HARNESS-MAKERS’ MATERIALS.
It is now proposed to give some particulars of the materials used in
saddle and harness making.
The threads used in the trade are many, but the principal is waxed
thread, made by the saddler himself, and used to stitch harness and
straps together. By waxed thread is generally meant thread dressed
with black or cobbler’s wax, but the saddler also uses thread dressed
with beeswax and sometimes with white wax. The linen thread used is
in various colours, yellow, red, black, white, etc., and is on reels
or in hanks. Silk threads of the same colours are used for best work,
such as stitching best brown saddlery, riding bridles, martingales,
etc. The white and black linen thread is used for whippingin lining
in panels of both gig and riding saddles, and for stitching saving
pads in any thin material for light work, and also in stitching
along with the red and yellow thread in making riding bridles, and
all kinds of brown light work. The hemp for wax threads, of various
strengths, is to be had in black, yellow, green, and white. The white
hemp is considered the best and toughest, though the coloured perhaps
is a little cheaper. Fine No. 15 and coarse No. 3 will probably meet
all requirements.
Beeswax, as already hinted, is used to make threads for work that is
light as regards both colour and substance. Single linen threads of
all colours are, before using, rubbed with beeswax, which does not
deaden the colour. White wax is sometimes made for brown harness by
melting together white-lead and white wax; instead of the latter,
the wax from best white wax candles may be used. If the wax when
cold is too soft, add more white wax; if too hard, add a little more
white-lead.
Black cobbler’s wax is made by melting together ½ lb. each of resin
and pitch. When thoroughly mixed, remove the pan from the fire, and
add one pennyworth of boiled linseed oil, or less, according to the
weather. Thoroughly mix this with the other ingredients and then
pour a little into cold water to test it. Let it remain for a minute
and then remove it from the water, taking care to well wet the hands
in doing so, or in the subsequent working it will stick to them.
If it cracks when working it in the hands, it is too hard; if it
pulls out properly and sticks well together, it is all right. Put
it back into the water, and pour in the rest of the stuff after it.
It is important that the piece tested be not put back into the pan
containing the rest of the wax, as the water absorbed will evaporate
and make the hot wax frothy and spongy. Gather the wax together in
the water without loss of time, remove it with wet hands, and pull it
fast hand over hand as quickly as possible till it attains a light
golden colour. Pull off a small piece with the hands, or cut it off
with wet scissors, and throw it into the water. If it floats on the
surface it has been pulled enough; if it sinks, the wax requires
more working. If not pulled enough, the wax is brittle, becoming
tougher and better the more it is pulled. In making the wax it must
be remembered that only half as much oil is required in summer as in
winter. The colder the atmosphere the more oil will be required.
The quantities of ingredients mentioned will make about thirty handy
lumps of wax, and as a rule a pennyworth of oil is enough in the
coldest weather. If, after working it, the wax is too hard, melt it
again and add more oil; if too soft, add more pitch and resin. Hard
wax may be used in a way that avoids re-melting. The thread, previous
to being dressed with the wax, is rubbed with tallow, over which
the wax will run smooth. Cut the wax into lumps the size of a large
pigeon’s egg and keep it in water.
Directions will now be given for making wax threads. So that the hemp
may be kept tidy and not mixed up with the tools on the bench, place
the ball of hemp in a wooden or tin box having a small hole in the
centre of its lid, through which the hemp can pass. Take hold of the
end of the hemp with the left hand, twist it once around the fingers,
and draw it through the right hand. When a sufficient quantity has
been drawn out, break the thread by rubbing it on the knee to take
out the twist, at the same time giving it a sharp pull; the strands
thus loosen and break in a ragged end. Throw the hemp over a nail or
hook in the bench, pull it until the sides are each about 2 ft. 9 in.
long, keep the hemp tight with the end in the left hand, and with
the right hand spin or rub it on the knee as before to untwist the
strands; then pull it sharply to break it. The more ragged the broken
end is the better will be the point on the finished thread. There
is now one strand 2 ft. 9 in. long and pointed; with the right hand
put the points together in the left hand, and draw the hemp again
over the hook, spinning and cutting it as before, and repeating the
operation till the required number of strands is obtained. The number
varies with the required strength, from three to sixteen.
In putting the ends of the cut hemp together, do not leave them
exactly the same length; by leaving some shorter than others a
nice pointed thread is obtained at the finish, fine enough to go
into the eye of a needle. When the required number of strands is
obtained, take a ball of wax in the right hand, and hold both ends
of the thread separately in the left; draw the wax over the points
two or three times to keep the ends together, taking care to keep
the ends on the left of the hook twisted round the left hand, and
holding them tight with the third and fourth fingers, leaving the
thumb and forefinger loose to manipulate the other end in the process
of twisting; the wax on the ends or points is a great help at this
stage. Having an end between the thumb and finger of the left hand,
set it on the knee, and spin or twist it as when cutting the hemp.
The knee should be raised about 12 in. from the floor by placing the
foot on a support. Continue spinning with the palm of the right hand
until the thread is twisted enough. If twisted too much, it will work
into knots when used in stitching. Then put the twisted side round
the left hand, kept firm by the third and fourth fingers as before;
and take the other side between the thumb and forefinger of the left
hand, and spin it to the proper twist with the palm of the right hand
as the other side was done. If the thread is required very smooth,
twist both of the sides of the thread once round the seat-awl and
draw the latter sharply backwards and forwards along the thread, all
unevenness being thus smoothed away. For coarse work and repairs this
is not necessary, but for best and new work the thread should always
be smoothed.
To wax the thread, hold the two ends of the thread firmly in the left
hand, and with the ball of wax held in the palm of the right hand,
rub all along the thread, pulling the thread from around the hook
into the open to enable that portion to be waxed also. Pull back the
thread into its former position, and, with a piece of soft leather or
the bare hand, rub the thread sharply from end to end to smooth the
wax and make it even all along. The thread is then ready for use.
Yellow or white hemp thread is made with either beeswax or white
wax in exactly the same manner, but the point of the thread is not
dressed with white wax, being left unwaxed until the rest of the
thread is finished. The end has to be pointed with black wax, which
will not stick over beeswax or white wax. Black wax is the only kind
that will keep the thread fast to the needles.
Nails are extensively used both in putting materials together for
working and as ornaments. The nails used in putting work together are
generally cut tacks, ranging in length from ⅝ in. to 1 in. Neat wire
nails can now be had, however, much cheaper than the tacks, and are
to be preferred, as they are of uniform size and leave a much smaller
hole when withdrawn. Clumsy nails spoil good work, as the holes made
by them are larger than the awl used in stitching. Very fine nails do
not spoil the work, and can be obtained in sizes suitable for heavier
and clumsier work; and they may be used over and over again if care
is taken in pulling them out with the nail-claw. Cut tacks are used
in putting gig saddles together, in nailing the leather to the tree,
in adjusting panels in the gullet and behind, between the two prongs
of the crupper staples, for nailing seats in riding saddles, etc. Cut
tacks can be obtained as small as ⅜ in. in length.
Saddlers’ tacks of different sizes from ½ in. to ¾ in. long are
used in putting in cart-saddle and riding-saddle panels and flaps,
and for many other purposes. Clout nails are used now and then in
putting houses on cart saddles, and for nailing on straps and girths,
etc. Clout nails and saddlers’ tacks are made of wrought iron.
Round-headed and japanned nails may be used for nailing cart-saddle
housings, and have a neater appearance than common iron clouts. Tough
nails are used in making all kinds of saddles; they sometimes have
heads covered with black patent leather, and sometimes japanned heads
only. Others have heads of silver, nickel, or brass. They are used
partly as ornaments and partly to hold the work together, and are
in two sizes, cab and gig. There are usually four in a gig or cab
saddle, one in each corner of the skirt in front and one on each side
behind, holding down the binding that comes over the cantle of the
saddle. The front ones are driven through, bent, and beaten close to
the tree backwards, whilst the hind ones are cut to taper for about
half their lengths to a point; they are driven into the tree.
In a riding saddle there is one nail in the front, one in each of the
sides, one in the corner of the skirts driven through and bent, and
one on each side just at the thin end of the skirt, driven inwards
so as to catch the tree and be flattened close to it. There is also
one in each flap under the skirt in a line with the stirrup fastener,
driven through the tree on the outside of the plate running along
the points from the gullet; these are bent and flattened underneath.
Sometimes brass nails are used as ornaments, but brass beading has
done away with their use to a great extent. Formerly country cart
saddles were ornamented by nailing the housing to the tree with brass
nails; the covers of van saddles, as well as the opening over the
boards, were also fastened down with these nails.
Such pieces as loop leather, the edges of black straps, etc., often
have to be dyed. The dye or stain is made by boiling together for
half an hour 1 lb. logwood chips, 4 oz. crushed nutgalls, ½ lb.
copperas, a little gum arabic, and 5 qt. of water. Keep a little in
an old bottle hung in a handy position near the bench. The dye is
applied by a stick having a piece of felt attached to its end. The
ink can be thinned by the addition of water. In dyeing brown leather,
it must first be coated with soda solution to kill the grease. The
solution is made by dissolving a piece of washing soda the size of
a pigeon’s egg in a quart of hot water. The black dye may then be
applied. If it does not strike well, rub over it a coarse brush and
again coat with dye. Rub it well and dry with a rag, afterwards well
rubbing in a little tallow with either a rag or the bare hand. The
tallow gives a finish and counteracts any injury the dye might do the
hand, there being in the copperas a tendency to burn.
Flocks, both white and coloured, are extensively used in the trade,
and can be bought at from 20s. to 50s. per hundredweight; the
material can also be had in small quantities—even as low as a pound.
Best white flock should be free from cotton, and should be tested by
putting a small quantity in a candle flame; if cotton is present, it
burns fiercely and with a big flame, but fine wool burns slowly and
smoulders. The best flock is used for stuffing riding-saddle panels,
etc., and the best drummed flock is used for collars, being put near
the horse’s breast under the lining to make the collars easy for the
shoulder.
The drummed flocks are in large sheets, and these are cut to the size
and shape required, and, being of even thickness, will not be lumpy,
an important consideration in making a collar. Coarser flock of a
white, brown, or any dark colour will do for stuffing and restuffing
gig-saddle panels. Curled horsehair is sometimes used for stuffing
panels, and is found very cool for an animal with a tender back or
shoulder; goat hair is very suitable for stuffing. Neither this nor
horsehair is so liable to be clogged by sweating as sheep’s wool,
though the latter, when dry, containing but very little oil and being
well carded, is used extensively in country places.
All these materials before use should be put through the flock
machine once or twice to loosen the fibre, and care should be taken
when stuffing with a rod that the flock or wool is not put in lumpy
or uneven. After stuffing, the work should be levelled with the
seat-awl until it is as smooth as a board. The drummed flock, of
course, is already level and even; it is not stuffed in, but laid on
the inside of the collar lining before stuffing the collar with straw.
Thick felt is a good substitute for pads to ease collars and saddles,
and can be bought in various thicknesses by the pound. Large
cuttings and waste pieces can also be bought very cheaply, and two
thicknesses can be put together if necessary, a strap and a buckle
being on one side with a strap on the other to fasten to a saddle or
collar. Felt is useful to put under cruppers and to line breechings
when chafing, or under any strappings that chafe the horse’s skin.
They can be fastened to the above by stitching them with a spot
stitch, thus - - - - -, about ¾ in. apart, and slanting the awl
underneath to make the stitch small there as well as on the top; or
nails may be used when the felt is sufficiently thick. False collars,
pads to be used like saddle cloths under gig or cab saddles and under
cart-saddle panels, riding-saddle cloths, and many other articles are
made of felt.
The harness maker and saddler uses many different kinds of leather,
and, unless the worker possesses some knowledge of the particular
purpose of each variety, much waste is likely to result. Stuff too
light or too heavy, too thick or too thin, spoils a job, and of
course entails loss.
In Fig. 63, which is a diagram showing a cut hide, A A show the sides
of a harness hide with belly on; C C, backs of harness hide with
belly off; B B B B, bellies of hide; D D, middlings; E, shoulder; and
F, uncut middling.
Harness leather can be bought in hides (A A) cut only along the back,
having the belly part attached, at the rate of from 1s. 2d. to 1s.
11d. per lb. The best part can be used for harness and cart gear; the
belly will come in well for repairs, linings, and fillings. Harness
backs (C C) are half hides from which the belly (B B) has been cut
off; these have all pure firm leather suitable for making all kinds
of harness. The price is from 1s. 9d. to 2s. 5d. per pound.
Trace backs (C C) resemble the above, but are picked and more
carefully dressed, and are made of the finest and best grown hides.
They cost from 1s. l0d. to 2s. 7d. per pound.
Rein hides have the bellies attached but are dressed and of picked
quality and thickness and uniform strength; they are suitable for
making into driving reins. For the best part can also be made any
good light single straps, where strength and durability are required.
The best part of the belly can be cut up into small straps of any
kind and into linings. These hides cost from 56s. to 72s. each. Rein
backs resemble the above, but have the belly cut off; the price is
from 40s. to 70s. each.
Black strap butts (D D) are the best part of the hide from which the
belly and shoulder have been cut. They are from 4 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft.
9 in. long, and are suitable for any kind of good single strap. The
price is from 56s. to 72s. a pair.
Black spur shoulders (E) are light shoulders dressed and flattened;
from them are made spur and similar straps, garters, wrist straps,
etc. The price is from 8s. 6d. to 10s. each. Japanned horse hides
for patent harness collars cost from 40s. to 46s. each. Cow hides,
japanned for the same purpose, cost from 38s. to 44s. each. Japanned
cow-backs for collars, etc., cost from 30s. to 39s. per pair.
Japanned flap hides for making gig, cab, or brougham harness saddle
flaps are priced at from 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per pound. The middlings
cost from 2s. to 2s. 6d. per pound.
Winker hides, japanned for making bridle winkers, cost 54s. to 56s.
each, and the middlings (F) for the same purpose cost from 32s.
to 36s. per pair. Japanned welting seals for making welts for gig
saddles, etc., are priced at from 7s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. each. Japanned
and enamelled hides for making military belts, etc., cost from 54s.
to 60s. each, and middlings for the same purpose from 40s. to 42s.
per pair.
There is great variety in brown or stained leather. Bridle hides for
all sorts of riding bridles cost from 50s. to 56s. each. Backs (C C)
from the above cost 45s. to 50s. each, whilst the butts cost 32s. to
40s.; these are in varying qualities and prices.
Brown shoulders (E) dressed for coat straps, garters, braces, or
small straps in general can be bought at from 6s. 6d. to 10s. each,
and driving-rein brown hides at from 56s. to 72s. each. The backs
cost from 56s. to 66s. a pair, and the butts for handparts of reins
38s. to 42s. a pair.
[Illustration: Fig. 63.—Cutting up Hide.]
Double-rein hides—that is, brown leather specially selected and
dressed for making reins of double thickness stitched together, cost
from 44s. to 50s. each. The backs cost from 40s. to 48s. per pair.
Head-collar rein backs for making head-collars, stallion bridles,
etc., can be bought at from 2s. 6d. to 2s. 11d. per pound.
Stirrup hides for making stirrup straps cost from 2s. 6d. to 2s.
9d. per pound; there are also inferior qualities. Butts for stirrup
straps cost from 3s. 6d. to 4s. per pound. Brown harness hides cost
from 1s. 6d. to 1s. 11d. per pound. The backs cost from 1s. 8d. to
2s. 2d. per pound. Skirt hides for making ladies’ and gents’ saddle
skirts and flaps are priced at from 1s. 10d. to 2s. 2d. per pound.
Skirt backs are from 2s. to 2s. 4d. per pound, and shoulders, 1s. 5d.
to 1s. 10d. per pound.
Hog-skins suitable for all purposes, but chiefly used for saddles,
can be bought at from £9 to £12 per dozen; they can be bought singly,
and there are also inferior qualities.
Sheep-skins in imitation of hog-skins can be bought at from 30s. to
60s. per dozen, or copper plates for printing basils and a printing
press for the purpose can be bought instead. Basils for gig-saddle
panel pads and repairing collars, and cart-saddle cheek pads, etc.,
can be bought at from 10s. to 30s. per dozen. The common ones are
good enough for repairs and cheap work.
Specially dressed hides for making braces or any light straps can be
bought at from 36s. to 40s. each; the shoulders (E) or bellies (B)
dressed for the same purpose can be had apart from the hide. Purse
and pocket-book hides are also specially dressed, and cost from 30s.
to 40s. each. Calf-skins dressed for the same purpose cost from 9s.
to 10s. 6d. each. The brace and pocket-book and purse leather can be
obtained stained in various colours, red, brown, yellow, orange, etc.
The brown harness leather also can be had natural or tallow colour or
stained fawn, nut brown, yellow, or orange. Brown gear hides for cart
work are from 1s. 3d. to 2s. per pound, the backs from 1s. 7d. to 2s.
3d. per pound, and bellies from 10d. to 1s. 4d. per pound.
Mill bands for making driving belts cost from 1s. 6d. to 2s. 2d. per
pound. Engine butts for making strong engine belts, either single or
double, cost from 2s. to 2s. 6d. per pound.
Fancy coloured leather for bridle fronts and rosettes cost from 40s.
to 42s. each middling. Striped patent frontings leather costs from
1s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. per square foot. White buff hides for hunting-crop
keepers, razor strops, belts, etc., cost about 5s. per pound. White
bleached buff middling is about 5s. per pound.
A country saddler is often called upon to work in coach-builders’
leather; leathers for this purpose are not included in the above
list, but, as a rule, they can be obtained at the same place as
harness leather.
Enamelled cow, ox, and bull hides for carriage tops, etc., are sold
whole, and not slit along the middle, at from 40s. to 70s. each.
Coach hides and backs for dashes and wings cost from 26s. to 40s.
each. Seal-skins for the same purpose cost from 7s. 6d. to 12s. each.
Hides for window straps, enamelled and prepared, cost from 56s. to
60s. each. All coloured carriage cushion hides for making carriage
cushions cost from 40s. to 60s. each. Dyed and enamelled leather for
cushions is sold by the square foot.
It is scarcely necessary to state that all the above prices fluctuate
with the market. A great quantity of harness leather, nowadays, is
prepared by the quick tanning process, but it is inferior stuff. The
best leather is that which has been through a pure oak tan. It is
very hard, however, to tell when the inferior process has been used,
but as a rule the colour, smell, and even taste of the leather decide
the question; soft, mellow leather that has not a hard feeling to the
touch is as a rule good leather, especially if it has a close grain
and a light yellow colour when cut. The inferior quality feels and
looks dry and hard: it has a dull grey colour and an uneven grain
facing. A good test is to bend it, poor and badly dressed leather
cracking in the bend, and the grain giving way; these defects show
that either chemicals or excessive heats have been used in the
finishing and tanning. Well tanned and dressed leather stands the
bending test well.
A few rules on cutting up hides may now be given. When cutting a
strap from a hide, do not cut down lower than the width of the strap
required, so as not to interfere with the next cut into the hide.
All possible care should be taken to prevent waste, and pieces of
particular shape should be cut from a pattern. It is sheer waste to
cut off a piece of stuff larger than is required and then to trim it
down. In cutting up a hide, lay it on the bench with the back part
against the worker; use a straightedge at least 8 ft. long, and mark
with a blunt-pointed awl or the seat-awl, using the straightedge
as a guide. Take care not to cut the grain of the leather with the
point of the awl, as in the case of the straightedge being shifted an
indelible mark may be left.
If the strap is to be cut with the round knife, set the compass to
the right width, and put one point in position to run along the edge
of the leather, and the other on the leather so that it marks the
width to be cut; pull the compass towards the worker, pressing it so
that it leaves a plain line. With the round knife begin cutting at
the right-hand end, keeping the leather steady in its place on the
cutting-board with the left hand. A cutting-board ought always to be
employed, as nails on the top of the bench would interfere with the
work. Push the knife along the marked line steadily, taking care that
the knife does not slip; if it does, it may make a bad slit and spoil
the work. Straps are always cut along the hide and not across it, the
hide being much stronger lengthways.
The first cutting from the hide is suitable for reins, and then
in order come traces, back-bands, bridging-straps, hip-straps,
and hip-strap tugs; then crupper billet, shaft tugs, name tugs,
bellyband, bridle head-strap, cheeks, etc.; and from the belly part
or third quality in side of hide may be cut linings and layers
for folds. In making cart harness, cut bridge-band, crupper, and
bridge-band carrier or hip-straps and bearers, and then cart-saddle
bellybands and bridle; the best part of the belly, with the top well
lined, will do for side pieces of collar, unless this can be cut from
a specially dressed piece.
Specially curried leather must be obtained for cart-saddle housings
and winkers, as the harness leather is not firm enough and contains
too much oil. The special leather also must be got for the saddle
flaps, the pieces lying against the ribs of the horse under the
ridgworth.
A leather that is cheapest in first cost is not always the cheapest
to use. That leather is the best from which the greatest weight
of firm straps can be made, and which will continue firm for the
greatest length down towards the belly part.
The compass and round knife only were mentioned in the description
of cutting straps, but the plough is very useful for cutting straps
varying from ½ in. to 5½ in. in width. The plough does away with the
use of both compass and round knife, and cuts much more evenly and
straight than it is possible to do by hand. Its use effects a great
saving of time, the knife merely requiring to be adjusted on the
gauge and made fast by the thumb-screw. Hold the leather firm and
flat on the board with the left hand, and press it forward to the
plough, keeping the guard close and tight to the edge all along. The
uses of the head knife in cutting will be fully explained later.
Brown harness work, as small straps, traces, back-band, and
breechings, may be finished with a thin solution of gum and water,
and should be well rubbed with a smooth bone until polished.
Machines for trimming the edges are made, but their work is
incomplete, because all lengthy straps have parts in which the fibres
are less close than at others. A good method is to knock the edges
all along, consolidate them as much as possible, and then trim them
round and level with the spokeshave; afterwards run a glass scraper
over them and sandpaper. Finally, a good rubbing with brown paper and
bone, after gumming, will give a fine polished edge to all brown work.
Black straps and harness are prepared in the same way for polishing;
black dye them, then rub dry with a rag, and polish with brown paper
and bone. Sometimes, after blacking and rubbing, a coat of liquid
blacking is applied, and rubbed until dry. Again, some harness-makers
employ black-ball and a burnisher to finish after blacking, rubbing
down well; this is recommended for the best harness. It should be
understood that whenever the word finishing used here in connection
with best harness this process is referred to for black and brown
harness and single straps.
Common harness and cart gear, especially in country places, are
usually finished by levelling the edges, scraping with glass,
blacking, rubbing with a rag, and finally, after passing a ball of
hard tallow along the edges, rubbing with a bone or hard knife handle.
Webs are used for a variety of purposes by saddlers. Girth web for
making saddle girths is sold in 15-yd. pieces. It can be had in
cotton, union, or worsted. Race girth is a superior material for
racing saddles; it is about 5 in. wide. Web for roller girth is from
4 in. to 6 in. wide and in 12½-yd. pieces; it is of cotton, union, or
worsted. In the same material is made trace web in 18½-yd. pieces, 1½
in. to 2½ in. wide. Game-bag web is sometimes required, and is bought
by the yard in different colours. Men’s body-belt web is to be had
in 18-yd. pieces from 4 in. to 8 in. wide, and in seven or eight
colours. Straining-web for saddle seats can be bought by the yard or
in the piece. A country saddler finds diaper-web very useful; this is
bought in 15-yd. pieces.
Other requisites, such as bits, spurs, stirrups, and harness
furniture are described in Chapter X.
A few reliable recipes for some of the most necessary articles
employed in harness making will now be given.
_Iron Liquor for Dyeing._—(_a_) Green copperas, 2 lb.; vinegar, 2
qt.; pulverised nutgall, ¼ lb.; and water, 4 qt. Two weeks after
mixing add another 2 qt. of water. (_b_) Bichromate of potash, ½ lb.;
logwood extract, 1 lb.; copperas, 1 oz.; and water, 1 gal.
_Saddlers’ Black Wax._—(_a_) Pitch, 2 lb.; resin, 2½ lb.; seal oil,
one pennyworth. In winter add 2 lb. of resin instead of 2½ lb., and
never more than ⅔ of the oil until the stiffness of the wax has
been tested. (_b_) Pitch, 1 lb.; resin, 1 lb.; and linseed oil, one
pennyworth.
The exact amount of oil to be used in both of the above recipes
depends on the season and the weather. A little lampblack may be
well mixed in when the wax is required very black. Always melt the
pitch and resin together, and then add the oil. Afterwards pour the
mixture into cold water, and knead and pull it until it floats. Try a
small piece first to ascertain whether there is sufficient oil, and
likewise after pulling to see whether it floats.
_Brown Wax._—Beeswax, 1 lb.; pale resin, 3 oz.; and white-lead, 3 oz.
The wax can be softened or hardened by adding more or less beeswax.
Melt the mixture, stirring it, and then pour it into water and pull
until it floats.
_Flour Paste._—Water, 1 qt., and alum 3 oz. Heat until the alum has
melted, and when cold add flour to the consistency of cream; then let
the mixture boil, stirring it at the same time. By adding a little
powdered resin and a clove or two before boiling, the paste will keep
for a year and can be softened with water when dry.
_Brown Stain._—Boil equal parts of pine and alder bark in six times
their bulk of water until the colour is extracted, and when cold add
a little alcohol.
_Yellow Stain._—Boil some fustic berries in alum water and darken
the shade by adding powdered brazil, which must be boiled with the
berries.
_Brown, Russet, and Yellow Stain._—Boil a given amount of saffron
in water until the colour is extracted, cut a quantity of annatto,
putting it into urine, and mix the urine and extract, the proportion
of each determining the shade; the greater the amount of annatto the
darker the colour.
_Stain for Riding Saddles, etc._—Saffron, three pennyworth; annatto,
one pennyworth; soft soap, one pennyworth; and boiling water, 1 qt.
Mix and let the whole stand until ready.
_Reviver for Patent Leather._—Mix warm linseed oil 1 pt., and cream 1
pt. Apply with a sponge and polish with a soft flannel or rag.
_Harness Composition._—(_a_) Glue, 4 oz.; gum arabic, 3 oz.; water,
¾ pt. Dissolve all by heat and add 6 oz. of treacle and 5 oz. of
very finely powdered ivory black, and slowly evaporate with constant
trituration until the composition is of the proper consistency when
cold. When nearly cold, bottle and cork; if necessary the bottle can
be warmed before use. (_b_) Mutton suet 2 oz., and pure beeswax 6 oz.
Melt this mixture and then add finely powdered sugar candy, 6 oz.;
soft soap, 2 oz.; lampblack, 2 oz.; and finely powdered indigo, ½ oz.
When perfectly incorporated add ¼ pt. of oil of turpentine. Keep the
composition in pots or tins, (_c_) Beeswax, 1 lb.; soft soap, 6 oz.;
ivory black, ¼ lb.; Prussian blue (ground in), 1 oz.; linseed oil, 2
oz.; and oil of turpentine, ½ pt. Mix well together and pot. Put a
thin layer of one of the above on the leather and polish gently with
a brush or rubber.
_Harness Jet._—Molasses, 8 parts; lampblack, 1 part; sweet oil, 1
part; gum arabic, 1 part; isinglass, 1 part; and water, 32 parts. Mix
well together and add 1 pt. of turpentine. Apply the mixture with a
sponge. If it is hard, place the bottle in hot water to soften the
mixture. One ounce of spirit of wine can also be added when cool.
_Waterproof Paste for Carriage Harness._—(_a_) Dissolve three sticks
of black sealing wax in ½ pt. of alcohol, or dissolve lac in alcohol
and colour with sufficient lampblack. (_b_) Melt 2 oz. of black resin
in a glazed vessel over the fire, and then add 3 oz. of beeswax, and
as soon as all is melted remove from the fire and add ½ oz. of fine
lampblack and ½ oz. of Prussian blue in powder. Stir all well and add
enough turpentine to form a thin paste. Cool and apply with a sponge;
polish with a soft brush.
_Oil for Farm and Team Harness._—Melt 3 lb. of pure tallow without
letting it boil, and gently add 1 lb. of pure neatsfoot oil. Stir
continually until cold, so that it will be perfectly mixed, otherwise
the tallow will harden in lumps. To colour, add a little bone black
or lampblack.
_Brass Polishing Paste._—(_a_) Dissolve 3 parts of oxalic acid in 40
of water, with 100 of pumicestone powdered, 2 of oil of turpentine,
12 of soft soap, and 12 of any fat oil. (_b_) Beat equal weights of
soft soap and rottenstone into a paste.
_Plate Powder._—Take as much sulphate of iron as will fill a clay
pipe, keep it on the fire for a quarter of an hour, and mix with
powdered chalk.
_Leather Preserver._—To preserve harness from the effect of ammonia
in stables add a little glycerine to the oil employed.
_Leather Cement._—(_a_) Dissolve guttapercha in bisulphate of carbon
until of the consistency of treacle. Shave well the parts to be
cemented and then spread a little cement evenly over them. Warm them
for about half a minute, apply one against the other quickly, and
press hard. Keep the bottle well corked and in a cool place. (_b_)
Melt guttapercha, 16 parts; pure rubber, 4 parts; yellow pitch, 2
parts; shellac, 1 part; and linseed oil, 2 parts, and apply as above.
(_c_) Guttapercha, 1 lb.; indiarubber, 4 oz.; pitch, 1 oz.; shellac,
1 oz.; and linseed oil, 2 oz. Melt all together. The composition will
harden when kept, and must be melted for use.
_Bronzing for Leather._—A small amount of so-called insoluble aniline
violet is dissolved in a little water and the solution brushed over
the article; it will dry quickly. If the result is not satisfactory,
repeat the process.
_To Gild Calf- or Sheepskin._—Wet the leather with some egg albumen,
and, when dry, rub it with the hands damped with a little olive oil.
Then apply the gold leaf, and pass a hot iron over it.