HallisChalmers

Oh yeah...go ahead and sugar coat everything. Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel? Nice work...

Very nicely done...

Thank you, Timothy! Greatly appreciated....

Excellent!

I work in a totally unrelated field (telecom), but jerks seem to grow like weeds - no matter the industry. I thought it might be intersting to try this: Next time you have a prospect that wants some particular type of work done on their custom order - get out the video camera. Tell them that you want to be sure that your work matches their exact requirements and specifications, because you truly value them as a customer and want to make sure they are 100% satisfied. Do it in a friendly matter-of-fact way with the camera in a corner and start recording. Get them engaged in the specs and details - act professional (not adversarial) and they'll forget about the camera (hopefully). I know this sounds Big Brother 1984-ish, but nowdays there are a lot of scammers and double-talkers that are really in it for the $$$$ and want to screw you out of your hard work. The unblinking eye keeps most people honest. Anyway, just a thought - I may be totally off base.

Beautiful work.

I found this website Animated Knots by Grog that shows how to tie just about any kind of knot there is - with animations to help guide you. They have a decorative knot section that can help you visualize better. Hope this helps someone. HC

I have a brand new copy of Bruce Grant's "Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Brading" that I would like to trade for similar illustrative or educational books on brading and knotting topics, leather engraving, etc. Please send me a PM and let me know what you have to trade. Thanks! HC

So I should apply the correct tension from the beginning - instead of progressively building up tension as I make the rotation? Ok, I'll try that next time. BTW - I do try to keep all the laces lined up and properly spaced, but chasing that lace round and round as I tighten leaves me with a headache and crossed eyes. It's all pretty new to me so I know I need to practice. I try tying a knot every night for "relaxation" but I end up getting so fixated I don't want to stop. OCD I guess.

I tried paracord and it was ok, but I kept burying the fid in the woven fiber of the cord, and left punchy holes and tears in the fabric. But you are right, for practice, this is probabvly a better option - leather can get expensive. Thanks for the suggestion, Mega.

I just learned how to tie a turk's head knot - but by the time I get done, it looks like a wad of chewed bubblegum. I try to tighten the knot using consistent tension as I go along the lace with the fid. Once I reach my starting point and start making my next rotation of tightening, the shape starts to meander. By the time I've taken out most of the slack though, the lacing pattern is not as consistent as I would like it. Granted this is only the 4th turk's head I've made - I just can't seem to get it down consistently. I know I need more practice, but I'm just not happy with my progress. Anyone have some advice?

If any of you folks are looking for a site that offers FREE letter fonts of various types, go to dafont.com There you can find hundreds of free fonts that you can download to your PC, install in your font folder - and then use in your drawing programs to create a stencil. Hope this helps! HC

"It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause, that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same." Thomas Paine :soapbox:

Thanks Troy, this will go in my reference files!