Chapter XV: Making Round Reins

The very general use of round reins and their effect upon the appearance of the harness render it necessary that the most approved manner of making up be thoroughly understood, and entitle this branch of harness making to a separate notice. In preparing the following instructions, the grade of round russet reins known as No. 4 has been selected as the one embracing the various manipulations more thoroughly than any other, covering as it does all the essential points.

Good stock is indispensable to success, and care should be taken to secure smooth, fine-grained, and well tanned rein leather, the different qualities of which are clearly described in the chapter on “Russet Leather,” page 33. Cut the leather seven eighths of an inch wide, and of the full length of the side; soak it in clean water for a few minutes, and remove a thin shaving from the flesh side; then lay it out straight upon the board, grain side down, moisten slightly with a sponge and clean water, and shave down to the required thickness; slick down nicely while the leather is damp, and measure off five inches from one end for the billet and stop, and five feet six inches from this point for the round, with an additional five and a quarter inches for the handpart lap. Measure off on the rein seven eighths or three quarters of an inch, or whatever size may be necessary, for the billet; lay the rein out on the board with the grain side up, secure it firmly with awls, and with a channeling tool, held firmly in the hand, channel the five feet six inches which are to be rounded; trim each edge with an edge tool, as by so doing considerable work, that would otherwise have to be done with the spokeshave, can be saved and a better job produced. Cut the width of the billet—which is five inches—on the edge of the rein, edge it with a small edge tool, stain and rub the edges until a good polish is produced, then with a seven-eighth inch buckle punch make the hole for the buckle about three inches from the end, and with a round knife trim down nearly to a feather edge; turn the rein about, and stamp with a die, or mark off to a suitable pattern—four waves running to a point is a good one—stain the edges, and rub them well, then with a wide edge tool trim them slanting, so as to leave a raise in the center. Both sides being finished as directed, dampen the leather with a moist sponge, and with a raising block raise the handpart end lightly; if raised too much, rub down with a clean piece of paper, then with a double creaser sink the creases well, and prick off with a No. 14 prick-wheel, after which rub the edges smooth.

The rein is now ready for the stop, which is made of two pieces of clean stock dampened and shaved down to the required thickness, then pasted together and allowed to dry; when perfectly dry, cut out with a die, or to a pattern, an egg-shaped or other design; stitch the stop, trim off the back edge with an edge tool, dampen the edges lightly, apply the stain, and rub until a good smooth surface and polish are produced. Heat a narrow iron creaser quite warm over a gas or other light, crease the edges, and rub them with a rag until they are smooth. Trim the ends of the stops down thin.

Next prepare the billet, which is thirteen and one half inches long, by dampening it well and rubbing it down solid with a slicker; cut out the end of the billet with a half round punch, and with a small edge tool take the edge off each side to one half the length, then stain, and rub smooth with a cloth. Mark off one and one half inches to go into the round of the rein, and five inches more for the stop; crease up the billet and punch with a No. 6 round punch, dampen the end that enters the rein so that it will work easily, trim down to a feather edge, and then pound down to the mark, so that the stitcher can more easily pull the round up tight; this being done, tack the billet to the rein and it is ready to be stitched.

The billet, as has been stated, is marked off five inches, three inches of which are for the half-inch loops before and behind the buckle; this part is channeled the width of the box loop, and a space of one half inch each way from this loop is stitched with seven or eight stitches, drawn tight; these make the rein firmer, and give it a better finish.

After the billet is stitched, the rein is ready for filling up. To do this, first see that the filling is thoroughly wet, so that it can be shaved down evenly, and, when the rein is closed up, can be pounded down to a true and smooth round. In filling up, care should be taken not to dampen the rein too much, for if too wet the leather can not be trimmed off smoothly with a spokeshave, and when dried out it becomes hard and brittle; also, when filling off, the channel, instead of being close and smooth, will raise and become uneven. The proper course is to dampen it with a sponge, and pound down immediately. To do this, take a large awl, run it through one of the holes in the billet, fasten the rein to the board, and, with a shoemaker’s hammer, pound one edge down to the end of the rein; then turn the rein over, commence at the same point as before, and pound the other side down; in this way the rein is evenly prepared to receive the filling. In placing the latter in position, always put in the longest pieces at the commencement, and use the short pieces down at the neck of the rein. At the end, where the handpart is sewed in, put in an end piece, or sew the handpart into the round; either will do, but the former is the better plan. After the rein is closed, if a little dry in places, dampen it slightly with a sponge, then trim off with a large-sized edge tool, and also trim off the filling close to the rein; then pound down on a board iron made for this purpose, having a half round groove in which to place the rein. The use of this groove materially lessens the labor and helps to secure a good round. Some workmen use a flat stone or board iron without a groove, but it is poor policy to do so, as it has a tendency to flatten the leather where it bears upon the stone.

The rein is now ready to be rounded up, which is done by pulling it through the rounding machine three or four times, after which trim off the edges with a sharp spokeshave as round and evenly as possible; dampen the rein slightly with a moist sponge, pull it through the rounding machine three or four times more, and then with a hand rounder rub up and down all over the round, the object being to touch all the parts that the machine has failed to reach, thereby making them smooth. Then, with a sponge and a solution of oxalic acid, clean off the rein and hang it up to dry. When dry, or nearly so, apply a small quantity of a stain made of anotta and saffron in the proportion of one pint of the former to a half gill of the latter. After dampening the reins, block up the loops, trim nicely from the end of the rein to the box loop, stain, and rub down smoothly; dampen the round slightly with the stain, and rub briskly until a nice, smooth polish appears. In order to preserve the color on the rein, dissolve shellac in alcohol, and with a clean sponge apply it to every part of the rein; this, in addition to preserving the color, produces a good lustre on the leather.

Rein ends can be made up in a variety of styles, but the general directions for manufacture are the same. Their use is to prevent the Martingale ring coming in contact with the buckle, or bit ring, where it will catch fast, and at the same time provide a neat ornament for the end of the rein. In cutting the harness maker should aim to make them not less than one quarter of an inch wider than the inside diameter of the Martingale ring. Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 show four patterns, all but fig. 4 being made up as previously directed. This is made without buckles, but a small piece of steel is bent at the point where the rein joins to the ornament, which is stitched in between the straps. This steel hook is sometimes used with other styles of rein ends.