Saddler's Waxed Hemp Thread: Ragged-Pointed Strands Spun on the Knee and Rubbed With Black Wax (Hasluck, 1904)

"The threads used in the trade are many, but the principal is waxed thread, made by the saddler himself." White hemp is the best and toughest; fine No. 15 and coarse No. 3 meet most needs.

Keep the ball of hemp in a box with a small hole in the lid. Draw out the end, twist it once round the fingers, and break it by rolling on the knee and giving a sharp pull, so it breaks ragged (the more ragged, the better the point). Throw it over a nail or hook in the bench and pull until each side is about 2 ft 9 in, untwist by rolling on the knee and break again. Add strands the same way, 3 to 16 by the strength wanted, leaving the ends of unequal length for a fine point.

Draw the ball of wax over the points two or three times to hold them together. Raise the knee about 12 in by resting the foot on a support, and spin each side by rolling it on the knee with the palm until twisted enough (too much and it knots in stitching). For best work, twist both sides once round the seat-awl and draw it sharply back and forth to smooth out lumps.

Rub the thread with tallow so the wax runs smooth. Holding both ends in the left hand, rub the ball of wax along the whole thread, pulling the part round the hook out to wax it too, then rub the thread sharply end to end with soft leather or the bare hand to even the wax. For yellow or white thread on light work use beeswax, but always point the ends with black wax: only black wax keeps the thread fast to the needles.

From Paul N. Hasluck, **Harness Making** (1904), "Harness-makers' Materials" (checked on the archive.org scan harnessmaking00hasl, pp. 29-33). The strand-use notes, metric figures and the diagram are ours.