Chapter II: Russet Leather

In selecting rein leather, the same tests as to quality should be employed as with harness leather, as it is in every respect the same with the exception that, instead of being colored black, it is bleached, and afterwards stained brown or some other color. The latest freak of fashion is to bleach it quite light and then color it with a yellowish-brown stain, so as to produce what is known as cuir-color, a very light, almost imperceptible brown; in fact, the shade is nearer to the natural color of fine oak-tanned leather than any thing else, and the stain used is more for the purpose of producing a uniform shade than establishing a new color. When this color is employed, very little stain is needed on the edges of straps to bring them up to the same shade as the grain; and where it can be done, the harness maker will find it to his advantage to procure of the leather-manufacturer the same kind of stain as is used to color the grain, the beauty of a russet rein depending quite as much upon its uniformity of color as upon its make. The brown and yellow stains can be made very easily, but those used to produce the soft, fine shades are part of the leather-manufacturer’s stock-in-trade, and their preparation is kept a secret, at least until fashion has adopted some new color as the favorite.

In selecting rein leather, it is bad policy to choose any thing but the best quality. Poor leather works harder, does not keep its shape as well, and takes a less uniform shade when stained, particularly when it is short-tanned, as the untanned center presents a darker shade than the portion that is well filled with bark. Then, too, if the grain is hard it is liable to crack while being made up, or upon being bent while in use. A pair of russet reins will contain about one pound of leather, and the trifling difference in the cost between the highest and lowest priced stock should not be sufficient inducement to the harness maker to jeopardize the lives of his customers by the use of inferior, unsafe reins.

Hand-part leather, like that for the reins, should be of the very best quality, and all the tests that are applied to other kinds are equally effectual for this, while it should also be soft and pliant. It is customary among harness makers who use but a small amount of rein-leather to cut their folds for hand parts from the same side as they do the rounds.

This is a mistake, entailing additional cost without the gain of a single advantage. Rein leather in most cases is too heavy for folds, and must be split to reduce it to the proper thickness. This process removes some of the strongest portion of the leather, besides occupying the time of the workman. A cheaper and much better plan is to procure handpart leather that has been made expressly for the purpose. It is of lighter weight, much stronger in proportion to its thickness, and, when cut to the proper width, is ready for the workman to make up. For flat hand parts the leather should be equally as heavy as that used for the rounds; it can be cut from the same sides as the rounds if desired, but, as it is generally too hard, the workman is compelled to resort to some method of softening it, such as pulling it around a post, rolling and working, etc. For flat hand parts, grained leather is quite popular, and looks well.

When the harness maker can not readily procure this, he can obtain very nice grained hand parts by boarding or breaking the grain in the same manner as is done by the curriers, as follows: cut a piece of leather from the side, of the full width needed for two pairs of hand parts, as a piece of the requisite width for one pair would be too narrow to work well; lay the strip on a table, the grain side up, and with a board, such as is used by curriers, crease the grain, commencing at the front corner on one end, and giving the leather a half roll diagonally across the strip, continuing to work it at the same angle until the other end is reached; then commence at the front corner of the other end, and board it at the same angle as the first, until the end is reached where the work was begun. By this means, the creases in the grain will cross each other and form the distinctive feature from which the leather gets its name. The fineness of the graining depends upon the amount of labor applied. In a little time the workman will acquire all the experience necessary for the production of a fine, even grain.

To the harness maker using but little of this kind of handpart leather, graining in this manner is a matter of economy. The labor needed to produce the desired surface does even more than this, as it breaks down and softens the leather, making it as pliant as can be desired.

Buff leather is also much used for hand parts. It is made of the same quality of stock as the other kinds, but is not stained, the grain being buffed by the currier to remove the gloss and give it a white, furried appearance. It is a soft, pliant leather, and is one of the best kinds in use for hand parts, as, in addition to its softness and good appearance, it will not soil the most delicate fabrics.

Another light-colored leather, and one a good quality of which it is difficult to procure, is that known as loop leather. This, unlike the kinds before mentioned, is not curried with oil, or at least the quantity of grease of any kind employed is very small. It must be solid, and yet possess a mellow grain that will readily take a crease and retain it. If in creasing up the work, one mark when placed in close proximity to another obliterates it, or decreases its depth in the least, a good piece of work can not be made, and only by the exercise of the greatest care can even an ordinary job be produced. If, however, the grain is mellow, each impression made by the creaser becomes permanently set, and the adjoining one, no matter how near it may be, is equally well defined. For this reason, in selecting a side, make good tannage, mellow grain, and a solid body the tests.

The lack of uniformity in thickness is a matter of no importance; indeed, instead of being a detriment, as is the case with all other leather used by harness makers, it is a positive advantage, as the shoulders and other thin parts can be used for check and other light loops, while the thick butts are of the proper weight for trace and similar heavy loops, all the intermediate thicknesses being available for the various loops for other parts.

BUYING LEATHER.

In purchasing leather, the buyer is compelled to depend much upon the honor of the seller in other respects than the determination of the quality, excepting in the case of weight stock, which is sold by the pound, the weight being ascertained at the time of sale. With trimmed stock, however, the case is different in most markets. This leather is marked with its weight while in the rough, and after it is trimmed and curried there are no means of ascertaining the correctness of the brand. It is claimed that a side of leather weighing eighteen pounds in the rough will lose about four pounds in the currying and trimming. No reliance however, can be placed upon this estimate; for if the flesh side is not well cleaned, and the currier is desirous of misleading, the leather may be stuffed with cheap oil until the finished is equal to the rough weight.

Backs as well as trimmed sides are sold by the rough weight, with an additional charge of $1 and $1.50 each for dressing. Recently, however, a leading New-York manufacturer has adopted the plan of selling backs by their actual weight at the time of sale, the price charged being 82 cents per pound, which is, as near as can be ascertained, the actual cost of that bought by the pound, and to which an extra charge has been added for finishing. The latter is the most simple method, and will no doubt come into general use when the advantages are fully understood.

The buyer, however, is at liberty to take or leave the bellies—in the latter case the value by weight being deducted from the bill. These weigh, as a rule, four pounds. Thus a side of leather which weighed eighteen pounds in the rough, if properly fleshed and curried will lose four pounds by this process and three or four pounds more by cropping, leaving about eleven pounds of prime leather in the back, for which the buyer pays as though in the rough stock—eighteen pounds, less the three or four pounds deducted if the bellies are not wanted. Therefore, in buying a back, 48 cents a pound would be charged for eighteen pounds of leather, and $1.50 added for dressing, making the total cost $8.70, after deducting for the bellies, leaving eleven pounds of prime leather, to be paid for at a cost of about 80 cents a pound, or nearly double the apparent quotation.

In trimmed stock, the difference between the actual and the quoted price is much less, but the buyer pays for the bellies as well as the backs. The price charged per pound is, however, about 2 cents less for the same quality, in which case an eighteen-pound side would cost $8.28, and the actual weight would be about fourteen pounds, making the leather cost about 59 cents a pound, a difference of about 21 cents a pound between it and the backs. It will be seen by this that any false branding of the rough weight causes a marked advance in the price, and should teach the importance of buying trimmed stock of honest, reliable men, and of avoiding speculators, who offer extra inducements in the way of low prices, as the latter are sure to be made up by increased weight.