With very few exceptions, it is to be supposed that the greater number of those who can afford to indulge in the luxury of carriages are desirous of enjoying them on the most economical terms consistent with good taste, not merely as an economy of money, but also of time and convenience.
There are three ways of obtaining the use of carriages: 1. By hiring them for a short period, as a few days or weeks. 2. By taking them on lease for a term of years. 3. By purchasing them ready made or to order. The first two ways are now going out of date as a general rule. They are, of course, the most expensive. Any one requiring a conveyance for a few days, or a week or two, had better have a cab; and as for taking them on lease, well, about four years’ hire-money would purchase the vehicle outright. So, all things considered, it would appear the most economical and convenient to purchase the carriage to start with, and when it is no longer of any use there will at least be a second-hand carriage to dispose of.
As a rule, carriages are not built to order. The customer either chooses one from the stock, or selects one very nearly completed and has it finished to suit his own taste. This, of course, requires a very large capital to be invested in the business of a coach-builder, and, as competition has of late years greatly reduced the price of vehicles without a corresponding reduction in the cost of their production, the manufacturer naturally desires that his business should be as nearly as possible a ready-money one, otherwise he will have to do as many small, and even makers with a fair business, had to do on the introduction of this system, viz. shut up shop and take to something else to earn his living by.
People often marvel at the great cost of carriages, but when they have read of the numberless processes each vehicle has to go through there will be no longer food for surprise, but wonder that they do not cost more.
After a carriage is purchased a knowledge of how to preserve it from the various atmospheric and other influences, and how best to keep it in good order, is very necessary; for if great care is not exercised in the housing and cleaning of a vehicle its beauty will be utterly destroyed. In order to attain this knowledge it is requisite to remember of what the vehicle is composed—as wood, metal, leather, hair, cotton, silk, linen, paint, varnish, &c.
The ordinary atmospheric influences of our climate, sun, frost, dust, rain, and mud, all exercise a deteriorating influence on the vehicle. The general temperature most congenial to the durability of the carriage is that of the workshop in which it is constructed. In atmospheric air containing a certain amount of moisture, wood possesses a certain standard of bulk. If it be subjected to the influence of an atmosphere containing a greater amount of moisture it increases in bulk, or, as it is popularly termed, it swells; in a drier atmosphere it shrinks and is apt to crack. To resist these evil influences all the wood used in carriages is well covered with paint, the surface of which will resist moisture. If this operation is well and carefully done it is very successful, but woe betide slop-work, though in no trade is there so little room for a scamping workman to flourish. The result of bad painting is that moisture sooner or later finds its way into the wood and spoils the glossy appearance, and if it be placed in a very dry situation the panels will split, just as ships’ decks would leak if not wetted several times a day during the heat of the sun. This might be applied in a modified degree to carriages, more especially to the wheels.
If due allowance be made for expansion and contraction, the metal-work of carriages, as springs, suffers very little from heat or cold, but moisture is apt to work a very destructive influence upon it, especially where the paint is worn away by friction. There the rust seizes hold of it and gradually insinuates itself beneath the whole covering of the paint, which strips off in flakes. Beneath the surfaces of the spring-plates also rust is continually working damage, and disfiguring the appearance with dirty brown lines of oxide of iron on the exterior. Brass and plated work also are considerably affected by damp.
Leather suffers greatly from heat and damp; but, like timber, more especially when subjected to alternations of heat and moisture. Toughness and tenacity are the chief qualities required for leather for carriages, and these qualities depend chiefly on the presence of a certain quantity of oil or fatty matter which the leather imbibes like a sponge. On this matter the oxygen of the air acts strongly, and at length consumes it; and if it be not renewed the leather cracks. If the leather be exposed to wet and damp this process is more rapid, but when the leather is frequently oiled it is apt to look dull and occasion much trouble to the coachman, who most likely will prefer blacking it, but the materials of which blacking is composed tend to the decomposition and destruction of the leather. Leather which is painted or japanned possesses little or no tenacity, and is never oiled. The patent grained elastic leather, which is so very much in use for hoods and knee-flaps, is a very beautiful substance to the eye, and is quite waterproof so long as it is free from cracks; but dryness and heat are liable to cause it to crack. Also, if one portion of the surface be kept in contact with another portion during warm weather, it is liable to stick and strip away when pulled apart. When it cracks and water gets in, it decays rapidly. Generally speaking, it is preferable to use oiled leather for heads, if ordinary care and attention be bestowed upon it; for though its durability is not so great, there is a saving of labour in keeping it tidy, and it has a very good appearance.
The cloth, silk, and lace composing the lining, &c., and used in combination with wool, hair, cotton, and linen, suffer from the rays of the sun by losing their rich colours, and from the damp by becoming mildewed and rotten. Cloth, hair, and wool also suffer from another cause, viz. moths. In open carriages this is a very serious evil. Hammercloths are protected by a patent india-rubber cloth being put over them; cedar shavings also exercise a destructive influence on moths. The india-rubber cloth is as good as anything where the smell is not objected to, but this in warm weather is very strong and unpleasant. However, it would be a very good thing to introduce some cedar shavings in the stuffing of linings, and this might to some extent get rid of the troublesome pest.
Simple damp does not cause much damage to paint and varnish unless it contains saline matter, then it is very destructive; but heat, especially the strong rays of the sun, is very destructive. The colours change, and the lustre of the varnish disappears, and a multitude of intersecting cracks make their appearance; and to restore the original beauty there is no remedy but repainting. Another mischievous influence, acting on the paint and varnish, is the various gaseous vapours to which they are exposed. It is customary, for the sake of convenience, to stand carriages close to the horses’ stables, generally in a mews, where large muck heaps are piled up in all stages of fermentation. During this process various gases are evolved, which act on the varnish just in the same manner that strong acids act on metals—by corroding or eating it away. The most destructive of these is the ammoniacal gas evolved from the urine.
It is evident that the ordinary coach-house is not the best that could be used for the purpose. The materials of a carriage are as delicate, and require as much care, as the furniture of a drawing-room, and therefore they should be as carefully preserved from stable contact as the satin couches of the drawing-room. After the carriage has been out, whether in the sun or rain, it should be carefully washed, and, above all, dried, taking care to wet the leather as little as possible during the operation. It is a common practice to wash the carriage and then leave the water to drip away. After drying, the leather should be carefully rubbed with an oiled rag, to restore the oily matter consumed by the vehicle being used. The carriage should then be placed to stand in a dry, well ventilated apartment with a boarded floor, leaving a clear passage for the air beneath it, and if by any means convenient, let a current of warm air be passed through to insure its dryness. Above all it should be away from all stables, dung heaps, cesspools, or open drains. A gentleman should avoid placing his carriage in any situation where he would not wish to put his wardrobe; and with regard to the interior lining he should treat it in the same manner. If the carriage be laid by for a time it should occasionally be brushed out, and have a current of warm air passed through it. Cedar shavings should also be placed in it. If an open carriage it will require more care than a close one. The hammercloth (if there be one) should be covered with a waterproof india-rubber material, and cedar shavings interposed between the two. The blacking should also be rubbed off the leather-work, and a composition of oil and tallow rubbed in to preserve it. The ironwork should be painted where any bare portions show themselves, caused by the rubbing of some other part against them.
Washing.—When a carriage is much used in the summer season use water freely, so as to remove dust or mud before using the sponge or chamois skin. The varnish of a carriage is often ruined through a want of attention to this matter, for the sharp particles of dust, which are chiefly silica, when by means of the leather forced over the surface of the varnish, act like diamonds on glass and score it in all directions. Mud should not be allowed to dry on the varnish if it can be avoided. The English varnishes take a long time to dry, and if mud gets on it before it is perfectly dry a permanent stain is left, which cannot be removed except by re-varnishing.
In winter time it is not a good thing to wash off the mud when it is so cold that the water freezes during the operation. Warm water should never be used in winter time, as it is apt to cause the varnish to crack and peel off.
Greasing.—For axles and wheel-plates the best lubricating material is castor oil. It is not necessary to apply a great deal at a time—little and often should be the rule; for when there is an excess of oil it oozes out and finds its way on to the stock, and from thence is thrown over the wheels while the vehicle is in motion. The grease is then liable to be taken up on to the sponge when washing, and also on to the leather, which will cause a great deal of trouble and vexation. The wheel-plate should be particularly looked after, and not allowed to become dry.
The Leather.—Enamelled leather should be kept soft and pliable with sweet oil or sperm oil. It will only be necessary, while the leather is new, to cleanse the top and curtains from dirt and rub them with a greased rag. When the leather shows signs of drawing up and becoming hard and lifeless, wash it with warm water and Castile soap, and with a stiff brush force the oil into the leather until all the pores are filled.
Sponges and Chamois.—Two of each of these should always be kept on hand, one of each for the body and the same for the under-carriage. The reason for this is, that after a carriage has been used there is a liability to get grease on the sponge and chamois after cleaning the wheels and wheel-plate mechanism. Another reason of some importance is that the sponges are soon destroyed by being used for cleaning the under-carriage, which renders them unfit for use for large panels.
The Cover.—When a vehicle has been washed and housed, it should be covered with an enamelled cloth cover, fitted to it so as to keep it free from dust inside and out. To preserve the wood and save expense it should be re-painted or varnished once a year. There is no economy in saving a few shillings this year if such saving will necessitate an expenditure of three times the amount next year.