Low-tech Leather Enhancement on the Frontier

[W.T.]

Hello the Fire ~

Got to idly wondering if, while sitting evenings around a hearth or open fire, plain folk of the 19th century might not have used a heated bit of wire or whatnot to burn their names, initials, or simple designs into their belts, holsters, & bags to fancy them up a bit.  Seems as though that might have been a natural thing to do, in the tradition of 'folk art'.

Don't have a copy of Packing Iron; have done a few web searches, but I probably don't have the query framed right.  Did find that there are lots of people nowadays doing some very elaborate designs on leather with standard wood-burning tools, but no references to early 'leather-burning.'

Anyone out there heard of this being done? 

Thanks to all; always fun to try & retrofit what seems reasonable to documented practice.

WT

[St. George]

I reviewed 'Packing Iron' , but that embellishment wasn't addressed.

Not to say it wasn't done - especially for initials and such, in hidden places - but it would seem that carving and stamping were far, far more common, and probably because it was a bit easier to create a simple, long-lasting design.

You 'can' decorate leather with modern wood-burning tools - but they provide a constant heat source and are 'controllable' because they're encased in a handle.

That'd've been a bit of a chore, using wire.

On to a different, yet related observation.

When I was a young 'trooper - we were the ones who 'panelled' our Day Room - by using salvaged 3.5" Bazooka, 4.2" and 81mm Mortar and various wooden Fuze boxes.

We took 'em apart - straightened nails and 'panelled' the interior - then used a torch to put on a 'decorative' design with a flame.

We found that that design faded very quickly if ever exposed to the elemens or to sunlight - unless we varnished it.

Perhaps the guys trying that idea on leather found out the same thing - that the design needed a coating of something to preserve the work - and since such a thing wasn't readily available - well, carving and stamping worked and worked longer with  just some Harness Oil or Saddle Soap.

I'd priced mail order house gunleather in an earlier post - it was really inexpensive, and 'plain folk' could easily afford it.

More handguns were carried in bedrolls and inside the pants and in coat pockets at that time - than one might imagine.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

In all my researching leather, I've never found any reference to burning it, either. It may have been done, but documentation of it doesn't seem to be available. Heating leather does cause it to get dry and brittle, so maybe that's another reason why they didn't do it. Without proper treatment, the leather would crack and not last as long. No one who respected his equipment would knowingly do anything that could shorten the service life of it.

[Major 2]

I sent you an email ... but for those here...
A pair of Folk art style holsters from "Packing Iron"
Not burned in rather carved or scratched in...
There are several photos in PI showing brass spots added to embellish.




I agree mail order of stamped leather was available, I've seen period catalog ads showing holsters listed at 65 cents. These are also illustrated in PI.
Surplus CW flap holsters were 20 cents, these were used both as is and cut down.
I've also read of several lawmen that had a leather lined pocket in the coat.

[W.T.]

Thanks, Gents; as I feared, no known citations of actual pracitice. 

The availability of inexpensive carved & stamped leather by mail order likely would have satidfied most folk.