CARE OF HARNESS IN FACTORY AND STABLE.
The appearance and durability of harness to a great extent depends
upon the treatment received after leaving the hands of the workman;
yet a large percentage of manufacturers, as well as consumers, are
very careless and negligent in protecting their goods from injury by
the elements. Consumers, as a rule, are entirely unacquainted with
the peculiarities of the stock used, and they can not, therefore,
be expected to know how to guard it against various destructive
influences, but the harness maker can not plead ignorance. Leather as
received from the tanner does not possess the requisite qualifications
for harness. These the currier supplies by the addition of oil and
grease, together with the labor needed in preparing it, without which
it would lack the suppleness and durability so necessary in this kind
of stock. The preservation of the materials added by the currier,
therefore, becomes an absolute necessity in order to prevent premature
decay.
Moisture is the great destroyer; it absorbs the grease, hardens the
fibre, and renders the leather weak and brittle; it also causes the
metal in the mountings to rust, weakening them, and adds another enemy
to the leather. Grease only will resist the effects of moisture, and
every effort should be made to keep the leather well supplied with this
needed protector.
Manufacturers often overlook the importance of caring for the harness
in stock, and also of instructing their customers how to preserve
it when in use. With some the idea is maintained, that ignorance on
the part of the consumer, as regards the care of harness, accrues to
the benefit of the manufacturer. This is a serious mistake. The most
successful man is he who produces the most durable article, and it
should be part of a manufacturer’s duty to instruct the buyer how to
treat the article purchased. But all manufacturers do not understand
this secret of their business, and a portion of this chapter therefore
will be devoted to the care of stock in the warerooms.
A certain amount of made up stock must be displayed, but there is no
necessity for exposing more than one harness of a kind. Three months’
exposure in a wareroom will injure a harness as much as three months
of constant use, providing the user knows how to take care of it. In
all instances leather strapping, if exposed at all, should be in glass
cases impervious to dust and air; but no showcase can be made tight
enough to fully exclude these elements.
During a great part of the year the air at night is laden with
moisture, and, not unfrequently, during the spring and fall months the
atmosphere is humid and heavy; the moist air permeates every thing,
and by its action upon the leather and mountings rapidly absorbs the
life of the former and rusts or tarnishes the latter. The white mould
which is often observed upon the leather is caused by the grease being
drawn to the surface by moisture. After the surface is covered with
this mould, the absorption of the grease continues in all kinds of
weather until the cause is removed. The manufacturer therefore should
remove it as quickly as possible by brushing it, and afterwards rubbing
with a dry cloth, and finally with a greasy rag or “shammy;” then
restore the polish with an old silk handkerchief. If the mountings are
tarnished, clean them with a “shammy;” if this can not be done, remove
them clean with a little rotten stone. Gilt mountings should not be
exposed. Sample sets are convenient; but when these can not be had, the
gilt should be protected by wrapping it in tissue paper.
In hanging up the various parts of the harness, use forms, instead of
pegs or hooks, except for traces or reins, which should always be hung
out straight. Harness made up for stock should not be “gummed” and
hung in cases, but, after being finished by the workman, all the plain
leather should be covered with a thin coat of “daub” made of one part
of neat’s-foot oil and two parts of tallow—the latter being thoroughly
melted, after which the oil is poured in and the whole thoroughly
stirred until cold;—this will feed the leather and prevent injury. The
patent and fancy leather should be wrapped on soft paper, and every
piece, whether of patent or plain leather, laid out straight and smooth
in shallow drawers and covered with thick paper. Russet strapping of
all kinds should be kept in dark cases or drawers, as the sunlight is
sure to affect the color, the most exposed parts showing the greatest
change.
Harness makers who have made the care of harness a study have no
difficulty in filling orders at a short notice. Their course is to make
up traces, reins, turnbacks, docks, back-bands, and other straight
strapping, and lay them away in grease as before directed. When a
harness is ordered, all that is required is to make the other parts,
finish up the necessary straight straps, attach the mountings, and
put them together. In this way they are enabled to keep their workmen
employed at all times, and obviate the necessity of hiring extra hands
in the busy season. If the manufacturer delivers the harness to his
customer in good order, he does all he is legally bound to do; but his
moral obligation extends much farther—he should instruct the buyer how
to preserve it. The following hints may serve to assist him in this
direction:
The harness room should always be as far from the horses as the size
of the building will allow, as the gases arising from the stable are
very injurious to the leather and mountings; it should be provided with
forms for the bridles, pads, saddles, breechings, etc., and hooks for
reins, hames, and traces. If a separate room can not be had for this
purpose, closets should be provided.
Harness are often quite wet when taken from the horse. When this is
caused by rain, hang them up in some place where they can dry, and
before putting them in the storeroom rub them well with a “shammy,”
or wash-leather, then apply a little crown soap and rub with the
hands until the polish is restored; clean off the under side of the
straps as carefully as the outside. If wet by sweat, dry as quickly
as possible after taking them from the horse, as by the saline nature
of the perspiration the grease is rapidly absorbed and the leather
hardened; if the pads are wet, dry them thoroughly before putting them
in the storeroom. For oiling, during the first year, at least, crown
soap, applied as directed above, is all that is requisite for coach
or carriage harness, but for team and other heavy harness a stronger
grease is required. Cleaning and oiling should be done as often as once
a month on harness which is in daily use. If the leather is soft, wash
it with water applied with a “shammy,” then wring the latter nearly
dry, and rub the leather thoroughly, after which apply a good harness
oil. When each strap has been treated in this way, commence with the
one first washed, and remove all surplus grease with a rag, then rub
with an old piece of silk until the polish is restored. If the leather
is hard and dry, it will be necessary to wash the straps well and wet
them enough to open the pores; lay the straps out straight, and, when
surface dry apply a coat of neat’s-foot oil. When this has penetrated
the leather, apply warm tallow with a brush, and allow the straps to
remain coated with the tallow until the moisture has dried out of the
leather, then with a rag remove all the surplus tallow, and clean the
stitching with a stiff brush; then apply a coat of harness black.
Cleaning mountings requires care, as they do not need to be scoured.
Gold should never be rubbed with any thing harsher than the nap side of
canton flannel; electro silver plate should also be cleaned carefully,
as the plate is soft and the thin coating can be easily removed. Close
plate silver will bear more scouring, but it is seldom necessary to
do more than to rub it with a “shammy” darkened with tripoli and
lampblack. If they are very much tarnished, they should be removed from
the harness and washed in water and rubbed with tripoli. Brass is the
most difficult metal to keep clean, but when rubbed each day the labor
is materially decreased. In the chapter of recipes there are several
directions for cleaning and polishing brass, any of which can be used
to good advantage.