Aggiebraider

I think it depends on the bit. Some gags have longer shanks than others. I have also seen some that wouldnt work with a leather headstall very well, because they use a nylon cord that actually fives the slide action of the bit and it moves up the headstall to gag the horse. Sorry I dont have real numbers for you, I would start with getting the bit or at least measurements for the bit, and maybe even put it on the horse with a piece of cheap nylon cord and when you get it where you want it, make that measurement your center hole. Hope this helps, CW

Thats interesting. Ive heard and understand both sides of it, but if Bill Dorrance felt comfortable splicing strings in with all the riatas he made, I would think it would be just fine. Now if you broke more than one, not sure how well that would hold up. It almost looks like a plastic washer or something I cant hardly see it CW

Hmm not sure whats around the riata between the actual rawhide and the rein rounder. It looks like something to protect it from the rounder it self. Not sure, maybe we should just wait to ask Nate next weekend lol Not sure where he got that rounder either, Ive never seen one like that but could sure use one CW

Even though I havent made one, I did get 4 Strands of Rawhide for christmas and have watched it about 100 times since. I have also seen a few people braiding them on tv. On the dvd, Randy cut the string larger than 1/4" and depending on where he cut it (belly vs back) he would make it a little wider at the stretchy parts. For the areas that are fairly firm like the back, I would cut it at probably 3/8" and along the belly maybe 1/2". That way when you stretch it, you still have some to bevel. You may want to do a few practice pieces a few feet long to see how much stretch you are able to take out and how much smaller the strings get. As far as cutting a wider strip to try and get two, I wouldnt do that. The wider the initial cut on the string is, the harder it is to get the stretch out of the outside edge of the string (and the curvature from cutting it off a circle) to get it into a straight piece. I dont think I would use a rounder until after the whole riata was finished because if your riata is say 1/8" in diameter, you would need to use the hole size thats slightly smaller so that it holds the riata tight enough for you to actually pull hard at each plait. This would cause your braid to be compressed at every point the rounder held the riata more so than the other areas. I would use a vice with canvas or leather on each face to protect the strands, but a wider face thats holding the riata will be better because it spreads out the force over a larger surface area. Randy also said that if you break a strand and have to splice a section in, you shouldnt pull it through a rounder (or at least stop before you get to the splice) because the splice will be slightly larger than the other areas. What you could do is get a good clean 5 gallon bucket and put the finished section in there and as you braid and move it through the vice, just coil it into the bucket. Hope this helps, CW

The ONLY thing that I can see that you should work on is there is a slight twist to your pineapple knots. This is something I struggle with constantly and I think it comes during the interweaves. I try and make sure that my strings are straight as possible before I do an interweave, and then when I am done, the knot has a twist to it. Not sure why this happens or how to fix it so sorry I cant add advice, but I did see it. I think you did an awesome job in your lace preparation, braiding, and lacing. I was wondering where you got that ring though. I think its great for hobbles since its wider and flat. Great job on these! CW

I dont understand how it wore the hide off your horses nose since its not the actual cable that touches the horse. To me it wouldnt work any differently than a rawhide core bosal since its still covered in lots of tape and leather or rawhide. I can understand the difference in shaping it, but I am able to shape this cable really easily and it holds its shape. Probably not as long term as rawhide would hold its shape, but personally I dont see a difference in function other than the shape. And as far as legality im going to keep these, so they wont see the inside of a show pen. Just my 2 cents worth CW

You can braid over anything you would like but something to think about is how the core material will react to water and heat. Most nylon cord should be fine and not shrink, but paracord is notorious for shrinking when it gets wet. This is why I try to preshrink any paracord that I am going to use BEFORE i start braiding. The cover doesnt actually shrink, but the core inside each strand does, and that can disfigure your braiding for sure. Also, most nylon cord that you will find at hardware stores is some what mushy (for lack of a better term) and I dont feel would make a very good core. Look for something that is fairly stiff so when you pull your strings in tight, it actually has something to pull against. I would suggest looking for Halter material (same stuff thats used for rope halters). Columbia Basin Knot Co carries a lot of different sizes, types, and colors of not only halter cord but lots of other ropes. Give them a call and Im sure the would even send you just a few feet for this first project. You can even braid over steel cable. I think Grant makes reference to bosals that were made using steel cable for cores, and I bought some the other day for pretty cheap. Hopefully I can find time to actually do some braiding and put these cores to work. Hope that helps, CW

Well, as with just about everything in life it all kinda depends. The length of roping reins typically runs from 8-9' depending on size of the horse and personal preference. I would suggest getting some cheap nylon rope and making up a mock set of reins (no braiding just run it from one side to the other) and actually put it on your horse and see what is comfortable. A good rule of thumb for string length is 2.5 times longer than the desired finished length. So if you were making 8 ft reins, you would make the strings 20ft long. Now if you are doubling the string over to make a loop, say going from 4 strand round to 8 strand round, then you would double your 2.5 times, making it 5 times larger. Once you have braided more, you will get a feel for how tight you pull, angle of braids, and everything else that contributes to string length and can then make adjustments on your measurements so you arent cutting off so much scrap on future projects. I am assuming you are going to make the reins round, and if so I wouldnt use the 4 strand braid, its too small and the width of string you would have to use wouldnt look very nice. I would get some round leather belting (used on treadle sewing machines) and do atleast 8 strand braid around them. The belting acts as a good core, and adds some weight to the reins as well. You could make these just like a normal set of romal reins without attaching the romal. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions ask away CW

Thanks for the link, I had thought about bull riders rosin, but wasnt sure if it was the same stuff and where I could get it in bulk. CW

Yeah and good luck actually finding pine resin. I looked for months and finally just gave up. Please let us know if you find a good source for it. CW

I would be interested in making one for sure. I would just need to get the exact measurements that she wants. I know where I can get some sidepulls to measure, but I would want to be sure. Easiest way to get a hold of me is through email or pm. I would prefer you pm me first that way my email address isnt just floating around. Let me know, Calvin

Very nice work. Couple of questions though. How do you do the foundations for your turnback buttons? When I splice the ends back in and cut a nice long taper on the core, I cant get the taper to end up smooth on both sides. Invariably one side sticks out more than the other. Where do you get your hides and do you cut your own lace? Im sure you do, because the strings look great. Thanks, CW

Ok i might have screwed something up when i did it....I have been known to do that lol. I will have to look and see

Very nice! How do you finish the ends of the strands on the covered ring? I understand covering the ring, but my ends just come loose and it all wants to unravel. Thanks CW

Thanks

The extra blade is worth the difference you paid easily. I have seen new blades for splitters run as high as 300. Does the company you bought the splitter from have a website or contact info?

The DVD is good for a beginner, and I got alot out of it just by watching how Tom and Randy did things. I understood the process but it was nice to see someone go through all of them. I also really enjoyed hearing Tom talk about some of his horse training ideas and policies. I got the dvd as a christmas gift, so I didnt have to worry about the price lol. I think its definitely worth every braider to have just in case they stop producing them and you wouldnt be able to get one. CW

If its based off the splitter that Tom Dorrance used in the DVD, I am pretty sure its just a planer blade that is attached to a rod that is then run through two sleeves that are somehow attached to bolts on either side that allow you to adjust the height of the blade in relation to the wood block that is used for the base. I also think if my memory serves me right is that there are springs that are around the bolts (not sure what they do though). The sleeves around the rod that the blade is attached to allow the blade to rotate away from you so you can get your string in underneath it and then it rotates back down to perpendicular to the wood block. This design works well when you are using wetter lace, because it kind of just scrapes the flesh side off. If you were used to using drier lace, I dont think it will do anything but frustrate you since this design wont actually cut the flesh side off. I can try and draw up a picture if this doesnt make sense. Not sure how Bryan has changed it from the way Tom made his, but for as many riatas as Tom made with that splitter, Im sure it works pretty darn well just the way it is lol. CW

Weavers also sells these if you can order from them

I agree, interweaves with different colors is alot easier. One thing I noticed that also made it easier is that even if you are using the same color, use 2 strings. If you try and start a new interweave from the same string as the original string, once you get back around to crossing that very first pass, it doesnt want to work just right. Not sure why that is, but it just doesnt work for me. Hope that helps, CW

Thanks so much for the compliments! Yes that is kangaroo....its about all I ever want to use anymore. I did buy some goat rawhide from Siegel's this week. They have it on sale for 8 hides for $100.....pretty good deal and it looks like good stuff....The sale is going on until the 28th of Jan so once I get mine I will let everyone know how it is. CW

Hey Hivemind, Would you be interested in selling some buttons? I have been wanting to do exactly what you did, but I dont have easy access to the necessary tools to make buttons. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks, CW

Thats what I would think. Call Bob Douglass, I dont have his catalog with me so hopefully someone can post his number for the 1000th time lol. I bought one from him this summer and it is REALLY sharp!. Not sure if its the size you want but he has two that he sells, one larger, one smaller. Im sure that with his metal working ability and background, if you get one and think its still too big, he could probably make you a smaller one. They are pretty well priced for the what you get. I think I paid either 15 or 20 for mine and it works extremely well. Hope this helps, CW