KnotHead

Hi and you're comin along really well with the knots. But your bevel is on the wrong side of the string, or you have braided the knot with the wrong side of the string facing out. Otherwise, the knots all look correctly tied. Great job. Brian...

Yes, that particular tool is for sale. Here's the link to get in touch with my friend that makes them, http://khww.net/viewpage.php?page_id=28 You will find his email address at the bottom of the page. There is also another photo on that page that will show you the tool a little better. I wish I would have been able to give you more angles also. But since I was shooting the video by myself on a tripod, I could not do that and demonstrate. Hopefully next time I do another video I will have another person with me. Brian...

Thanks Alan. I wonder if using a rubber band and building the braid in sections would help with maintaining the 45 degree. For example, lay up your lace with a rubber band at the starting point and then another rubber band say about 3 to 5 inches down the project and then twist all of the lace to a 45 degree helix and then working your design in 3 to 5 inch sections. I also wonder if that might help keep the lace tight against the surface that you are covering. Brian...

At the time I got those damn books, I did not know anyone in braiding. I was disappointed in the books myself. But I have a learning curve in all 3 zones. GH does do things the hard way in those books I have. In my opinion the cost is too much for the material. The books do not teach the fundamentals of turks head(casa knots), which is why I highly recommend Introduction to Turks Heads by Tom Hall. In his book you will learn how to make a turks head of any length and bights. He also teaches in his book the different types of interweaves, mainly focusing on the pineapple interweaves. That book alone is one of the most valuable assets that you can have in your library as a braider. The illustrations are very easy to follow. Tom Hall takes the common sense approach to tying and braiding and explains things pretty clearly. Me, as an advanced braider would recommend this book for beginners to even the professional level braider. I still use this book today as reference. It has been an invaluable resource within my library. Brian...

This is a youtube video I made of me using my new cutter / beveler.

Alan, I have to ask you this question. What was the most difficult thing to do in this project? Criteria for this question is From the start of your project to the Finish.

Here is a photo of the bench skiver.

Here's an image of the sewing machine. The whole thing is for sale, yes that includes the table.

David Morgan has a good book out called Braiding Fine Leather. He has a website where you can buy at, or you can get it through your favorite book seller. David Morgan Website That should get you started pretty well. Brian...

Excellent work in progress. Nice hide too.

Here's a run list for those interested in the 14part 12bight Gaucho Knot. First a photo so you can see how it will start. This knot is on the presumption that you have already made your 7part 6bight casa knot. If anyone has tied the spanish ring knot you will understand that each bight is a progressive bight and should progress forward of the standing part and should be realized that if one is not careful and watchful in the making of this knot that the working part will slide under the standing part making your progressive build come out wrong in the end result of the knot. Photo time; Run List; Where R= Right side and L= Left side when interweaving holding the knot in a horizontal fashion. and O= Over and U= Under. There are 10 half cycles to this interweave. Start O2 this includes the standing part U1 - TO THE RIGHT. O1 U1 O1 U1 O2 DONE WITH THE FIRST HALF CYCLE 2nd half cycle going to the left. With the working end, U1 O1 U1 O1 U2 O2 DONE 3rd half cycle going to the right. With the working end, U1 O1 U1 O1 U2 O2 DONE 4th half cycle going to the left. With the working end, U1 O1 U1 O2 U2 O2 DONE 5th half cycle going to the right. With the working end, U1 O1 U1 O2 U2 O2 DONE 6th half cycle going to the left. With the working end, U1 O1 U2 O2 U2 O2 DONE 7th half cycle going to the right. With the working end, U1 O1 U2 O2 U2 O2 DONE 8th half cycle going to the left. With the working end, U1 O2 U2 O2 U2 O2 DONE 9th half cycle going to the right. With the working end, U1 O2 U2 O2 U2 O2 DONE 10th half cycle and final run to the left. With the working end, U2 O2 U2 O2 U2 O2 FINISH. This finishes the interweave. Now find something to put it on, tighten, tuck and dress it up. This correction came from a meeting I had with lilpep here at my shop where we proceeded to have some beer together and talk shop. Thanks lilpep. Brian...

Sorry it took so long to reply. So, I've built an Excel sheet that might help out. It will figure how many strands, or strings it will take to cover a given surface area of a cylinder of a given radius and height. It will require you to convert inches to MM, you can google a metric conversion chart for that. Just as it says in the excel sheet at the bottom in Red, This excel sheet is EXPERIMENTAL and is in beta development only. All figures are to assumed inaccurate and the work should be double checked. I was always told to measure twice and cut once, this same old saying should be practiced with this excel sheet. I am no math geek by far, but this is my attempt to try and help out, so that the figures and math to it do not have to be done the long hand method. Hope this helps. If it does not just delete the file. If it does and you find the excel sheet handy, by all means I would like to hear from one and all who use it. This is a free download, so you are free to redistribute it. All I ask is that the credits for the work stay at the bottom of the work sheet, even if the sheet is lousy and does not work for the individuals that will try it out. Thanks Brian... surfacestrandscalculator.xls.zip surfacestrandscalculator.xls.zip

Well all. I stand corrected on the 7part 6bight gaucho knot. My bad mistake as a brain fart on my part for looking at it the wrong way. My bud here George showed me up with an exemplary show and tell sit down. With a few beers in us he proceeded to explain the rules behind it. My brain was thinkin the other way persay. The 7part 6bight gaucho can be tied. I will also upload an image of this later example tied by lilpep. Now I need some gasX to get rid of the brain farts I had. Brian...

Yes you're right about more has been forgotten than what is known today. At least that's the way I see it also. There are just too many combinations that can be done from a basic knot to count really. It would seem that history would show itself more boldly as far as knot tying and leather braiding goes. However, on that note; you will find an extensive history with the Chinese knots. They have some serious history documented and some with photos. The oldest of those knots go back to a time when there were no cameras. So, the documented knots are in illustrated format. While it is not known just how old knot tying, or leather braiding actually is, it is still an avenue that must be traveled in great detail in order to find and learn what has been lost. It is also very evident that we need a way to keep a record of what has been done in the now for the future generations. Truly, without passionate artists such as ourselves and in combination with all those who learned their craft in the old school days passing on the heritage to us, the Art & Craft will certainly die. Nough of my ramblins, Brian...

Hey roo. The way I see it, there are no bad habits in tying string, or lace. Just picking bad hides to tie it from. I think that every mistake I have made in braiding and tying knots I have recorded on paper in a note book. I know that all of those mistakes will come in handy some day. But for now, it shows me all the ways that I could not do a knot or a project. LOL... If you tie on a mandrel, that's not a bad habit in my book. I use a mandrel for very large knots and I use one also, to discover a new knot that I have never tied before. The mandrel can serve as a way for you to examine the knots you tie. A scientist uses beakers, or a microscope for examination of a particle, or chemical. Well, to the braider/knot tyer the mandrel serves a similar purpose. Me when I see a knot I want to get to know really well, I will tie it by way of ghosting the knot with a piece of string that is smaller. Then I will tie the actual knot from a reverse working of the original in string, then double it, then tighten it down a tad bit, then put some spray Neat-Lac on the knot to harden it up. Once dry I take the knot off the mandrel and then cut it in half and then draw a grid on grid paper of that knot that I just cut in half. This way I can really study the knot and the characteristics of that particular knot. Well take for instance a Fiador Knot of just about any type. Get a good picture of the basic Fiador in your mind. Did you know that 98% of the Fiador knots that are tied come from tying a two strand bosun, or diamond knot? The basis for this comes from a study I conducted on the Fiador knot. The instructions for tying the Fiador can be a little intimidating for a beginning tier, or even one that is at the intermediate level. Even a Mathew Walker Fiador knot comes from the same beginnings. Weird eh? or Fascinating? You know what even more funky? The common divisor table. You can tie a gaucho knot on a 5part 4bight TH, but when you expand the 5x4 TH to a 7part 6bight, now you have a bight count that is divisible by 3 and 2, so the gaucho will not work out right on the bight count and structure leaving you with a single double color on a bight count. I know, stupid eh? But when you start building your own knots and projects, planning them out as you see me do here, you will save yourself soooo much time and headaches. Well nough of my ramblins... Brian...

Well here's my deal with books. I have a crap load of books for leather braiding and a crap load of books for knot tying (more for fancy stuff). I have found the books I use the most are, Tom Hall - All of the books for continued reference. Ron Edwards books. Robert Woolery book. I continually go back to these books for reference when I need to, especially when involved in a project. I like those 3 books because they all got me into studying the actual structures of every knot I make. By paying close attention to the details of the knot structure I am better able to see a knot someone else made and backwards engineer it, or get as close to it as possible. I also study The Braider publications because AG Schaake and JC Turner go into greater detail on the actual construction of a knot, or braid. A little more complicated than the average reader will want to get into. But it all boils down to how much passion you have for this fabulous art. I have other publications by AG Schaake, JC Turner and another person I can not remember right off the top of my head. There were 3 individuals at the start of those publications. But peoples ego's tend to get in the way a great deal when it comes to being a math geek. Those publications then lead to The Braider publications. Interesting factoid; Tom Hall is not actually Tom Hall. It is just his publishing name. Like with all other people, each person learns differently and at a different pace. Most, I have found tend to not get into the math details of the braid or knot. My partner who is deceased now, did not like all the math behind the braiding and knotting, but he sure could tie and braid beautifully. He hated to do math. I used to hear him say, " Well shit on the math. I'm gonna figure it out anyway." He was a stubborn man and a great friend of mine. However, there is a lot to be said about the old school days of braiding. In those days you did not have books to refer to for help. The only thing you had was the one teaching you and your own ideas and resolve to solve a problem. I for one enjoy having a braiding mentor who enjoys braiding as much as I do and the concept of books is nothing new to him. But, when my mentor learned the craft of braiding, he was in the old school days. That man can tie any type of pineapple knot around any type, or shape of object you could come up with. He does not use a mandrel to tie with either. He ties all his knots in hand, or fingers (The old school way). Now if you ask me for my opinion, that's real skill. Brian...

LOL lilpep.

Tom Hall; Purchase link Seller: Martin Combs Click Here Books By Tom Hall; All prices USD... INTRODUCTION TO TURKSHEAD KNOTS by Tom Hall $28.50 - (Instructions for many different types of turksheads, Casa, Herringbone, Headhunter, Gaucho, Barcus, etc. a very good book) Tack Tips by Tom Hall $27.50 - (How to make your own horse gear, hackamores, bosals, fiadors, etc. lots of knots in use in the instructions) MORE WESTERN TACK TIPS by Tom Hall $27.50 - (More info on how to make your own horse gear, but the knots shown can be used for more than that, some of the new knot info includes , the headhunter's rosebud knot, sennit rose knots, boxcar knots, if you like Tom's other books this one won't disapoint you. The Turkshead Workbook by Tom Hall $14.00 - (A good book to accompany Intro to TH Knots) Another great Author is Ron Edwards; Here's the link to the Ram Skull Press Site (International Ordering) Books to get from them; Round Knots and Braids ( Spiral Bound ) $80.00 Interesting Braids and Flat Plaits ( Spiral Bound ) $80.00 Some really great material in both all of these listed books. All of the books are illustrated. Another good one to look for is Robert Woolery - Braiding Rawhide Horse Tack. If you google that one you should find a some where that will sell it. That should do you for a good start. Brian...

I am thinking that it is the Bruce Grant book right? Not sure. But I do have it in my downloads section. Located here; Bruce Grant

Usually the thinnest weight we can find.

It all depends on the lace itself. Is the lace on a spool? Is the lace in a rolled up Ball, or Tamale? Is the lace already beveled? What size is the lace? Was the lace cut from drum stuffed Hide? Softening the lace is also dependent on the type of hide it came from. If drum stuffed, I would use Pecards Leather dressing, where a little bit goes a long way. If it is already in lace form, you should not have to do too much to the actual lace itself. Brian...

I am posting this for my braiding mentor. He only has internet access twice a month from where he lives in Idaho. He is selling these tools because he moving into braiding fully and will not be doing anymore saddle work, or repairs. Here's the list of tools and it is quite extensive. Saddle maker tools; Bench Skiver Various Punches Rivet & Grommet Sets Fids & Spikes Duckbills Edgers Letter & Number Stamps Hand Sewing Supplies Hammers Groovers Dividers Buckles Snaps Varied Hardware Drawing Knives Bleeder Horn Trimmer Extra Heavy Scissors and a lot more The skiver is 6 inche bench mounted manually operated and never used. All tools are less than 3 years old Spent approximately $4,000.00 on them. Will sell them for $2,000.00 Price for the above does not include shipping... Contact information; Mike Storch 208-259-3770

I am posting this sewing machine for my braiding mentor. He only has access to the internet twice a month from where he lives in Idaho. I have no photos of this machine. The reason he is selling this fine tool is because he is going to just braiding and not doing any more saddles or repairs. This is for 1 Adler Industrial Sewing Machine Serial# 267GK373 Owner Comments; Fairly new, in excellent condition - Complete with table, motor, light, Speed reducer - Extra Bobbins - Walking Feet - Thread - Leather and Canvas Needles - Snip Scissors - Very solid machine, Built to last a life time and would be fine for, Tents Awnings Leather Vests Chaps Garments Medium weight repair, or production work. Price for this machine: $1,500.00 USD This price does not include shipping. Contact Information: Mike Stortch - Hooey Phone: 208-259-3770

Bevel and then I usually roll it out on a hard smooth surface like a counter top or something like that.

It would help if you were a little more specific with your wants in calculations. For instance, Do you need a way to calculate the length of strands that it will take to braid around the whole core? Will you also need core diameter? There are reasons for being specific. Each calculation can either have room for overage, or the calculations can be precise. For instance, If you have a given core size, you will need to know how many strands will fit around that core and how much length is needed to braid the length and radius of that given core size. Brian...