Split Reins

[wyomingcowboy]

I looked for my answer before I posted but couldn't find what I'm looking for. I have some heavy harness leather that I cut into 5/8" straps for split reins but now I need to know how to do the fatter, heavier end. I saw a thread discussing actual lead weights but I don't think that's what these are. I have seen this end on nearly every pair of long slpit reains I have come across. To me, it looks like a few thicknesses glued together real good at the end and then skived down to single thickness about 1' from the ends, and then edged nicely, sanded, oiled, etc so that you cannot tell that there are numerous pieces glued together there.

Another explanation I could come up with would be that the ends of the rein comes from the neck area of the hide and is therefore thicker. I noticed this when cutting my hide - but my thickness variation is not nearly what I see on most of the other reins.

So my question is: How do they get them fatter on just the ends? Will a good contact cement last through all the rough use over the years? ( I have never seen them *actually* start to come apart at the ends. Although, if I look real hard I can almost see the different pieces.....

Thanks

Nate

[bruce johnson]

Nate,

It is the neck end and natural thickness on most of them. These sides are unsplit/unleveled then selected or picked through for long sides with heavier necks. You can also skive a short piece 10-12" long and skive one edge then sew it on for a popper to add weight.

[wyomingcowboy]

Thanks, Bruce. Do you make reins like these? If you do, where do you buy your harness leather? I got a DVD from Weaver explaining that they will hand pick through their sides according to meet what you need. They are pretty good people there, I think, but their shipping is pretty high.

[bruce johnson]

I used to make harness leather reins but stopped several years ago. It was not profitable enough to compete with everybody else that was selling them.I make doubled and stitched latigo reins, but that is as far as I go there. I am not particularly fond of the new tannages of harness leather. Too stiff for me. It takes some work and oiling and more work to have the feel they did 30 years ago.

[cjowett]

so Bruce, for making reins, straps, etc. would you take a latigo side and cut it into thin strips parallel to the straightest edge or would you make one really long strip cutting the circumfernce of the hide like you would to make rawhide lace and then cut that into shorter (7+ feet) strips and straighten them?

Edited November 5, 2013 by cjowett

[bruce johnson]

I strip my sides the length of the side and generally use two sides.I have them measure and send me the longest sides they have. I cut two wide blocks, level them, then glue them flesh to flesh. I strip them to width, slip in a popper, and sew them.