Chapter XX: Harness Mountings

In describing harness mountings, it is not the intention of the author to draw comparisons as to the respective merits of any class or style. The sole aim is to give a correct description of the various kinds, their peculiarities of manufacture, and such other information as will enable the reader to judge as to the adaptability of any particular style for a specific use.

In order that they may be fully explained, they will be divided into five classes, as follows: Plated, whether silver, gold, or nickel; pure metal; covered, whether leather or composition; japanned, and tinned.

Plated mountings are divided into two classes—close plate, those in which the fine metal is rolled out in thin sheets and applied as a covering to the iron or composition forming the body of the article, and caused to adhere by means of solder and heat; electro plate, those in which the fine metal is dissolved and formed into a liquid solution, into which the articles to be coated are suspended, and by the application of an electric current the fine metal is evenly deposited upon the surface of the iron or composition.

The silver used for close plating is rolled out in sheets of various thicknesses, and designated by numbers, the lightest being No. 1; following this are three grades, designated as No. 1½ light, fair, and stout, the former weighing three pennyweights to a foot in length by 6½ inches in width; the second weighs 3½ pennyweights, while the third weighs 4½ pennyweights. Next to these are three grades, designated as No. 2 light, fair, and stout. The first weighs 5½, the second 6½, and the third 7½ pennyweights to the foot. Following these are three grades, designated as No. 2½ light, fair, and stout. The first weighs 8½, the second 9½, and the third 10½ pennyweights to the foot. The second is also designated as “Knob;” and the third, “Heavy Knob.” The latter is seldom used on harness mountings, as it can not be worked to an advantage except by the hard solder process, which is too expensive for harness work. “Knob” silver is the heaviest used for the regular trade.

It will be seen that there are eight grades of silver below the “Knob,” which explains in part why there is so great a difference in the prices of plated goods of any one pattern; for, based upon the government standard, a foot of No. 1 silver, 6½ inches wide, would be worth 13.6 cents, while a foot of “Knob” silver would be 64.6; but the actual difference in the prices of the rolled plate is even greater than this. Then, too, the cost of labor is much greater for putting on heavy than light silver. The former is so thin that but little labor is required to solder it to the article to be plated, while the extra thickness of the latter necessitates extra skill and time.

Buyers who are not experts are at a loss how to determine the quality of the plate. This can be done by examining the surface closely; the thinner the silver the less dense and perfect the surface. No. 1 will show minute holes in great number, while the surface of “Knob” will be perfect to the naked eye. It is not so easy to distinguish between two succeeding grades, but by a little care a person who handles these goods can learn to select each distinct grade. Close plate can be easily distinguished from the electro plate. All that is required is to breathe upon the polished surface, and if it is close plate the seam where the metal is joined will be seen at a glance, it showing a bluish streak; the heavier the plate the more distinct the seam.

Electro plate is less durable than close plate; but when deposited in sufficient quantity and hand burnished, it will wear well; the surface, however, is less perfect than the former, as the thin coating of silver is deposited evenly over the entire surface, and an irregularity in the casting will show itself after the work is burnished; in fact, blemishes are more easily detected after being plated and burnished than before, as the minute depressions can not be reached by the burnisher, and they therefore show dead, white spots.

The peculiar white lustre of silver distinguishes it from other metals, but there are other tests by which the uninitiated may satisfy themselves as to the quality. The simplest is to prepare a cold saturated solution of bichromate of potassa in nitric acid. A little of this may be applied to the surface (which must be perfectly clean) by means of a glass rod, and washed off immediately with cold water. If the article tested is pure silver, a blood-red colored mark will appear; if the article is German silver, the liquid appears brown, but the mark shows no shade of red. On other white metals there are various actions, but in none but the silver does the red mark appear.

Persons unacquainted with the nature of silver condemn an article as impure because of its tarnishing. This is erroneous, as pure silver assumes a dingy reddish brown, and loses its lustre more readily than some of the composition white metals.

Gold plating is always done by the electro process, the other processes for applying it to coarser metal not being adapted to harness mountings. It is the most showy but frailest plating in use; the thin deposit is naturally soft, and but little friction is required to remove it. If hand burnished, the gold is made more dense than otherwise; but even this is not as durable as other plating. There is no such an article of manufacture as close plate gold, nor can there be unless a solder can be produced which will melt under a lower heat than gold, and as there is no such solder at this time, all claims of a gold covered article being close plate are fraudulent.

The introduction of nickel as a covering for mountings has produced a marked change in some lines of goods, supplanting as it has in a great measure burnishing on bits, stirrups, spurs, etc., and being largely used as a plate for all kinds of harness mountings. The nickel is deposited by the electro process, but, as it is a hard metal, it wears well. The color is a bluish white, more closely resembling finely polished steel than any thing else. It does not tarnish easily, and will not rust. The only objection to it aside from the color is that it will sometimes peel—that is, the nickel will become detached from the iron or composition core; but this is due either to some defect in cleaning the surface to be plated or in the manner of depositing the nickel. Improvements are being made in the process of depositing the nickel, and there is every reason to believe that the objectionable features will be overcome, and with the reduction in price it will take the place of tinned and other low priced white metal goods.

The next class are those goods made of some composition metal, such as brass, oroide, aluminum, and German silver. Brass has long been a favorite mounting, though in this country it has been deemed better suited to express and other heavy mountings than for coach or light carriage harness; but fashion has once more brought it into use on coach harness, and it is likely, for a time at least, to assume the position held by gold for some years past. The advantages of brass are that it can be cast to any form, retains its malleability, is quite dense, and readily receives a brilliant polish; but its proneness to tarnish is an objection which tends to overcome its good qualities. The color is regulated by the proportions of the metals forming the compound, and skill in the moulder in turning it off just when it has been raised to the proper heat.

Oroide, like brass, is a yellow metal, and when first introduced was recommended as a substitute for gold; when polished it has a golden color, but it tarnishes too easily to be used without being plated. It, however, furnishes an excellent base for gilding, and for that reason is largely used. It can be cast as easily as brass, and is equally malleable; it can also be used for plating iron articles which are to be gilded, but if not plated or gilded it possesses but few advantages over ordinary brass.

Aluminum, or, as it is also called, alumina bronze, is the finest yellow metal produced; its color closely resembles that of gold, while it is susceptible of as high a polish as the latter; it is tough, though next to gold in lightness, but its high price prevents its being used for any but the most expensive mountings.

German silver is used to a considerable extent for mountings which are to be plated with silver. For this purpose it is the best white metal known; other kinds have been introduced, but they have not proven suitable for mountings. The objection to all composition castings is their lack of rigidity, and they should never be used for check rein hooks of any kind; these should be of iron, and plated to correspond with the terrets, etc.

Composition possesses one great advantage over iron which should be understood by harness makers and consumers. It does not rust, and can therefore be used in localities where iron can not, owing to the proneness of the latter to rust—particularly on the sea coast, where the sea air acts very injuriously on plated mountings.

Covered mountings consist of two kinds, those in which the metal is covered with leather, and, secondly, those having a metal core covered with a plastic composition. Leather covered is one of the oldest styles of mounting in use, but it was many years before it reached the state of perfection so noticeable at the present time. The durability, as well as the appearance of these mountings, depends upon the character of the leather used and the manner of putting it on. Calfskin, or very fine grained kip, are the only kinds of leather suited to covering mountings, but many of the cheaper grades are covered with sheepskin or thin split leather. Those conversant with working leather can readily understand the advantage arising from the use of thin, light stock, the work of putting on being reduced at least one half thereby. The inferior character of the work shows itself in a short time in the seams ripping or the leather cracking. Thick, firm leather requires more care in putting on and stitching, but it finishes much finer, and is more durable than the cheaper work.

The manner of covering is very simple: the leather is first cut to the required shape; it is then soaked in water until it is soft and pliable, after which paste is applied, and the leather is worked around the metal by means of slicking sticks, and the edges joined by means of pinchers, or by placing the article in dies and pressing them together and allowing them to remain on until the leather is dry, after which the seam is stitched by hand or machine, the welt trued off, and the leather blacked and finished.

The liability of the seam ripping has caused manufacturers to resort to different methods of putting on the leather and securing it; one method is the use of two seams on the edges in place of the one center seam so long in use; the advantage claimed for this method is the protection given to one side of the seam by the metal lining, and at the same time the article produced is more ornamental.

Another plan is to dispense with the seam entirely on the outside; this is done by joining the edges of the leather on the inside of the ring, these being protected by the lining; imitations of the double and single seams are produced by casting them on the iron and working the leather down smooth to the outlines of the metal. The most recent improvement in making leather covered mountings is to draw the leather over the metal ring, which has previously been channeled, to allow for the full thickness of the leather, the rim on the edge forming a perfect protection to the leather; this style is known as the “Centennial,” an illustration of which will be found on page 263. Small leather covered harness buckles are more generally used than any others, the greater portion of these being imported from England, where they are produced at much lower prices than in America.

The composition covered mountings are hard rubber and celluloid. The first was patented in 1866, by Ralph Dunham, of Connecticut, as a covering for harness buckles and rings; in 1867 Andrew Albright, of Newark, N. J., obtained a patent for covering harness and carriage mountings with rubber, these two patents being the first taken out—though early in the history of hard rubber, experiments were made in covering harness mountings, but the idea was abandoned; but since the two patents above mentioned were taken out great improvements have been made, and rubber mountings are an acknowledged success.

The manufacture of these mountings, though not directly connected with the manufacture of harness, is interesting, and a description of the process will serve to give the reader a general idea of their peculiarities and merits. Every article is made with a metal core of about the same weight as that used for leather covered work. This core, or casting, is first cleaned up and made perfectly true by being struck up in a die; if any portion is to be plated, this is done, and the article is then taken to the rubber room to be covered. The rubber used is of the best Para gum, mixed in the proportion of two parts of gum to one part of pulverized sulphur; it is furnished in long sheets, varying from one to four lines French measure in thickness, and is kept rolled up in enameled cloth. Sheets of the rubber are laid out on a table and cut to such shapes as are needed for each article to be covered. The various pieces are then laid out on a piece of enameled cloth and saturated with benzine, covered up, and allowed to remain in this condition overnight, by which time the rubber becomes sticky; it is then wrapped around the metal body, care being taken to exclude air and to firmly weld the edges; after covering, the plated parts, if there be any, are covered with tin foil, when they are ready to be vulcanized; to do this the goods are either placed in moulds, buried in soapstone, or hung in an open pan. The vulcanator is a large tube made of boiler iron, and sufficiently strong to sustain a very heavy pressure of steam. After the goods are in the vulcanator, the door is closed and packed tight and the steam let on; if the goods are in pans and are to be cured by “open steam,” they are subjected to a heat of 20 degrees for one hour; 10 additional degrees are gradually added each hour, until 65 degrees are reached (where the goods are in soapstone, the heat is raised to 65 degrees at the start). After having been subjected to this heat for the proper length of time, the goods are removed, and all small articles, such as buckles, rings, etc., are thrown into a tumbling barrel and tumbled with charcoal and water until the rough edges are removed; they are then placed into a steam box and heated; each article is then placed into steel dies and pressed by powerful hydraulic presses; this sets the rubber, forms a true finish, and sets a row of imitation stitches; the smaller articles are again tumbled for a short time, when they are ready to be finished. Large articles have to be trued up by hand, then cleaned on the ash wheel, from which they are taken to the buff wheels; the first is used with rotten stone, the second is dry; having passed through these, the articles have a fine polish and a jet black color, after which they are lined and plated, and made ready for the market. Up to the present time these goods have never been made anywhere but in this country. They have a fine finish and are very durable, and will, without doubt, eventually become popular wherever harness is used.

Celluloid mountings are of recent origin, and are made only in this country. The composition is a chemical compound which closely resembles amber; it can be colored any desirable shade, and does not fade through use. These mountings, like those of rubber, have a metal core coated with the composition. The process of manufacture is interesting. The castings are first trued up; they are then taken to the stuffer to be coated; they are then placed into moulds, or “stuffing dies.” These are made of metal. The recess for the casting is provided with a number of small iron pins, upon which the castings rest. The arrangement of the moulds is precisely the same as that for casting metal. After the castings are placed into position, the moulds are closed up and placed into a recess at the foot of the stuffing cylinder. The latter is nearly filled with celluloid, and heated up to 190 degrees. After the die is secured in its place, a plunger, which is worked by hydraulic pressure, descends upon the hot gum and forces it into the dies in sufficient quantities to completely fill the moulds and cover the metal cores. The die is then removed, and in a few minutes emptied of its contents, and again made ready for stuffing. After being stuffed, the goods are removed to a drying room heated by steam, and allowed to season. They are then taken to the hydraulic forming presses; the mountings are put into highly polished steel dies, and submitted to a fifty-ton pressure, which renders the material compact and produces a finely finished surface, after which they are lined, plated, and finished up ready for delivery.

Black is the predominating color, but a very handsome imitation of russet, as well as a good flesh color, has also been produced. As there is no difficulty in securing any color, the production of other shades than those mentioned depends upon the demand.

Celluloid martingale rings are a new article of manufacture. These closely resemble ivory in appearance, are much stronger, and are sold at lower prices than the latter. They are made of solid gum, which, after being colored, runs out into tubes of the required size. These are cut up into rings and thoroughly seasoned, after which they are taken to automatic lathes and turned up. They are then polished, and packed ready for shipping.

Tinned mountings, or, as they are known by the trade, “XC plate,” are among the cheapest lines of goods. The metal castings are thoroughly cleaned, and then dipped into molten tin. The quality of the deposit depends entirely upon the skill and care of the workman.

Japanned mountings are those covered with a coat of black varnish which is solidified by heat. These are plain, and, if properly made, quite durable. They are, however, so well known that no extended description is necessary.

The various illustrations of mountings in this chapter represent the popular styles now in the market, some of which are made by the general trade, while others are patented either as designs or as new articles of manufacture. The “Grant,” “Bismarck,” and “Arlington” are patented as designs; the “Double Seam,” as a design and a new article of manufacture. This was fully described in connection with other leather covered mountings. The “Imperial” is patented as a design. This is made of composition metal, either white or yellow, and lined with hard rubber, the latter being turned up and finished off flush with the outside, leaving a narrow black edge with a metallic band center. This pattern is not lined, the wear coming direct upon the rubber, which, owing to its hardness, will wear longer than metal linings. One pattern of the ball wire mounting is also patented. The wire of this is covered with rubber and finished perfectly plain, while the ball and base are plated.

The “Centennial” is another patented mounting. This is made of metal cast with a recess upon the outside of the band, into which leather is worked while wet; the ends, firmly secured at the post, are an imitation seam pricked in on both edges. The appearance of this is exactly the reverse of the “Imperial.” The center is black, and the lining, edges, and head are of metal.

The illustrations of post, pad, and bolt hooks and head terrets give a general idea of these articles, though not representing all the styles. All the popular patterns of terrets have hooks and fly terrets to match; and in ordering, the harness maker or dealer can always procure them in sets or by the package.