COACH-MAKING. 



699 



Coach- 



4 _ 



noting. 



Saddle- 



family arm, or crests, as may be wished. There are al- 

 so mterlinings, made generally of cotton cloth, used for 

 the purpose of preserving the principal lining. 



VII. Harness Making. 



There is no difficulty in harness making, that cannot 

 be easily overcome by attention and perseverance. One 

 rr.an in this line cuts out all the leather for the different 

 articles required, and makes up the work, that is to say, 

 tacks a sufficient number of plies together in a temporary 

 way for the purpose desired. They are then delivered 

 to the workmen to be sewed, an operation in which, by 

 practice, some attain to great perfection, using merely 

 the common awl. The workman makes his own thread, 

 from yarn waxed with wrought rosin, putting at each 

 end a bristle, for the more speedy entering the holes made 

 by the awl. In sewing the fine parts of the work, such 

 as the bridle, pads, &c. an instrument is used called a 

 pricker, which is similar to a number of points of large 

 needles fixed in a handle in a straight line at certain 

 equal distances, with this instrument, the workman marks 

 his seam, by pressing it down where the sewing is to be, 

 and following with his awl every mark made by the sharp 

 points, is enabled to make his stitches with the regularity 

 of work done by machinery. The winkers of the bridle 

 is made of double leather, having betwixt the plies thin 

 plates of iron, to keep them in their proper shape. The 

 pads are made in a similar manner ; but the iron platea 

 are considerably thicker and stronger, to preserve the 

 bent form, which is necessary for the horse's back, and 

 also to afford a steady fastening to the bearing hook and 

 turrets, through which the rems run. In the under sides 

 of these pads are placed cushions, similar to the pannels 

 of riding saddles, to protect the horse's back. In dres- 

 irg leather for harness making, the curriers are care- 

 ful to adapt the different hides to the uses for which they 

 re naturally best fitted ; -ome for harness, which ought 

 to be the strongest ai.d thickest ; some for strapping, 

 which does not require so much strength, and others for 

 reins, which ought always to be of the best and firmest 

 quality, dressed down to a proper thickneis, and perfect- 

 ly well pressed. 



VIII. Saddle Moling. 



The laddie tree is got from a professed saddle tree 

 maker. It ought to be made of well seasoned beech, 

 strengthened with canvass glued all over it, and with thin 

 iron plates. The at part of the saddle is generally co- 

 vered with hog skin dressed for the purpose, formed to 

 the curve of the saddle, by being drawn, when wet, as 

 tightly over the saddle tree as p ssible, and allowed to 

 dry in that position. It is supported by girth web, or 

 strapping, drawn very tightly ov r, and nailed to the saddle 

 tree transversely; the straps for the girths are attached 

 to the web, and the whole is th n covered with serge, 

 and stuff.-d with fine wool. The skirts are made of crop, 

 being a kind of bend leather first dressed smooth, and 

 afterwards stamped in a press. These are sewed to the 

 seat part, and the wh le is then stretched over the tree, 

 and nailed down. The sides of the pannels that go next 

 the saddle arc made of tanned sheep skin, the under sides 

 of serge. The two are joined together by an edging or 

 facing of hog skin about one and -i half inches broad, and 

 then stuff, d with wool, i nd quilted. Whin finished, 

 they are fastened into the saddle with email tacks. 



IX. Collar Mr, Icing. 



The ring, or front part of the collar, is made of strong 

 grained leather, the back part of black sheep skin. These 



two are sewed together by one seam. The ring is then 

 stuffed as hard as possible with straw endwise ; after this 

 the back part is also stuffed with straw, and faced or lined 

 with baked hair, to present a more elastic and smooth 

 surface to the horse's neck. The collar is then sewed 

 together at the upper end, and, upon the junction of the 

 ring, a small leather top is put. The flaps, or side pieces, 

 after being stitched all round the outer edge, and joined 

 together at both ends, are drawn on, until their inner 

 edges lie in the groove made by the ring and back part 

 of the collar, and are, together with a small cap to cover 

 the joining of the back part, sewed to the collar all round. 

 The cap serves partly as an ornament, and partly ta pre- 

 vent the rain running down the horse'e neck at the sides 

 of the collar. 



tv>ar|,- 



We have now to draw the attention of our readers to Principal 

 some of the principal improvements made upon carria- "P ve - 

 ges, from the period at which they came into general 

 use. There are two things which would naturally sug- 

 gest themselves to the mind as fit objects of improvement 

 in carriages the comfort of the people who ride in 

 them, and the facility of their draught ; accordingly al- 

 most all the alterations attempted have been made with 

 a view to the one or the other. We are led, in thejirst 

 place, to notice the introduction of springs and braces, 

 as perhaps the greatest improvement of any, their adop- 

 tion having the double effect of rendering a carriage 

 more easy to ride in, and more easily drawn. It is men- 

 tioned in the Memoirs of the French Academy, that the 

 idea of applying springs to carriages was suggested by 

 M. Thomas in 1703, and that he actually gave a draw- 

 ing of a carriage constructed upon that principle. It 

 appears, however, from the same work, that he consider- 

 ed it an improvement rather of a theoretical nature, 

 than one capable of being reduced to practice. The 

 result, however, has proved the contrary ; and whether 

 M. Thomas is really entitled to the invention or not, we 

 consider it as the greatest improvement that has ever bee 

 made in the construction of carriages. 



The next improvement we shall mention is the present 

 method of constructing carriages to open at the top, 

 giving at once all the advantages of a close and open car- 

 riage. Although it is not long since this improvement 

 was introduced, yet it has so gradually come to its pre- 

 sent state of perfection, that we an- at a loss to say when 

 the first carriage of the kind was constructed which could 

 be said completely to answer the intended purpose. The 

 old-fashioned long percn carriages having been, found to 

 occupy a large space in turning, the crane neck was in- 

 troduced for the purpose of remedying this inconveni- 

 ency. The crane neck, however, soon gave way to the 

 short perch, which is found equal'y to answer the pur- 

 pose of turning in a short space, although it requires the 

 body to be hung higher. The axletrees, known by the 

 name of Ceiling's patent, ought not to be overlooked as 

 a material improvement : they undoubtedly facilitate the 

 draught, and save great trouble in oiling ; they are in- 

 genious in their construction, and afford considerable se- 

 curity. 



The carriages, without perches and without brace*, 

 which have been introduced of late, may be considered 

 worthy of notice as a variety ; but we confess our- 

 selves partial to the former construction, both perchei 

 and braces having, in our opinion, considerable advan- 

 tages. 



Many other improvements in axletrees have been at- 

 tempted, and some with tolerable succeis j and to insure 



