Can You Spot Real Rolled Leatherwork?

[wlg190861]

So you are saying a rein rounder to make round reins is not authentic ?

[unicornleather]

I am not familiar with a rein rounder, what do you mean by a rein rounder?

[wlg190861]

This is a rein rounder. This is a how to make a true round.

[MonicaJacobson]

My husband and I were looking at those online two nights ago and arguing about how they work. Do they cut all the square bits off of a long piece of leather as you send it through, or does it fold and compress the leather?

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

A rein rounder is just one tool used in the fairly detailed process of making rounds. It does not cut off the corners nor does it fold the leather. It simply trues up the round by pulling the round back and forth through the holes AFTER it has been sewn, the filler trimmed off, and the corners taken off with a heavy edger. It is about the last step in the process. All styles of rounds can be made round by pulling through the rounder, whether they are "true" rounds, "false" rounds (really is a term, not being a smart-ass), stitches-exposed rounds, or a single piece of round belting made into a dog leash. Braiders also use them to true up their work. Usually the work is cased up before it is pulled through the rounder, and I often use a little saddle soap to act as a lubricant and aid in burnishing the exposed edges. There is lots of work that goes into making a round before it ever sees the rounder.

[bruce johnson]

Here's a link to my web page that has the tutorials. Interestingly enough, rein rounders are at the top of the page - http://brucejohnsonleather.com/tutorials/

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks Big Sioux and Bruce, the explanation and Bruce's tutorial answer all of my questions. Thanks a lot! It's amazing how much easier it is to understand once it's drawn out on paper.

[unicornleather]

So you are saying a rein rounder to make round reins is not authentic ?

Right now someone has shown me a rein rounder I can answer your question. The rein rounder's end result will be the same as when we use our rounding blocks that we use in the UK. We lay the stitched work in the rounding block and gently tap it with a hammer to roll the leather into shape and turn the leather back over the stitches. ANY "rolled" work that has the stitches showing still as in the first photo I showed you at the beginning of my thread is not true rolled work, this applies when either a rounding block or a rein rounder is used.

Edited December 17, 2014 by unicornleather