McJeep Report post Posted October 18, 2011 Hopefully I put this in the appropriate area I'm pretty much starting out in the leather biz, having done some motorcycle gear and miscellaneous items thus far. It turns out that there is nobody locally repairing harnesses etc for the local equestrian crowd and touristy carriage companies down town. I've been approached about doing some repairs on straps and harnesses etc. My questions are: How much of this type of repair work can I expect to be able to do with general knowledge of leatherwork - ie: should I be able to fix most stuff with general tools (I do have a machine as well) so long as I have the broken rigging to duplicate? How much should one charge for this type of work - is it more pita factor than it's worth? I know I don't have the knowledge to get into saddle repair or the like at all, but harness work seems pretty straight forward - or do I know so little about it that I'm oversimplifying things? As always - all advice is appreciated Rob - letting the business decide where it wants to go based on demand Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJeep Report post Posted November 27, 2011 nuthin?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mcn Report post Posted November 29, 2011 The carriage trade in Victoria won't give you a whole bunch of work. You should talk to the drivers or go for a ride, watch the parts of the harness that are pulling or have stress. These have to be made from the strip along the back of a side of harness leather. Other parts don't have stress and just hold things in place so can be made from a different part of the harness leather.. So using the wrong part of the hide would not be good for future business. Buying a piece of leather from Tandy and dying it black is probably not a good option either. Charging for your work is always hard, do some research. Learn the names of the parts of a harness, phone a harness maker and find out what they would charge . If you can find out so can the guy looking for the repair/part. As with anything if there was money to be made somebody would already be doing it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gary Report post Posted November 29, 2011 It may be worth looking at 'Repair Your Own Saddlery and Harness' by Robert Steinke (ISBN 0851315976) to give you an idea of what may be possible with the tools you have. I have done some repairs and haven't needed any real specialist tools but I've 'vetted' what I have taken on. All the repairs I have done have been hand-stitched and that is usually the most appropriate for smaller repairs. It's worth also getting some books on basic harness so you know the terminology and the different types. My master saddler let me help him on some of the repairs he had but I would be careful; taking on some of the more complex items like collars that are stuffed with straw. A lot of the newer harness I saw was made of synthetic materials rather than leather though many drivers had leather sets for 'best' or show use. Some of the synthetics can be repaired the same as leather but others need different techniques and materials. Saddle repairs vary a lot. I find working on English saddles to be very fiddly at times and you need to be careful about what you take on, particularly if it affects safety. Hope that's of some use. Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJeep Report post Posted November 29, 2011 Thanks guys - I kinda thought that (as with all things) it would be a lot more complicated than at first glance ;0) Great heads up on the main "stressed" pieces needing a specific area of the hide - would never have thought of that. No doubt those are the most frequently repaired as well soooooooo Cheers, Rob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
