What To Use

[thunter9]

i'm thinking about replacing the leather on a full set of antique sleigh bells so i'm looking for some where to buy enough strap to put this together . i've looked over how they were done in years past. seem they used 1 1/4 inch harness leather with the square holes spaced about 5--6 inches apart so you'd attach the bell then slide a leather loop which is formed over double thickness. attach another loop till every things where you want it . then take another belt the same width and slide it on the back side through the loops. so what would ber better russet thats been died,, or something else skirting ect

[Art]

Contact Springfield Leather as they will cut small pieces of leather for you as reasonable ish prices. Traditionally, the bells are held on with brass sleigh bell pins which make life a little easier.

Art

[Weaver Leather Supply]

I don't know the weight of the leather you are wanting to make the sleigh bell strap, we would have 1-1/4" belt blanks out of 9/10oz English bridle in black, brown, and chestnut that would work as a strap, just make sure you get the plain, non punched version. Art linked the pins above for the #120 bells on the retail site. The cheaper plated bell #115 options attach with a pop rivet. We will have the same color English bridle options in 12/13oz available retail and wholesale very soon.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Thunter9, I do a fair amount of this kind of work, replacing the leather strap on antique bells and cleaning and polishing the bells. I like to use Wickett and Craigs black harness leather (nothing against anything of Weaver's, it's just what I like to use for the bells). W & C has 2 or 3 different finishes of harness leather, but the kind I use for the bells is a drier leather that has a fantastic finish. Anything that's heavily stuffed will cause more corrosion from the brass, getting a lot of green waxy gunk building up around the bells. How do your bells attach? Some of the vintage bells were riveted in, and some were made with a loop for a pin as mentioned above. But your description of using the slide loops between bells is correct. I can't tell you how many times I've been working along and attached the next bell, forgetting to put the slide loop in first. Also, if you are making the strap to actually go around a horse's body or hang buckled to form a loop, as if going around a horse's body, you have to build it on a "curve". Meaning the bottom layer will be somewhat shorter than the top layer. If they are going to hang straight on a wall, then you don't have to worry about that. Are you planning to clean and polish the bells, or leave them as they are? I have requests to do both, although I hate putting new leather on dingy, tarnished old bells. The attached picture is of a set I did recently that I would love to keep. They looked pretty rough when they came in. I soaked them in vinegar, then got the worst of the gunk off with a brass wire wheel, then finally used a felt wheel to polish. I think I had about 6 minutes apiece in them at the wire and felt wheels.

[thunter9]

those are new ? mine are a 0-18 peddle bells .the leather is short buckel on one end and no backing leather has S wire . now the other are really old thats 24 bell set that the leather is shot S wiire missing a bell i have a back up . runs from a size 0-14 or a 12 that will be the one i'm trying first. it looks like your using a zipper stop to attach the loops together. about all i'll do with the bells is clean the gunk off them. i'll try and post a pic.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

The bells in the picture are the old ones that I cleaned and polished. I should have taken a "before" picture. The staple to join the slide loops is called a 5 x 15 staple and is made exactly for that: stapling slide loops.

[thunter9]

these are the 2 sets want to do the smaller set first how wide do you make your straps 1 1/4 seems about right. other set looks like it had leather as backing ,buts long gone