What can be done with sleigh bell straps?
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The most common things people can do with a sleigh bell strap, in no particular order, include:
- Enjoy the bell strap as is until it is too damaged, then replace it
- Clean, repair and reuse the original bell strap
- Recreate a new strap as close to the original design as possible
- Construct a slightly (or completely) different style of strap
- Make short "door straps" to give as gifts or keepsakes
Use original strap as is or repair it
If a strap is in good enough shape to enjoy as is, there is no reason to replace it unless you want to.
A difficult question to answer about older sleigh bell straps with some damage is, "Can you repair my bell strap?" My honest answer is, "Perhaps." I usually need to see closeup photos or inspect the strap in person to say for sure.
Frankly, most bell straps we see are in tough shape. Even if a strap is still looks reasonably good, the leather fibers are usually weakened from age and use. Leather in that condition really cannot be repaired successfully. Gluing or stitching a reinforcement or patch along one part of a strap puts more stress on adjacent leather and hastens its deterioration.
If you are lucky enough to have one of the few straps that is intact and in fairly good condition, congratulations! You may want to consider having us remove the bells; clean and condition the leather; make minor repairs to the strap; and replace the bells.
Typical sleigh bells and strap before restoration.
This hardened, cracked strap is not a candidate for cleaning and repairing. Its design could be used as a pattern for a new strap, however.
New strap similar to the original
Many of our clients ask us to make a new strap that is similar to the original strap, if it still exists. We ask that any parts of the old strap be sent with the bells so we can match our work to the original.
Sometimes the strap was discarded long ago, and only the bells remain. If that is the case, that is not a problem. We have the background and experience to re-create a new strap that is period-correct for the bells.
That brings us to another question I am often asked, "Will putting my bells on a new strap reduce the value of the bells?" The answer is, "No, if the new strap is made to the same standards as the original bell strap."
This rules out purple leather and rhinestone buckles, but it still leaves a lot of room for creativity. There were many different bell straps made 100 to 150 years ago, so there is a wide variety of historically accurate designs to choose from. To learn more about bell strap designs, please see these sections in our website:
Bell Straps and Brackets: How were sleigh bells used on horses?
Custom Projects: Examples of our work
Vintage photo of a horse wearing a neck strap and a body strap.
Read more about these two main strap designs in the "Bell Straps and Brackets" section of our website.
New strap different from the original
Lots of people like sleigh bells, but they are concerned that a long, skinny sleigh bell strap will look awkward hanging on a wall. They ask: How can our sleigh bells be displayed attractively in our home or office?
Another issue that many folks face is the issue of inheritance of family sleigh bells. Some of our clients want divide the bells among family members and avoid ugly fights or misunderstandings. These folks wonder: How can we share our heirloom sleigh bells with our family?
Some people have just a few bells they would like to enjoy. They inquire: How can we display our small collection of bells?
The solution I've found is to adapt historically accurate designs to better fit our modern use of sleigh bells as decoration. :
Design a shorter version of the original long strap
It is fairly easy to shorten a 6 to 8 foot long "body" strap into a "neck" strap 3 to 5 feet long that will look great hanging on a door or wall or lying on a mantle piece.
We usually accomplish this by spacing the bells closer together. Sometimes the buckle and billet ends can also be shortened a bit. See our article about Neck Straps and examples in custom projects.
Another way to make a shorter piece is to put two or more rows of bells on a wider belt of leather; this is a style called a "pony" strap. There are examples of pony straps in custom unlined straps.
Make one or more short "display" straps
A display strap is basically a section from the middle of a sleigh bell strap. A display strap typically has a hanging ring at one end and an attractive "tip" of leather at the other.
Because display straps are simpler to make than a full-blown sleigh bell strap, they are a cost effective way to share sleigh bells with family and friends. See ready-made door straps and custom door straps.
Create entirely new designs
The sky is the limit here! We have created a number of custom designs for past clients, often using traditional harness decorations for inspiration. We construct these pieces with traditional harness-making techniques and materials. See our "dag", "harness drop", and other custom designs in ready-made door straps and custom door straps.