The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1921-07-28
PROPER CARE
FOR LEATHER
Good Harness with Suitable Care
Will Last for 20 Years
or More.
SIMPLE METHODS NEEDED
Frequent Washing and Oiling very
Necessary to Give Most Fer
manent Results.

manent Results.
II 10 moor business to neglect the
care of leather. Every pair OF Shoes
everv machine belt, piece OF harness
or other leather product on the iarm
that is allowed to go to waste OF not
made to yield its full service must be
needlessly replaced, thus AIDING uh-
necessary expense to the farm.
On many farms set OF harness.
lasts less than 10 years. where OF
10 horses are kept this means one
new set of harness every year. Many
reports show that harness lasts only
from 2 to s years. But good harness
properly cared for, will last ~ years
or more. In every neighborhood there
are cases where farmers are cutting
their harness bills in half by giving
the leather a cleaning and Oiling occa-
sionally.
Fifty million pairs of shoes could
be saved annually if the American
people kept their footwear in repair,
specialists say. AS a nation we buy
some 800 100000 pairs of shoes year,
but IL each individual cared for his
shoes properly the needs could be sup
piled by 25O,OOO,0 900 pairs. The vast
ing of a single shoe a year by each
person in the United States would
cost the country at least $25O,00O,0O0
annually at present prices of shoes.
Any leather improperly uesd and
neglected will deteriorate rapidly.
Belts for driving machinery, for ex-
ample, often become impaired, If not
useless, within few years even on
straight drives, but when they are
kept clean and oiled they will last
from 10 to 80 years.
Selecting and Caring for Harness.
Harness that is too light or of poor
quality can not give many years of
service. In selecting harness it is
more economical to get set that
too heavy than one which is too light
for the work required. Make sure es.
pecially that the reins, breeding,
holdback straps, tugs or traces, belly
bands, and yoke straps are strong. A
runaway team can not be controlled
with weak reins, nor will weak tugs
and straps stand heavy work. No
portion of the harness should show
cracks on the grain side when the
leather is sharply bent.
Harness should be washed and oiled
when it becomes dirty or extremely
dry. For washing, use tepid water,
neutral soap, such as catsile or white
toilet soap, and sponge or fairly stif
brush. Hardened grease is very con-
veniently removed by scraping with
a dull knife Rinse in clean, tepid
water, and allow the harness to stand
in a warm place until it is no longer
wet but still damp. Then oil it and
leave it in a warm place for "a hours
before being used. Harness should
be oiled or creased while still damp;
otherwise, it may take up so much
grease that it will pull out of shape or
take up sand and grit, which will in
jure it, as we'll as spoil its appear
ance. Harness should never look or
feel greasy.
Neat's-foot or castor oil or mix
ture of these with wool grease Is good
for driving harness. For heavy har-
ness use a mixture of any or all OF
these with wool grease to make
PASTE having about the consistency
of butter. Apply the grease lightly
to driving harness and literally to
work harness. Rub the oil or grease,
warm to the hand. thoroughly into
the leather while it is still damp from
washing. After the harness has hung
in q warm room overnight, remove
with a clean dry cloth the excess OF
oil which the leather is unable to take
up.
Keep Belts Clean.
In selecting a belt for driving ma
cainery. make sure that 1t Is wide and
heavy enough for the load 1t Is to
carry. Ordinarily the competent belt
makers advice as 10 the proper belt
for a given installation should be fol-
lowed. II the belt is not suited to the
work it gives trouble continually.
causing shutdown Of machinery that
will soon cost more in loss Of time and
wages than many good belts. 1t should
always be sufficiently flexible to cling
closely to the smallest pulley over
which 1t passes. A belt will not give
satisfactory results II 1t slips, does
not run true, is not properly alced,
is run too loose or too tight, is sub
jected to rapid changes from light to
heavy loads, is alternately wet and
dry, is run on pulleys that are not
true or are too small for the weight
and thickness of the belt, or is neg
lected and allowed to deteriorate for
lack of grease.
The belt should be wiped of every
night to prevent dust, dirt, or oil from
working into it. When the belt needs
oiling clean it we'll, especially on the
pulley side. by washing with warm
water and a good neutral soap. Wash
rapidly and do not permit belt to be-