Chapter VIII

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING UP A BREAST COLLAR SINGLE HARNESS.

The man who performs his work well and quickly, possesses a capital which can always be invested to good advantage to himself and his employer; while the lack of the necessary skill and knowledge to accomplish these results acts as a serious drawback to success. In almost every factory there are those who, if they had received proper instruction when learning their trade, would have made first-class mechanics, but who, because of neglect on their own part, or on that of their instructors, lack confidence in themselves when brought in contact with others, and are content to hold secondary positions, passing through life without benefit to their profession or profit to themselves. Want of system is the great underlying fault, and is the principal reason why success is so seldom attained.

The journeyman who works at his bench in a careless, hap-hazard manner can not perform his part well, and is almost certain to interfere with the labor of those near him, while by his example he inculcates in the minds of the apprentices the same disregard for order and system as exhibited by himself, thus working a permanent injury to all with whom he comes in contact.

There is on the part of mechanics a general disinclination to listen to advice based upon theory, and from a knowledge of this fact the author has prepared the following practical instructions in harness making in its various parts, believing the end sought could better be accomplished in this way than in any other. While it is not to be expected that the rules here laid down can be followed in every particular, it is believed that there is much that will be found instructive and useful even to the most experienced journeyman, and which if studied by the apprentice, or the journeyman who has been deprived of opportunities to learn his business in detail, will serve to advance them far more rapidly towards a mastery of their trade than if they depended solely upon the ideas and practices acquired at the work-bench.

The instructions given for making up a single harness will serve as a general guide which may be followed in almost every case, as they point out the routine to be followed and the manner of handling the stock.

To facilitate the execution of the labor and secure good results, the workman must so fit up the various parts that the stitcher can perform one class of work at a time; it will not do to call upon him to stitch a round, then a loop, followed by folds and other parts. As far as possible the rounds should be prepared at one time, the breeching, hip, turnback, and other plain straps at another, then the folds, loops, laps, and all other parts where there is any considerable work of a kind, each by themselves, not perhaps in the order named, but in such a manner that each particular class of work can be done without interfering with another. In the following instructions for fitting up a single harness, the rotation is such as to cause but little annoyance to the stitcher, while at the same time the fitter is not compelled to wait for any thing.

The plan here detailed is that followed in a factory where the leather is cut out and given to the fitter, and the stitching done by men who do nothing else. The leather being on the work-bench, the first act is to wet all the stock thoroughly in blood-warm water, but care must be taken to expose it to moisture long enough to draw the oil to the surface; then skive down all the straps or parts thereof that are to be made up into rounds, such as the winker brace, gag runners, center of breast collar, shaft tugs, and crupper dock. Slick them out and lay them aside to dry, then with a sharp spokeshave remove the flesh quite closely from the crown piece, check rein billets, belly band billets, center-piece, and cheeks; slick them out, apply a thick coat of clean tallow, and lay them aside to dry where they will not be exposed to the sun or to the heat from a stove, as such exposure will turn the stock dark and cause the tallow to spew. The fleshing is not necessary on fine stock, but where it is requisite it should be done at this time. Next skive the breeching, belly band, breast collar, and neck piece layers, slick them out and lay them aside to dry; then skive down the trace fillings or raise to the required thickness, and take the edges down thin with a wide edge tool. Next proceed to skive down the top and bottom, and slick them out, after which raise the top and paste in the filling (avoid using more paste than is absolutely necessary), moisten the top of the trace with a damp sponge and rub it down with a bone, reverse the straps so that the butts will run up on the outside and down on the inside, then paste on the bottom, wet it in the same manner as directed for the top, rub it down with a bone, and then rub the trace well with a rag: this will give the grain a fine, soft finish that can not be secured in any other way. Then skive down the tops and bottoms of the breeching straps, slick them out, block, crease, and punch holes in the bottom for the buckles; take the edges down on the bottom to form the raise on the top, raise the latter, and paste down for a distance of four feet; skive the tops and bottoms of the hip straps, slick them out, and take down the edges of the bottoms to form the raise for the tops; cut them off three feet eight inches long, round the ends, paste on the tops, and rub them with a bone and rag; lay them aside, and when they are sufficiently dry so that the paste will not move they are ready to sink, but do not dry them in the sun or near the fire, as such heat will harden the stock and cause the paste to dry unevenly.

Next fit up the shaft tug—eight inches for a seven-eighth inch tug—the straps being cut one and one eighth inches wide. Take off one eighth of an inch on each edge of the portion to be fitted up, raise and fill in the remaining portion so as to take up the quarter inch that was trimmed off the outside, channel the inside so that the stitches will be buried out of sight, and lay them aside to dry. Now fit the dock, mark off and cut it out, crease the edges with a fine crease, prick off twelve inches, take the edges down quite thin and bend the two together. Next fit the rounds, commencing with those for the gag runners and following with those for the throat latch and breast collar. Take the edge off the full length of the part to be rounded, and channel with a small round knife from the edge. The gag runners for a half-inch bridle require to be channeled four inches, the center-piece for a breast collar four and one half inches, and the throat latch sixteen inches; hammer the straps down, and fill them if they require it.

The winker brace is the next strap to be prepared. The billet is four and one half inches long; raise and crease it, hammer up the rounds (which are seven and three quarter inches long), line the billet, and allow the end of the lining to enter the round one inch; have the latter stitched, paste the billet down, and crease it when dry. Next prepare the breeching tugs. The round for the front one should be channeled three and three quarter inches, the back one four inches; black the part which passes around the rings, prick in the center, and tack in the rings. Follow these by the martingale. Mark off three quarters of an inch from the end to round in, then five inches for laps, channel seven inches, raise, crease, and black the laps; mark out, cut, and crease the layers; hammer up and fill the rounds, and have them stitched; then prick off the laps and have them stitched. Next fit up the turnback. First mark off two inches for the laps on the ends of the dock billets; channel seven inches for the rounds; raise the laps, then mark off and cut out the wave, skive down the edges, hammer up the rounds, and fit the lining, allowing it to extend down so as to form the filling for the rounds; have the latter stitched, round them up, and paste up the turnback; when dry, mark off the wave the full length, and sink the crease for the stitching. Go over all lined straps and turnback, after having marked off the wave or other pattern, with a sharp tickler, then heat the heavy sinker and finish the sinking. Slick the tallow off the crown and center pieces, cheeks, belly band and check rein billets, and spokeshave the edges to clean them thoroughly. Then fit up the check reins, round the points of the billets, take a light edge off the flesh side, but do not disturb the grain; dampen the edges with a sponge and water, rub them with a bone until they are smooth, and, when dry, black, and rub them with prepared tallow, composed of one third part beeswax and two third parts pure beef tallow; rub them with a bone and then with a rag, so that the flesh side will be kept clean, crease the edges with a hot iron, crease and apply a little gum tragacanth (prepared by dissolving the gum in water and adding good black ink to give it color and preserve it), then rub with a bone.

Proceed in like manner to fit up and finish the centercheck, belly band billets, cheek billets, and crown-piece billets, after which prepare the stock for the round check reins. First measure off three inches for laps at billet ends, next fourteen inches for rounds, then four and one half inches for laps at rings, and three quarters of an inch to round in; cut the laps at the ring down to full one half inch in the center, and taper each way; leave the full substance where the leather turns round the rings, hammer up and fill the rounds, and have them stitched before fitting up the laps. Then mark off and cut out the patent leather winkers, frogs, etc. Scratch the lines for stitching, black over, and rub in a little tallow where scratched, and go over with a heavy sinker, which will tend to improve the appearance after the stitching is done. Paste up the winkers, but be careful to avoid wetting the patent leather, as the water will cause it to lose its fine gloss; stitch up the joining seam, leaving about three quarters of an inch on the top edge near the corner for the winker strap; apply a little paste to the inside of the winker plate, shove it in between the lining and the patent leather, and rub down on the outside with a gig or “jakee,” then apply a little paste to the inside where it goes between the cheek straps, and tack down on a board to dry. When thoroughly dry, trim off with a knife and spokeshave the edges; dampen them with a sponge and rub with a bone, allowing the leather to become dry before blacking. After being blacked, tack the winker in its place between the cheek-straps. Next mark out by the patterns the layers for the breeching, breast collar, neck piece, belly bands, and crown piece, cut them out and take down the edges with a wide edge tool, then spokeshave them to remove the ridges, wet and raise them on the raise block, rub off with a rag, crease with a double creaser, and then go over them with a sinker; when dry, black the edges and prick off. Cut out and raise the safes for the breast collars and belly bands, paste them on the folds, and when nearly dry double crease them; prick off when dry, have them stitched and afterwards trim them off, wet all the folds, hammer them down, put in the filling, sew up, crease the edges, and tack them on the layers.

Finishing up the rounds is the next thing in order. Wet them and trim off the fillings, hammer down and pull them through the rounder, clean off with a spokeshave if necessary, black them, rub on a little tallow, pull them through the rounder again, and rub them down with a wooden rounder and a little gum. Wet the docks, hammer down the seams over a wire, stuff with flaxseed, working it down with a wire, trim the edge with an edge tool, black it, and rub down with a wooden creaser to fit the seam; bend the dock to the required shape, and lay it aside to dry.

Next punch the breeching, hip straps, and turnbacks, wet them, slick down the stitching from the back side, and rub the tops with a rag; crease the edges over with a hot iron creaser; trim the projecting edges of the turnback lining with a round knife, then take off a heavy edge with a spokeshave, and trim with a straight knife where it is necessary; dampen the edges with a moist sponge, and rub smooth with a bone; when dry, black them and rub on a little tallow, after which rub with a bone and a rag, and finish with a bone and a little gum. When the dock becomes dry, polish it with a hot burnisher and tack it on the turnback; have the laps stitched, trim and finish them up. Then trim and finish the shaft tugs, and polish the insides with a burnisher. Trim and finish the cheeks, put in the winker brace and stitch it. Trim the traces, punch and then wet them, slick them on the back, hammer the edges down with a “snob” or shoemaker’s hammer, and square them with a spokeshave; then with a heavy edge tool take the edge off the top and bottom, spokeshave them, trim the ends and around the dart holes with a straight knife, dampen the edges and rub them down with an awl handle (one that will fit the trace); when dry, black the edges, rub on the tallow, and again rub with the awl handle; then rub off with a rag and afterwards with the awl handle and a little gum. Next finish the folds by wetting the backs, with a moist sponge, then slick them down, wet the tops a little and rub them down with a rag, crease the edges of the layers with a hot creaser, and recrease the folds. This completes the harness in detail, and offers a perfectly accurate guide for a workman, whether working by himself or in a factory.

Uniformity can be obtained only by the use of good patterns, and it is to the interest of every harness maker that they be kept in good condition. To do this, cut them out of paper and paste them on thin, stiff patent leather, then, when the paste is dry, cut the leather to the shape of the paper patterns. All patterns for breechings, breast collars, neck pieces, belly bands, turnbacks, martingales, and crown pieces should be cut to the full length, and if cut at the same time to the required width it will obviate the necessity of moving them while marking off on the leather. The pattern for the trace wave should be cut one half the length of the trace.