Your reasoning probably because here in down-under, our generation (Barra a few others & I) had to do the whole trade (and do it properly) to survive and fortunately we had a lot of old serious Tradesmen around still to teach us. Now we are passing on this knowledge before it is lost. Kindest Regards. Jim Saddler. from Sunny Queensland. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aart Report post Posted June 13, 2009 Your reasoning probably because here in down-under, our generation (Barra a few others & I) had to do the whole trade (and do it properly) to survive and fortunately we had a lot of old serious Tradesmen around still to teach us. Now we are passing on this knowledge before it is lost. Kindest Regards. Jim Saddler. from Sunny Queensland. OK Jim, But still. Dreaming about this forum this morning when I was out for a spin with my mare the word I came to was : Generous. Thanks again for sharing. (All of you I mean.) Aart. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
