Leather Reins

[Pqstraub]

No I put the pictures down below in the area where this app placed them.  I clicked on every picture and it opened up and expanded but because I sent it at the lowest possible choice, as soon as you expanded it, it went out of focus.  I am trying again at the largest possible choice that this will accept.  Thank you for your information.

[Pqstraub]

On 7/7/2024 at 9:42 AM, bruce johnson said:

Just a question, did you insert the pictures into the text or add them as an attachment? I can't get them to expand. 

Yes I have had stitching make curves and humps on reins and narrow straps. You go down one side and have a pretty good curve, come back up the other side and it usually evens out, but not always. The needle holes and thread will expand that edge length. The humps can be from sewing over a cylinder arm and not staying flat. Can be tension too. Can be memory from rolling them up after finishing.  Stamping can cause distortion and a narrow strap that like can magnify it. As far as the tool burnish, it can and does go away or lessen with staining or dyeing. It can go away with rewetting too. That is one of the reasons for antiquing. 

 

 

I had wondered about the tension.  If the tension is correct, from what I know about sewing regular stuff, the stitching will look the same on the top side and on the bottom side.  His didn’t.  I don’t know how that would affect 9/10 ounces leather, but it was consistent throughout all his sewing. I’ll include some pictures to better explain.  He has offered to give me a refund and also offered to make me another set. If I choose to have him make me another set, I think the stitching would be exactly the same so probably best to not do the stitching.  Or the stamping.  So EVERYONE, ANYONE,  what are y’all’s opinions, thoughts, on how wide a pair of reins should be? What ounce would be ideal? I like and want long reins.  At least 8 feet.  I do want them supple enough that if I want to or need to I can tie them together in a loose knot.  I guess lastly what kind of leather is going to have everything I want?  Last of all I wanted to include a couple of pictures that showed the front and the back side of his stitching.  Thank y’all for any and all help and advice.

[sheathmaker]

Having made Many, many sets of reins, my personal and experienced opinion is:

>Harness leather (at least11/12 Oz.) is the BEST for reins due to the hot stuffing.

>Veg tan is a very poor choice Lack of hot stuffing.  much less supple

>Stamping or tooling on reins (veg tan ) is an exercise in futility

>Even heavily oil treated Veg tan will dry out and get stiff fairly quickly

 

Edited July 9, 2024 by sheathmaker

[TomE]

Well said, @sheathmaker.  The newest pictures show knots exposed on the backside of the stitching, and some very rough edges.  Doesn't strike me as a quality job.  Given the workmanship and the curling of the straps I suspect that the quality of the leather might also be an issue.

[Pqstraub]

@sheathmaker , thank you for all of your advice.  I guess that takes care of the leather type and weight.  I was surprised that you didn’t mention bridle leather.  In the several places that I have looked for leather most have a category called bridle leather.  I don’t know anything about it except that I think I remember two of y’all on here mentioning using bridle leather. 
 @TomE , I’m glad I was finally able to figure out the picture problem I was making.  Thank you for reply and help.  
Now I just need to find someone who knows what there doing to make me some 8’ reins and some slobber straps. I bet I could throw a rock and hit several on this website.    Does there happen to be a place on this website where you either post what you would like to have made, or a place where everyone post what there good at and looking for jobs or something? Would it be inappropriate for me to ask one of the experts that have very kindly helped me?  For all that I know, if they wanted to do the job they would have offered or they would be searching that other area looking for jobs they want to do.  I don’t want to back anyone in a corner.

Paulette

[TomE]

4 hours ago, Pqstraub said:

@sheathmaker , thank you for all of your advice.  I guess that takes care of the leather type and weight.  I was surprised that you didn’t mention bridle leather.  In the several places that I have looked for leather most have a category called bridle leather.  I don’t know anything about it except that I think I remember two of y’all on here mentioning using bridle leather. 
 @TomE , I’m glad I was finally able to figure out the picture problem I was making.  Thank you for reply and help.  
Now I just need to find someone who knows what there doing to make me some 8’ reins and some slobber straps. I bet I could throw a rock and hit several on this website.    Does there happen to be a place on this website where you either post what you would like to have made, or a place where everyone post what there good at and looking for jobs or something? Would it be inappropriate for me to ask one of the experts that have very kindly helped me?  For all that I know, if they wanted to do the job they would have offered or they would be searching that other area looking for jobs they want to do.  I don’t want to back anyone in a corner.

Paulette

Bridle leather has a more refined appearance (glossy surface) and is not as weatherproof as harness leather, which is stuffed with lots of fat/wax.  Bridle leather also has a smooth, pasted back (moss-back) that facilitates maintenance of tack like bridles made from a single layer of leather.    I make reins for English tack out of bridle leather to match the bridles I make.   I agree with @sheathmaker that harness leather is the better choice for western reins.  Good weight and feel, and stands up to abuse.  Hermann Oak Leather Co and Wickett & Craig Leather make nice harness leathers in a variety of colors.  An experienced western tack maker (not me) will have a die to click out the slobber straps in one step.  I would talk with them about the type of leather you want your reins made from.  @Northmount can advise you about a posting to connect with  a "rein maker."  

Edited July 10, 2024 by TomE

[bruce johnson]

15 hours ago, Pqstraub said:

I had wondered about the tension.  If the tension is correct, from what I know about sewing regular stuff, the stitching will look the same on the top side and on the bottom side.  His didn’t.  I don’t know how that would affect 9/10 ounces leather, but it was consistent throughout all his sewing. I’ll include some pictures to better explain.  He has offered to give me a refund and also offered to make me another set. If I choose to have him make me another set, I think the stitching would be exactly the same so probably best to not do the stitching.  Or the stamping.  So EVERYONE, ANYONE,  what are y’all’s opinions, thoughts, on how wide a pair of reins should be? What ounce would be ideal? I like and want long reins.  At least 8 feet.  I do want them supple enough that if I want to or need to I can tie them together in a loose knot.  I guess lastly what kind of leather is going to have everything I want?  Last of all I wanted to include a couple of pictures that showed the front and the back side of his stitching.  Thank y’all for any and all help and advice.

I gave up on vegtan reins when I was about 18 years old and showed my last western pleasure horse in buckstitched vegtan reins. No feel, stiff, and get stiffer. Sometime close after that in college I got my first pair of Dennis Moreland harness leather reins. (He is a legend and hero in rein making) Those were all I used for the next 15 or 20 years. Once they broke in - feel, weight at ends, length, durability, the more you used them the better they got - the real deal. About 25 years ago somebody gave me a set of doubled and stitched latigo reins for a gift. These were nice right out of the box! I figured out the weight they used, then made a few pairs for myself - sewn on a Boss hand crank stitcher. Figured a treatment I liked pretty quick and then a set up to pre break them in. A couple people tried them and I was in business. Between an awards order and reins I paid for a powered machine in a month when machines weren't cheap. I was pretty dedicated on making reins for years. I kept them paired up start to finish to keep them equal in feel. I asked for long sides with an 8 in the thickness number m(7/8 or 8/9, I didnt care), no brands, and I didn't care how shallow. I never cut below the break in the hide for reins. Fox Valley latigo was my favorite and after they closed Matt Foster at Maverick Leather got me good latigo sides from Horween.  I made several hundred pairs of split reins, 100 or so roping, barrel racing, and bulldogging reins, and 50 or a little more latigo romal style cowboy reins. 

Width - cutters, reiners, show pleasure, ropers, barrel racer, cowboy, and pleasure-pleasure riders - usually 5/8". Snaffle bitters, bulldoggers, and colt starters - normally 3/4", some 5/8" .Then to further mix it up, A few trainers asked for in-betweens and I started doing 11/16" widths. Those got to be sort of popular with some other folks, especially ladies showing snaffle bitters. I made some 1" but only by order, never as a stock for me or others who sold mine. Maybe 40 pairs of 1 inch if that.  Romals were a contract deal and either 1/2 inch or scant 5/8" reins with 3/4" romal.

Length - 6-1/2"  for a few juniors, lots in the 7 to 7-1/2 foot range for colt starters, some snaffle bitters/western pleasure/some reiners/pleasure/cowboys and trail riders. 7-1/2 to 8 footers for the rest of show pen snaffle bitters, cutters, and reiners. 

 

 

[Northmount]

24 minutes ago, TomE said:

 @Northmount can advise you about a posting to connect with  a "rein maker."  

Post in Marketplace > wanted

[Pqstraub]

@Northmount , thank you for the post on where to post.

Paulette

[Pqstraub]

@bruce johnson ,  those reins you put in the pictures, they are both stitched and they look as straight as a ruler. Can you tell me if the ones I have are so bad just because of well is the difference all of it?  The weight, the width, bad quality leather, and the stitching, that ruined my reins?  I also was wondering if you could tell me or show me a better picture of how those poppers are attached to those reins.  When I got up real close it got to blurry to see.

Thank you very much!!

Paulette