Harness making

by Unknown

Fig. 92.—Brass Swing. Fig. 93.—Ear-piece. Fig. 94.—Corner-piece.

Now cut the cheeks D, or the pieces that run down the side of the head, making them 2 ft. 2 in. by 1¼ in.; turn them down so as to make both ends meet underneath in the centre, and give the bends in each end a slight tap with the hammer. It is better to draw in the underpart a little so as to have the top somewhat longer, because as there is a bend in the winker outwards the lower side should be a little shorter. Cut a hole for the buckle in one end and another in the centre of the bend, which is also the centre of the strap, at the other end; from this hole cut straight out to each side and shave the edges of the cut. Edge the cheek on the outside only and race it along the top part with the race compass; the second race must be made close to the other, care being taken not to run them into one another. Make another line a little more than ⅛ in. from the last, blacken the edges and lines with black dye, and rub them with a rag; then prick the two inner rows with the pricker, eight per inch, put the buckle in its place and the bit ring A in the other end, and stitch both ends of the cheek together. There are two bit rings on each side, fastened together by a small link; one ring, that placed in the cheek, is larger than the other. The smaller ring must be kept for the bit after the completion of the bridle. Both cheeks are made in the same way, but the slit from the centre hole in the bend must be reversed, otherwise the cheeks will not pair.

The winkers C and cheeks D (Fig. 71) being ready, cut the nose-band B about 2 ft. long and 2 in. wide; turn in both ends equally, leaving about 1 ft. 4 in. for the noseband; shave the ends rather thin, and make a punch-hole in the centre of the bend, then slit it out straight from both holes on the same side, and shave the sides of the slit.

Edge both sides of the nose-band where it is not double, and make two rows along it with the race compass, deepening and polishing them with the hot beveller, after which prick the double row on both sides from the bend to the lined part.

The nose-band is now ready for adjustment at the proper time. The forehead band H (Fig. 71), or front, must be cut about 2 ft. 3 in. long and 1½ in. wide. Edge, crease, black, and rub it and pass a hot beveller over the grooves. Cut the ear-pieces E (see also Fig. 93) 1½ in. wide and 9 in. long, and double and flatten the bend, shaving one end well. Take a piece of any strap 1¼ in. wide, and put it in the bend, close up; mark how far the inner side runs in the ear-piece, the 1¼ in. strap being allowed to run smooth in the opening between the line and the bend. Mark two rows of pricking, eight per inch, on each side from the cross-mark to the point or end, having previously made a double row of creasing all along. Stitch from the cross line to the point with three-cord thread; stitch the cross line coarse, about two stitches for one of the other stitches. Rub the edges, making them even by cutting if necessary, then black and rub. Place the forehead band H in position, and stitch it end to end with the ear-pieces, and cut a small V-nick in the joint of each end on the same side.

The object of the nick is to provide space for the small projection in the tongue of the buckle when put into position. Some harness-makers cut the end of the ear-pieces, before joining them to the forehead, in a slightly slanting way in such a manner that the end with the opening will turn up a little when in place, but this is not essential. Moreover, if the forehead band is to be covered with any kind of fancy cloth or leather, this covering had better be done before the ear-pieces are stitched, because the work will be much easier than when the bridle is completed. Cut the material, red American cloth, leather, etc., double the width of the forehead, and allow ½ in. more to go round the edges; finally, herring-bone-stitch underneath along the centre, and stitch on the ear-pieces.

Corner-pieces (Fig. 94) are now required to support the nose-band and to join it and the cheek well together when complete. They are in one single piece near the bit ring corner, descending from cheek to nose-band. To make the chin strap, cut it 1½ in. wide, one piece being made 6 in. long, leaving 2 in. of the original width, and then narrowing the rest to ¾ in. with a rounded point. The other part is made 12 in. long, and 2 in. of the original width is preserved, the rest being narrowed to ¾ in.; then turn down a chape and make a hole for the buckle in the narrow end, after which edge, crease, and black both, then adjust buckle and loop.

To put the bridle together ready for stitching, work as follows: With a ring at one end and a buckle at the other, place the forehead band between the cheeks in such a way that the centre where the forehead band and ear-pieces join may be right under the centre of the buckle with the nick against the tongue. Drive a tack on the inner side, and put the nose-band in the same ring as the cheek at the other end, with the slits made in the bends upwards; fix the corner-pieces one part in the cheek and the other in the nose-band, sufficiently low to catch when stitching the nose-band. The corner-pieces must, of course, be placed between the two leathers, both in the cheeks and nose-band: the inner side of the corner-piece must follow the ring in the cheek like a half-circle.

The outer part is supposed to have been previously edged and creased. The point of the slits in the nose-band comes underneath the slits in the cheeks on both sides in such a way that the edges in the cheeks may cover and neatly overlap the edges of the slit in the nose-band and catch them during work of stitching the cheek. Both winkers are now adjusted with buckles in the front corners, turned upwards to meet each other; place the winkers close to the ear-pieces and forehead, making the outside flush with the outer edge of the cheek. Tack down the winkers, keeping the bend in shape as set after drying; thus there is an opening between the two sides of the cheek from the end of the corner-piece to the bottom of the winker.

Cut a piece of leather as near as possible of the same thickness as the winkers and of the same width as the cheeks. Place it between the two sides of the cheek to fill the hollow, and so have a firm cheek all along; tack the piece down and see that it fits tight; there must be no looseness where it joins the winker and corner-piece.