Making A Halter

[KY23]

Everyone,

Trying to make a leather triple stitched halter. I have some examples but the problem I'm having is sewing close to the hardware. In the examples I have the stitch comes pretty close to the hardware but my Cowboy 4500 will not get that close. Is there a technique to it or do I need a different foot?

Here are some examples of how close the stitch is to the hardware.

[Old Coach Saddlery]

See if the Cowboy 4500 has a buckle foot available for the machine.

[KY23]

If they do its not listed on their site. I will call in the morning and ask them.

Here is a list of the accessories I can get for it. I have the feet that are listed.

http://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb-acc-pack.html

[dirtclod]

I've made a bunch of halters over the years and i'm not sure how they sewed that close without breaking a needle. It doesn't need to be that close. Bottom line is the halter is only as strong as the leather and the hardware.

[shtoink]

Bottom line is the halter is only as strong as the leather and the hardware.

This was what I was thinking. I was under the impression that adding in all those extra holes would actually be reducing the strength. Maybe, it's near the ceiling of the number of holes possible and isn't reducing the strength enough to matter much.

It does look kinda cool, though. Is it possible that this was done by hand stitching or edging the needle closer by lifting the foot and tweaking by hand?

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

The closer you can sew to a piece of hardware, the tighter it will be. Tight=less movement of the hardware=longer lasting product. More movement=faster wear. Loosely sewn-in hardware=sloppy work. If a horse pulls back in a leather halter, yes it's probably going to break and it won't matter how close you've sewn to the hardware. BUT, people don't typically tie up halter pullers or colts in leather halters. You have enough lift on a 4500 that you should be able to put the foot of your machine right on top of the ring or square and make the first stitch with the needle just missing the hardware. Or if you want to backstitch a couple stitches, mark with your needle two stitches away, start there and back up to the hardware, then commence sewing. On one end of your sew you should have the turnback of the strap butting up against the ring or square, making three layers, so it's easy for your machine to sew up close. On the other end, you only have two layers, so I will often put a wedge up close to the hardware to make a ramp of sorts for the machine to climb. While not imperative, this step does a couple things. First, as mentioned it makes it easier for your machine to get right up close to the hardware. Second, it allows you to really get that hardware in there tight, and allows it to wear against this wedge instead of against the thread. Same principle as a welt in a knife sheath. This does take some extra time to do, which is the reason high end stuff is high end stuff. Rings and squares are much easier to sew up close to than center bar buckles like the #5705 commonly used on leather halters. When I sew harness breechings, I sew up as close to the layer loop as I can, with the last stitch before I jump over actually moving the loop a bit with the needle. I put a ramp on both sides and a plug in the middle of the layer loop, and that loop is tight and will never pull out until the harness is completely worn out. Little things like that make the difference.

[KY23]

The closer you can sew to a piece of hardware, the tighter it will be. Tight=less movement of the hardware=longer lasting product. More movement=faster wear. Loosely sewn-in hardware=sloppy work. If a horse pulls back in a leather halter, yes it's probably going to break and it won't matter how close you've sewn to the hardware. BUT, people don't typically tie up halter pullers or colts in leather halters. You have enough lift on a 4500 that you should be able to put the foot of your machine right on top of the ring or square and make the first stitch with the needle just missing the hardware. Or if you want to backstitch a couple stitches, mark with your needle two stitches away, start there and back up to the hardware, then commence sewing. On one end of your sew you should have the turnback of the strap butting up against the ring or square, making three layers, so it's easy for your machine to sew up close. On the other end, you only have two layers, so I will often put a wedge up close to the hardware to make a ramp of sorts for the machine to climb. While not imperative, this step does a couple things. First, as mentioned it makes it easier for your machine to get right up close to the hardware. Second, it allows you to really get that hardware in there tight, and allows it to wear against this wedge instead of against the thread. Same principle as a welt in a knife sheath. This does take some extra time to do, which is the reason high end stuff is high end stuff. Rings and squares are much easier to sew up close to than center bar buckles like the #5705 commonly used on leather halters. When I sew harness breechings, I sew up as close to the layer loop as I can, with the last stitch before I jump over actually moving the loop a bit with the needle. I put a ramp on both sides and a plug in the middle of the layer loop, and that loop is tight and will never pull out until the harness is completely worn out. Little things like that make the difference.

Thank you very much. Going to try this tonight. I didn't think of letting the foot on top of the ring or square.