How Do I Make A Breast Collar With Tooled Leather Strong Enough?

[Oak Grove Leather Works]

Greetings! I have been making holsters and knife sheaths for several years, so I have some basic techniques down, but horse tack is new to me. A customer wants a tooled and painted breasted collar and I need some advice on construction and leather selection. The tooling means veggie tan strap leather, but I am concerned about the strength of the piece. Do I just use really thinck strap leather, or do I combine it with traditional harness leather? Left to my own ignorance, I would sew the tooled leather on to a layer of 10 oz bridle leather to give strength and thickness. Also, is there a standard/ recommended width for breasted collars? Links to measurements of any tack would be appreciated. I now live in a horse area and can see more of this work coming up. Thanks! - STEVE

[cmantz]

I am just getting started also, but all of my daughter's tack is 2 ply. I have seen it backed with latigo leather and I have also seen it backed with just HO leather. In fact, a friend recently bought a new set from Luan's Leather and all of theirs is 2ply HO leather...looks to be about 8 oz. for each layer.

I am going to try my hand at a breast collar and headstall soon...my daughter is patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for me to figure it out

As far as patterns...I know some recommend the one that Tandy sells. I haven't bought it. I was planning on just using an old breast collar we have as a pattern.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Well, when lining tack, it depends on what it is that you're making. For Breast Collars, I usually shoot for 13 to 15 oz total thickness. I line with either latigo or veg tan. Most generally if it is tooled, I will use 8-10 oz for the outside and 4-5 oz latigo for the inside. I like the latigo since it is highly stuffed with oils and waxes and tends to be more durable in areas where it gets exposed to moisture a lot, like horse sweat.

Bob

[whiteeugene]

Greetings! I have been making holsters and knife sheaths for several years, so I have some basic techniques down, but horse tack is new to me. A customer wants a tooled and painted breasted collar and I need some advice on construction and leather selection. The tooling means veggie tan strap leather, but I am concerned about the strength of the piece. Do I just use really thinck strap leather, or do I combine it with traditional harness leather? Left to my own ignorance, I would sew the tooled leather on to a layer of 10 oz bridle leather to give strength and thickness. Also, is there a standard/ recommended width for breasted collars? Links to measurements of any tack would be appreciated. I now live in a horse area and can see more of this work coming up. Thanks! - STEVE

Tandy has a pattern pack you can buy it also might be on leathercraftlibrary.com for down load there is also a video or two on tack if you subscribe to there video pack I think it's $9 bucks for 30 days.

[oltoot]

The kind of fit and attachment to the saddle actually determine how strong a BC needs to be. The 'old' style attached to front rigging dees and setting pretty much paralel with the ground needs to be pretty strong ~ 12 oz around the hardware. A vee type with a ring/dee in the middle and attached high and held down snug to the cinch-much less. Think about it. You hook up with a 3/4-1" single ply strap. Body in the body of the collar serves more to keep the body flat and in place than to add strength to the piece. So, let's say you've got a 10-12 oz tooled top. Skived just enough to make smooth and tight turns around hardware. Wet molded so as to be wrinkle free. Feather edged on back to be smooth and flat, then lined with 4-6 oz latigo and it oughta work.

[TwinOaks]

Nothing to add to the topic, but welcome to the site. I'm over in Mobile...about an hour from you. I don't know about the P'cola area, but we do have a small leather supply store over here. They sell mostly Tandy leather, but if you're in a pinch, the local store could be a great resource.

Nothing to add to the topic, but welcome to the site. I'm over in Mobile...about an hour from you. I don't know about the P'cola area, but we do have a small leather supply store over here. They sell mostly Tandy leather, but if you're in a pinch, the local store could be a great resource.

[Oak Grove Leather Works]

Well, when lining tack, it depends on what it is that you're making. For Breast Collars, I usually shoot for 13 to 15 oz total thickness. I line with either latigo or veg tan. Most generally if it is tooled, I will use 8-10 oz for the outside and 4-5 oz latigo for the inside. I like the latigo since it is highly stuffed with oils and waxes and tends to be more durable in areas where it gets exposed to moisture a lot, like horse sweat.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. I appreciate the insight. The harness leather I bought in anticipation of making tack is too thick to use as lining for this project. I'll get my hands on some latigo.

[Oak Grove Leather Works]

Nothing to add to the topic, but welcome to the site. I'm over in Mobile...about an hour from you. I don't know about the P'cola area, but we do have a small leather supply store over here. They sell mostly Tandy leather, but if you're in a pinch, the local store could be a great resource.

Nothing to add to the topic, but welcome to the site. I'm over in Mobile...about an hour from you. I don't know about the P'cola area, but we do have a small leather supply store over here. They sell mostly Tandy leather, but if you're in a pinch, the local store could be a great resource.

Thanks, Mike. I'll have to look up the leather store in Mobile. I get over there about once a month. I'm always open to a new source where I can see what I'm buying. There is one place in Pensacola that sells some leather and suppplies, but they are very expensive and quite limited.

[Oak Grove Leather Works]

Tandy has a pattern pack you can buy it also might be on leathercraftlibrary.com for down load there is also a video or two on tack if you subscribe to there video pack I think it's $9 bucks for 30 days.

Thanks! I just checked out Tandy, and that pattern pack looks like just what I need. I'm going to try out that digital library, too.

[Oak Grove Leather Works]

The kind of fit and attachment to the saddle actually determine how strong a BC needs to be. The 'old' style attached to front rigging dees and setting pretty much paralel with the ground needs to be pretty strong ~ 12 oz around the hardware. A vee type with a ring/dee in the middle and attached high and held down snug to the cinch-much less. Think about it. You hook up with a 3/4-1" single ply strap. Body in the body of the collar serves more to keep the body flat and in place than to add strength to the piece. So, let's say you've got a 10-12 oz tooled top. Skived just enough to make smooth and tight turns around hardware. Wet molded so as to be wrinkle free. Feather edged on back to be smooth and flat, then lined with 4-6 oz latigo and it oughta work.

Excellent advice. Thanks! I think I'm all set to start, now.

[TwinOaks]

It's "Beads and Leather", located on the I65 service road (south bound) between Cottage Hill and Gov't/90.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Thanks, Bob. I appreciate the insight. The harness leather I bought in anticipation of making tack is too thick to use as lining for this project. I'll get my hands on some latigo.

You can always split the back down to the thickness you want. If you don't do a lot of tack, it is certainly less expensive than buying a side of latigo just to line a breast collar. Just a thought. I usually get mostly 13-14 oz vegtan skirting leather and split it down to meet my needs.

Bob

[Oak Grove Leather Works]

So...I guess going to need a splitter soon. I've actually been considering getting one for a while. Maybe this is the excuse I need.

[TC101]

Well, when lining tack, it depends on what it is that you're making. For Breast Collars, I usually shoot for 13 to 15 oz total thickness. I line with either latigo or veg tan. Most generally if it is tooled, I will use 8-10 oz for the outside and 4-5 oz latigo for the inside. I like the latigo since it is highly stuffed with oils and waxes and tends to be more durable in areas where it gets exposed to moisture a lot, like horse sweat.

Sorry to butt in on your guys's convo but I just recently goit into mkaing western 'bling' tack, any ways I cant seem to find the correct leather for making breast collars, Someone told me to use harness leather but it is WAY thick, I read your post and was wondering what leather you use for the outside leather, is their a name to it?

[dirtclod]

I use skirting leather 12 ounce.