abedooley

I just now got the time to actually go over those 2 links. I am now torn between them both. They are so beautiful!! I love the flat braid going into a 6 strand round braid. That looks very impressive. I went out and bought some more leather supplies after seeing those links so I can get started as soon as possible. Only thing left to get for THIS project is some paracord.

See..... THAT is why you should ALWAYS consult with someone who knows what they're doing. Starting with one of the laces rough-side-out is such an easy solution, but I would have never thought of it. Thanks for the help. I'll post some pics of the finished product when I get it done. I've always been into ornamental braiding and tying cool looking knots just to say i knew how to do it. Now I have a reason to actually do both.

Hello Everybody, I am new to the forum as well as leather working. I Went to my state fair about 12 years ago and found a braided leather keychain (I recently bought something similar that they called a horn pull for a big rig) made of rawhide and was about 6 inches long. My dog chewed it up about 6 years ago and I have been on the lookout for a new one ever since. I found one on Evilbay that wasnt as nice and was falling apart right out of the package. So i figured I'd just MAKE the one I always truly wanted out of Roo leather. I always wanted a Keychain that was braided like a bullwhip. I found a site with a good deal on some 3/16" black Roo lace and scoured Youtube for some instructional vids on leather plaiting for my application. I cant seem to find any help for what I wanna do exactly. The problem I'm running into is I didnt account for the Roo leather to have a "shiny" side and a "rough" side. I believe the braid I was wanting to do is called a round braid. And the way the braid is done requires the roo lace to show the rough side. I have about 30 feet of that lace and I want the keychain to be about a foot and a half long. Here are some pics to give you an idea of what I'm talkin about. Here is a pic of the Evilbay keychain. It is braided in the same manner as my original, just cheaper materials. Right now I have 3 laces in 2 foot lengths because I dont know what kind of braid to do or how many strands I'll need. This pic shows you the way I was gonna start the braid. With the keyring in the middle of however many strands I was gonna use. Thats only because thats how my other keychain was. I'm sure you guys know that there is a shiny side and a rough side to Roo lace. I could really use your guys' expertise and experience. I have no clue what I'm doing here. When I first started all this I thought to myself "How hard could it be?" Haha!