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KnottyMcKnotterson

Carved Leather Poppers?

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probably have to find someone whos carving you like and have them done...ive never seen predone ones like that for sale.

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Any suggestions on where to buy the carved, light-oil poppers for romel reins? I've only found the plain ones...thanks

Yep, these have to be custom made - I'm a braider, saddlemaker, tooler - if you want to discuss having a carved popper made, let me know....I have a few different patterns for romal poppers, and I can line and stitch the popper - my Landis 3 is set up to stitch 6 stitches to the inch - will make a pretty popper! You can visit my website - www.liggettenterprises.com, my contact info is there if interested...

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Yep, these have to be custom made - I'm a braider, saddlemaker, tooler - if you want to discuss having a carved popper made, let me know....I have a few different patterns for romal poppers, and I can line and stitch the popper - my Landis 3 is set up to stitch 6 stitches to the inch - will make a pretty popper! You can visit my website - www.liggettenterprises.com, my contact info is there if interested...

Thanks much, guys, and Shelly I will bookmark your page for when I need you!

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I just checked out your site for the first time shelly.

And you do some mighty fine braid work. Very impressed.

Reminds me too just how much I still have to learn...

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I just checked out your site for the first time shelly.

And you do some mighty fine braid work. Very impressed.

Reminds me too just how much I still have to learn...

Thanks for the compliments - I'll be braiding up a bosal for an overseas client soon. It will have a mane hair rope, braiding on popper and knot to match the bosal, and a backbraided hanger...

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I'm thinking I'm going to make the romel rein plunge very soon, and of course I would need a fancy popper!

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I'm thinking I'm going to make the romel rein plunge very soon, and of course I would need a fancy popper!

If I can ever get all my repair work and the orders done, I plan to start on a nice pair of 12 plait roo romal reins - will have a carved/stitched/lined popper, 12 plait on the rein body, and 24 plait on the romal, with rawhide knots. the knots will have an interweave pattern - will probably dye the rawhide string I use, most likely will use coffee grounds or walnut hulls to make the dye.

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Those sound like sweet reins.

Should be - I have core material that was graded/sorted, and trimmed to length, from Luis Ortega's stock, to use in them!

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shelly...how did you get that ? could you post a pix of it so we can see what he used?

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I got it in 1997 - much of it still has the little tags on the stock, with notations as to quality, etc, in Rose's handwriting, I'm sure. I did some work for the man that gave it to me...he is also passed away, not long after that. Luis used sewing machine belting - this is the rounded stuff you can get on spools. I have about 3 different sizes, with the smallest being what he used in the braided headstalls...I'll try to post a pic of it in the next few days. Have lots of repair work to get out at the moment...

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thanks for the info...would love to see a pic

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Yep, these have to be custom made - I'm a braider, saddlemaker, tooler - if you want to discuss having a carved popper made, let me know....I have a few different patterns for romal poppers, and I can line and stitch the popper - my Landis 3 is set up to stitch 6 stitches to the inch - will make a pretty popper! You can visit my website - www.liggettenterprises.com, my contact info is there if interested...

Wow Shelly you certainly do beautiful work! I have a question for you, that I realize may sound silly, when you braid mane hair reins are they made completely of main hair? or is there other materials in there as well?

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Wow Shelly you certainly do beautiful work! I have a question for you, that I realize may sound silly, when you braid mane hair reins are they made completely of main hair? or is there other materials in there as well?

Hi,

Actually, mane hair ropes are not 'braided' - they are twisted - the process is pretty involved, and I do not do them myself. I know what goes into making them, and I'm sure I could do these, with the right tools, etc. I'm personally not interested in making them, as long as I can get them from rope makers that do an excellent job. Most of the work I do has been because I couldn't afford to purchase the work of the very best artists available, such as Ortega's work, when I was younger. I was 18 when I realized there was no one else at the time that compared to him - just one or two braiders that I knew of that could do above ordinary work, and I couldn't afford to purchase from Ortega, or the others, for that matter (at that point in my life, he had already semi-retired, and was only doing collectable work) This is why I started to do it myself, for my own use, on my own horses...my business eventually grew out of those needs/wants, to where I am now...

thank you for your compliments! The best hair ropes I have had have been from Blind Bob, (his wife separated the colors, and prepped them for him to make ropes), Doug Krause (he owns some of the equipment BB used until his death), and a gal that also does excellent work - Toni Schutte. There are a few others as well, that not only twist up the ropes, but also will hitch hair - yet another thing that I have tried, done, and decided not to do. I've also been asked why I don't engrave silver, but, that is still another area that I would rather let someone else become a master of. I feel I will spend the rest of my life now, just trying to be the best I can be at what I do now, rather than trying to become a 'Jack of All Trades, Master of None', if you understand what I mean.

So, to truly answer the rest of your question - Mane hair is used in the best mecate's, or hair ropes - they can be any thickness, but usually 1/4" diam. for Fiadors, and I always liked the same diameter rope on the bosal as the diameter of the bosal body - 5/8" or 3/4" was/is the norm. I think many of the old time trainers liked the ropes made of tail hair, as the ends of the hairs would be pricklier and thus would encourage a horse to move away from it more readily. The softer mane hair was made up, usually, with an inner, twisted core of hair, and overlaid with 6 strands of twisted hair that would all come together to make the final rope. A popper added to one end, and the other a knot. I always changed the popper up, braiding it to match my bosal, and also the knot was covered with a final braided button to match as well.

I'm sure I could go on with much more detail, but I think this covers the gist of it!

Shelly

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