Chapter XIII: Making Harness Loops

Harness makers have three kinds of leather loops to select from—the hand made, patent, and pressed. The first are undoubtedly the best, and are used in preference to all others upon fine harness, some leading manufacturers using no other kind. Some makers of medium grades also use them to a considerable extent; but if well made they are too expensive for common work, and when poorly constructed are inferior to the other kinds.

Patent loops are made by being pressed up in hot dies, and are sold to the trade in every needed size and in a variety of styles. Being nicely finished and much cheaper than hand made loops, they have taken their place on medium grades, and are also used to a great extent upon common harness. Pressed loops are those made up in the workshop, and shaped by means of dies and presses after they are stitched upon the straps. The making of these and hand creased alone interest the workman, as the patent loops are ready for use at the time of purchase.

Hand made loops possess several advantages over other kinds; they are more durable, and, owing to the manner of making them, are less uniform in style of creasing than those made by dies.

Care in the selection of stock is the first requisite in making good loops, and the workman is referred to the description of the various qualities and kinds given on page 36. Next in importance is the tempering of the stock in water so as to bring it to a condition where it can be easily worked and yet retain the full impression of the creasing irons, which it will not do if either too wet or dry. The general rule is to soak the leather until thoroughly moistened, then remove it from the water, and allow it to become surface dry before creasing. Some workmen prefer to moisten the leather but a little before stitching on, and afterward temper it by the use of water and a sponge; if, after being stitched on, the leather is found to be too dry to work well, the fault can be remedied by the use of a moist sponge. Owing, however, to the marked difference existing in the texture and fibre of each separate side of leather, and to the various portions of a single side, there can be no fixed rule given as to the preparation of it, and the workman must be governed solely by experience. As has been stated in another chapter, there are certain signs and indications which furnish an exact guide to the workman, but they are of a nature which can not be described, and it is his duty to pay strict attention to the minor details if he would meet with success in the leading features.

In order to secure a perfect-shaped loop, it is absolutely necessary to allow sufficient fulness in the leather to permit the corners being worked up full and square on the outside. To accomplish this, a fulness of about ⅜ of an inch over and above the width of the loop stick should be allowed to a 1¼-inch loop of ordinary thickness, increasing or diminishing the same as the width or thickness is increased or diminished. This extra leather must be worked up and outward to the corners, so that when the loop is completed they are full and square, otherwise they will be thin and weak at the very point where the greatest strength is required.

Hand creased loops are commonly attached by stitching both sides before creasing. Another method which is preferred by many workmen, as it obviates much of the difficulty arising from the leather becoming too dry before it can be creased, is the employment of a clamp in connection with the loop stick. When this is used, an iron loop stick is substituted for the wooden one. The back clamp iron is made the full length of the loop stick, and ⅛ of an inch wider; at either end there is an ear, which projects about 1 inch above the back iron, the ends of which are bent over so as to cross the back iron at right angles; holes are drilled through the ends directly over the center of the back iron: these are threaded and provided with a thumb screw. When used, the back iron is placed against the back of the strap, and the thumb screws tightened against the loop stick, holding the latter and the leather firmly together. In securing the loop, one side is stitched in its place and the other properly inserted, after which the screws are applied and the whole held in position until the loop is creased and finished, after which it can be stitched fast.

If the ordinary loop stick is used, both sides must be stitched fast before the stick is inserted, care being taken to allow the requisite fulness. First work up the sides with a slicker, then rub down the top, and continue to work both sides and top until the leather is pressed firmly against the loop stick, always working toward the corners to keep them full, then trim the ends perfectly true, and run the edge creases with a hot creaser, after which trace off the pattern and outline it with a fine tickler, then crease up with suitable tools: these can be kept hot and clean by laying the ends upon a metallic box heated by gas jets or an alcohol lamp, the handles resting upon a wire support. The secret of success in creasing loops is to define all corners and outlines correctly before the leather becomes too hard to receive an impression easily, the working up of the pattern afterwards being comparatively an easy matter. After the pattern is well worked up, remove the loop stick and insert an iron one which has been heated as hot as it can be without danger of burning, then color the leather with iron and vinegar black, and work over the entire loop with warm creasers and slickers until the leather is perfectly dry. By this process the surface will receive a fine polish, and if the color is good no further operation is needed. If a better black is required, allow the loop to remain unmolested until thoroughly seasoned, and apply a slight coat of hatter’s black, and, when dry, polish with a silk rag. A loop which has been well worked will not be improved by the use of varnish of any kind. If the loop is properly made it will be solid and entirely free from grain cracks, the corners full and sharp, the ornament well raised and correctly defined. A soft loop is an evidence of a lack of skill, or of carelessness, upon the part of the workman, for if the leather is in proper condition and worked up as it should be, it will become firm and hard.

Pressed loops are the cheapest, and when well made appear nearly as well when new as the other styles. There has been a marked improvement in the manner of making them within a few years, and it is difficult, in some cases, to detect the difference between them and the patent loops. The same care is necessary in regard to providing fulness in the leather sufficient to produce square corners as is recommended in the case of hand made loops. They are needled on, and by the exercise of a little ingenuity the awl holes on the side last stitched may be so placed as to be almost undiscernable when the loop is fully pressed up. The machinery and appliances necessary for pressing up these loops consist of a good screw press, a metallic box with open ends, the sides being about 3 inches high on the inside, and the width for other than pressing cheek loops 3 inches wide in the clear; for cheek loops a box fully wide enough to admit the winker is necessary; in one side of the box place two thumb screws about 1½ inches from the bottom, one within 2 inches of each end; in addition small side plates are needed to be placed between the sides of the box and the loop, also plates to be placed upon the bottom for raising or lowering the loop according to its thickness; iron loop sticks, and the top stamps or dies. In pressing, the loop stick is placed in its proper position, the strap laid in the box, and the side screws tightened up until the leather is pressed firmly against the sides of the loop stick, after which the die is placed in position and the screw pressure applied to the top. It is necessary to screw the side plates well up or the heavy pressure on the top will cause the loop to spread on the top edge. Two minutes under the press is all that is necessary to secure a firm loop even with cold irons. By the exercise of a little ingenuity in designing dies, a variety of patterns may be produced and cheap harness relieved of the sameness now so prevalent. With pressed as with other loops, much of the success in their production depends upon the leather being properly tempered. After the loop is seasoned, color it with vinegar and iron black, and when dry rub with a woolen cloth, after which it may be finished the same as hand made loops. By the use of a box of this kind, together with dies, small loops may be made similar to the patent ones, and of patterns to match the large ones.