curlyjo

I am looking for a tool to sharpen large, up to 1", hole punches. Everything so far stops at 5/8th's. Thanks

Raise each end with a piece of tape and that should anchor the end of the multiple string button. Or a ring button out of rawhide on each end. The rawhide will cinch down better than leather. Then wrap a piece of light leather between ring buttons and tape over that. A lot of bosal nose buttons are built like that.

It depends on the type of material you are working with. Heavy Rawhide and leather most surely needs to be split but kangaroo is pretty thin to start with. I don't even split roo if I am braiding 1/2" or 5/8th's bosal bodies. Nosebutton string will split just to even up. You just need to increase the number of strings. 12 strand for 1/2" and 16 strand for 5/8th's. These are finished at between 5 and 5 1/2/32 wide. And I recently purchased a tool that bevels string from the bottom. So if the string isn't perfectly split it doesn't matter. It took awhile to get used to as you can't see the bevel coming off but does a great job. JMO

Knotty Linda in Canada has a huge selection, Packer lace.

Drum stuffed Kangaroo hide cuts and braids easy and is real strong. That's what I use for bosal string, bodies and buttons.

Hardtke in Texas for hides email peter.hardtke@icloud.com Drumstuffed is best

Joe Benner in Or. sells hides. Billy DeMarco in New Mexico. Type in Rawhide for sale on Google and you can get names of places that sell.

Jack Armstrong has some classes coming up in March I believe. He's on FB, always putting little button videos up to help us that lack necessary skills.

I've been using the single sided razor blades with the heavy piece on the back. Just snap that off and use it. And the blades for hand scrapers that Tandy and lots of other outfits sell. Similar to the old injector blades for shaving.

The only reason I was there was I'm off with shoulder surgery and just spent 2 weeks looking at the walls. Needed a road trip and could drive by then. Overnite, back by way of the Hide House in Napa then home. Brad

Brian, Nice entry at Red Bluff. You and Shawn had great silver plus braiding. Brad

Looks good to me. You just need practice so send that one my way and try again while it's still fresh on your mind!

Just double the length of your strings and start braiding in the middle. Say you're going to use 35' per string to braid a 23-24' mecate, make each string 70' and loop in the middle over a nail or whatever in your vice and start braiding. The easiest is to find the middle on all your strings and tie together in a loop to keep straight. Then tie each in a tamale and wrap with a good rubber band. When you get that done, untie the loop and start. Make it good and tight at the start. When done just go back and unloop and put in a nice piece of leather for a popper. You can also do that at the start. The finished end just tie a turkshead. If it's a 12 strand rope, tie a 12 strand knot, then tie an 8 strand so it has a little taper, keeping all your ends out the end. If you've done any button work you could stay with just a 12 strand knot and leave your ends stick out and tie a pineapple knot over the tied knot.

Nice looking.

Nice job Buck.And rc, that's how I feel. You learn by mistakes but if I can help someone just before the error occurs, it can make the difference between losing a hide or a bunch of string and total frustration. I'm no expert but have enough mistakes to qualify as somewhat experienced. And also Buck, I'm trying to get to Red Bluff Thursday evening. I had shoulder surgery yesterday so I don't have a thing to do for awhile. Bryan's going to be there with a dog so maybe we could get together. Hopefully 2 weeks is enough time before a road trip. Email me your phone# and I'll call from the show if you're going to be there. Brad

Bryan Neubert's first video explains the multiple string button real well. He uses 4 strings but it applies to any number.

I'm with Rawhidelady. I think the multiple string button is easier to handle and less confusion for me. Once you figure out the foundation and turn back, you can take off and finish pretty easy. Just my opinion. Brad

I heard this from Lige Langston from Surprise Valley area of Ca. When he first started making strings, he would cut wide string and stretch out and dry. Then he would put some old bottles in a sack and break into pieces, reach in with gloves on and get a piece and scrape the hair with the broken glass. When it dulled up he'd just grab another piece of broken glass and go on scraping. Always had a sharp tool. And if you end up with a little bit of hair on a finished string, just rub with sandpaper and buff it off. Brad

Excellent tutorial, rgerbitz. The only thing I can add that might help is to measure and write down everything you try in the entire process of from green hide to length of string for braiding. It's a lot easier to have a reference than try to remember what you did last time. And make your strings a little long. When you cut them off, take them outside and throw in the garbage away from your work area. It's a lot easier to cut a little off than splice! Nothing more fun then an 8 strand nosebutton 1 1/2" to short. Write it down. Even if it didn't work. Brad

Millwright, maybe I can help out a little. Take the fresh hide and trim off the belly. When I get a hide from a down cow or whatever, I just take the neck, down low on the shoulder, along the base of the ribs, around low on the butt, back low along the base of the ribs again and back up to the neck. What I try to do is skin in front of the ears and cut all the way around the animal. Then hook the head to a tree or hitch on a pickup and hook a chain around the ears and pull the hide off with another pickup. No knife marks. That leaves the belly on the cow. Then throw it over a barrel or large round post and get all the meat and flesh you can off. The more you get off, the more and easier the hair will slip. 1/2 a garbage can of water with a large coffee can of lime and stir whenever you can. A lid will keep it warmer. Check to see if the hair is slipping easily, then throw over the barrel or whatever and slide the hair off with a flat stick. The warmer the weather, the faster it will slip. Then hose off both sides and put in a container with 1 gallon of vinegar and enough water to cover overnite. Pull out and hose off again and put in stretcher and check for more flesh and meat. Let it dry in the stretcher in the shade. Now the work begins! Brad

If you're looking for many different colors in lace, try knottylinda.com It's out of Canada and she has quite a few colors and possible sizes of kangaroo lace.

Thanks barehandcustoms

I am looking for a spot to purchase horse leather to build bosals. I see where some places have horse butts but they are a little to short to cut string. The pieces need to be 4 1/2' long to cut string out of. Or 30" discs and can cut round and round to the center. Just starting to look so any info would be helpful. Thanks. Brad

The picture showed up so here's the description. I had it all on one spot. Just finished, full 9/16th's Alum-tan latigo hackamore, kangaroo buttons. 12 strand body, 28 strand nose. Kangaroo bosals next until it cools of for rawhide. Brad