New To Braiding

[yuliya]

hello everyone.

I wanted to make myself a braided leather show lead, but to start with I've decided to practice on the paracord.

The biggest problem I have is that it keeps on spiraling. I can't seem to be able to make it straight. I finished one lead and started another and it seems to spiral less, but it still not straight.

I used two different colors so it's very easy to see that the lines are spiraling around.

Could somebody give me an idea on how to stop it from happening? Should I just not make any attempts on tightening it at all?

thanks!

Yuliya

[Suicide]

The biggest problem I have is that it keeps on spiraling. I can't seem to be able to make it straight. I finished one lead and started another and it seems to spiral less, but it still not straight.

Would be very helpful to see the picture of problem. Would you mind to post one here?

[yuliya]

Would be very helpful to see the picture of problem. Would you mind to post one here?

I can't seem to figure out how to attach the image. I'll try again later. I am getting error " that I am not allowed to attach this kind of file" and the size is only 160k

[Sovran81]

This is a common problem, more prevalent when braiding from a hook. It can be caused by many different things. I do a lot of braiding with paracord so I will start with that. All paracord is not the same even though it is listed as the same size and type. Even different colors made by the same manufacturer can vary in size and stiffness. The core strands can also vary in size which can affect the finished braid. Size and stiffness affect the braid more than one would think. Size needs no explanation. The stiffness will cause the folds of one color to not be as tight as the other color resulting in a twist. The other main cause of twist is pulling harder with one hand then the other. This causes one side to be tighter causing twist. To combat twist match material as much as possible. Braid from a vice and move the work in further as you work. you can wrap the braid with a rag or leather to help prevent marring. If you must braid from a hook ( I do on most of my braids up to 16 strand) try to keep both sides equally tight and watch the pattern. If you notice a twist beginning, pull the strands on that side toward you as you braid. That will help straighten the braid before it becomes a twist. Take breaks, tired muscles dont pull the same. The dominant side will always pull tighter.

[yuliya]

This is a common problem, more prevalent when braiding from a hook. It can be caused by many different things. I do a lot of braiding with paracord so I will start with that. All paracord is not the same even though it is listed as the same size and type. Even different colors made by the same manufacturer can vary in size and stiffness. The core strands can also vary in size which can affect the finished braid. Size and stiffness affect the braid more than one would think. Size needs no explanation. The stiffness will cause the folds of one color to not be as tight as the other color resulting in a twist. The other main cause of twist is pulling harder with one hand then the other. This causes one side to be tighter causing twist. To combat twist match material as much as possible. Braid from a vice and move the work in further as you work. you can wrap the braid with a rag or leather to help prevent marring. If you must braid from a hook ( I do on most of my braids up to 16 strand) try to keep both sides equally tight and watch the pattern. If you notice a twist beginning, pull the strands on that side toward you as you braid. That will help straighten the braid before it becomes a twist. Take breaks, tired muscles dont pull the same. The dominant side will always pull tighter.

Thank you!.

it seems to be going better.

Yuliya