Manes & Tails Harness Club, Inc.

Steps In the Budweiser Clydesdale Hitch Model Restoration

1. Refinishing the wooden base under the hitch.

The front portion of the base was sanded, and several stains were tested to try to match the back portion of the board, without removing the horses and wagon, which were bolted to the board. Multiple stains were attempted, followed by sanding, until a color approaching the back of the board was reached. Several coats of varnish were then applied, with light sanding between each coat.

2. Painting the horses

The lead horses had almost no stain/paint left on them. The colors of acrylic paint used in the restoration of the horses included: burnt sienna, burnt umber, raw umber, bronze yellow, black and titanium white. They were diluted with water and applied as a wash, until the desired colors were attained that came closest to the original colors of the swing and wheel teams. The swing and wheel teams were then painted. A matte varnish was then used to preserve the paint.

3. Painting the driver and assistant

An acrylic wash containing green, blue and yellow was used to try to match the color of the uniforms pictured in the Budweiser Clydesdale photos, followed with a matte varnish.

4. Painting the beer wagon, polls and horse collars

Rust-Oleum, oil-based gloss black was used for the horse collars, gloss sunrise red with a little black was used for touching up the wagon, a mixture of gloss almond, red and white were used for touching up the poles, undercarriage of the wagon and the lettering.

5. Horse shoes

Three hooves were missing horseshoes. Aluminum craft wire (16-gauge, silver - 4mm wide), was cut down the center and bent laterally into a horseshoe-shape, then glued to the bottom of the hooves that were missing shoes.

6. Harness repair and reins

The tugs, parts of the bridles, and one strap of over the saddle were originally made with a good-quality leather, and were still holding together. These pieces were preserved and leather conditioner was applied to try to moisturize the leather. Most harness parts that needed replacing were cut from lambskin, glove leather. Leather glue was used to attach leather harness parts together.

7. Back pads

The original scale model harness had gold felt under the back pads to represent the brass on the back pads of the authentic harness. Water damage had caused shrinking and discoloration of the felt. All of the felt and leather back pads were replaced, except for the back pad adjustment straps that were made of a different type of leather and had not deteriorated.

8. Reins

Reins were made from 3/32 inch lace leather from Tandy Leather Factory.

Gold Buckles from Rio Rondo Enterprises were used on the reins. Leather glue was used to attach rein leather together, but the rein leather did not hold a good bond, so small strips of black duck tape were used to keep the leather from separating.

9. Brass

Original brass nails, brads and hames were very tarnished, and required polishing. Brass polish (Braso), and sanding using fine sand paper and a Dremel tool with a sanding attachment were used. Some brads/studs from the original harness could not be reused, or were missing, so these were replaced. Suitable brass brads and mini-brads and rings were found in the jewelry section of Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Heavy-duty, gold foil was cut into thin strips and used to represent some harness buckles. The foil was used to replicate the brass wire or sheeting used on the original harness, that could not be reused.

10. Brass trim on beer wagon

Brass trim on side-panels of wagon was cut from 3/32” square brass bars to replace the original aluminum horizontal and vertical bars. The trim was attached by glue that would bond metal and wood. Brass bars were purchased from Hub Hobby, Little Canada, MN.

11. Barrels

Wooden barrels were made on a lathe from a maple dowel. Barrels were stained with a golden oak stain followed with a coat of polyurathane. Barrel bilge hoops were made using black plastic jewelry lacing, and attched with a glue that would bond plastic to wood. Barrels are 2” high and 1 ¾” wide at the widest point and 1 5/8” at the ends.

12. Barrel Rack

A rack to hold the barrels inside the wagon bed was fashioned out of ¼” x ¼” x 36” hardwood dowels. The rack was designed to hold barrels at an angle, similar to the original Budweiser hitch photo. The rack holds 5 barrels on each side.

13. Mane Rosettes and Tail Ribbons

Mane rosettes of the authentic hitch, were represented by painted knob-shaped pins. These were repainted with red or white Rust-Oleum paint. Tail bows were made from red and white ribbons attached with a transparent elastic thread.

Resources For Supplies Used In The Hitch Restoration

1. JoAnn Fabrics - jewelry making materials and tools – chains, beads, clasps

2. Michaels – round and flat aluminum wire, rings, brads, acrylic paints, artist varnish

3. Hub Hobby Center – Roseville, MN - brass strips

4. Tandy Leather – Roseville, MN – glove leather, jewelry leather, leather glue, studs

5. Menards and local hardware stores – Rust-Oleum paints, stains, wood varnish, brass polish, sand paper

6. Rio Rondo Enterprises (KS)– miniature items for model horses (buckles, bits, horse shoes, hardware, etc.)

Resources Used For Historic Significance and Restoration Details (generous loan from Floyd Nelson)

1. All the King’s Horses, The Story of the Budweiser Clydesdales

Photos by Alix Coleman

Text by Steven D. Price

The Viking Press, New York (A Studio book)

ISBN 0-670-22588-6

2. Work Horse Handbook

By Lynn R. Miller

Mill Press, Inc., New York

ISBN 0-9607268-0-2

Video Resources On The History Of The American Beer Industry

1. Empires of Industry (1999), Part 2: Beer Brewers, Narrated by Dan Chandler

2. American Eats: Beer (2006), Narrated by Jeremy Schwartz