Lasse C

Ladies & gentlemen, let me introduce: The OmniWhip! It was named so by my youngest son, because it is three types in one. By using (or not) the interchangeable handles it can be a snakewhip, a bullwhip or a stockwhip. The snake part is about 200 cms including fall, the bullwhip handle about 20 cms and the stockwhip handle about 45 cm. I wish I could take credit for the basic idea, but unfortunately not... The practical construction is mine, though. It was quite a bit of work, and needed a lot of tinkering and adjusting to get a balance that works in all three versions. All in all, it seems good so far. My son will give it a good testing and provide feedback. Trying out new ideas is FUN! Lasse C

Välkommen, som sagt! Som du ser börjar vi bli några svenskar här! Lasse C http://www.lassec.pixbox.se/

De enklaste lösningarna är ofta de bästa. Har du provat att skaffa en stadig säck som du fyller med sand och sedan lägger en stadig platta på? Sanden tar upp och fördelar energin, så det borde bli ganska lite som går vidare i väggar, golv, etc. Sen kan jag av egen erfarenhet säga att ljudmässigt lönar det sig att skaffa en gummiklubba! 32:90 på Biltema eller 49:- på Clas Ohlson. Lasse C (Som har betonggolv i verksta´n, som ligger i ett industriområde... )

So that´s where all the low-priced "grytbitar" comes from! Anyway, it also proves my point: Cows past their productive age are not left tottering around until they just drop dead from "natural causes". Lasse C

As a little extra comment I am worried that if "non-slaughter" leather is considered something very special and paid accordingly, it would be an open invitation to unscrupolous people. I doubt that "retired" milking cows would be slaughtered for meat to any significant extent. If "non-slaughter" hides from these animals pay better than conventional hides it will be economically sound to let these animals die from neglect and/or starvation rather than to take care of them properly. Is that really what we want? Is that a way to make leather more acceptable and more in demand? I don´t think so. I really don´t. Lasse C

This feels like another example of good intentions leading to a really bad idea. If "non-slaughter" leather is selling at all, it is still selling better than it should, if you ask me. First, the entire concept is based on wrong assumptions. The idea that it should somehow be more ethical must be based on some Disneyesque misconception about "Billie Moo´s old age" where old Billie totters about in thick, green grass until she quietly falls asleep and never wakes up. Real life is very much different, I´m afraid. Should a cow live to old age (and they can get quite old!) unaffected by injury and disease (unlikely) and the owner can afford to let a cow who does not produce any calves or milk just walk around for years (also unlikely, given the economic conditions most farmers face) her teeth will eventually become worn down and she will slowly starve to death. And this is the best case scenario! The most likely is that she will die from some injury or disease. Intestinal parasites, kidney failure, infections or simply neglected care… you name it! Cows also have a tendency to eat things that should not be eaten; some of them are sharp and can puncture their stomach or intestines. Things like plastic stay in the stomach forever and disturb digestion and eating. In other words: Letting a cow just die of what is so euphemistically called "natural reasons" is lightyears away from being ethical – it is downright cruel! In civilized countries there are laws against cruelty to animals. In Sweden, where I live, it is against the law to use any part of an animal that has died under such circumstances. Non-slaughter leather would be illegal here. (Forget about any export here, in other words... ) I find no ethical advantage whatsoever in non-slaughter leather if you look at the whole picture, not just the kill/no kill part. If anything, I find it hypocritical to think of it as more "noble" or "humane" to let the animal die in any of a number of highly unpleasant, often painful, and most often slow ways. You just don´t want any part of the "dirty work", that´s all. If we were talking about leather from an animal that has been given a good life, well cared for (in other words the "happy animals" that Ray is mentioning), and then killed in a quick and painless way while it was still healthy – then you would be talking really ethical leather! That would interest me. Surveys may show many things – depending on how you phrase the questions you can, intentionally or not, direct the answers just about anywhere. Especially when ethical issues are concerned, people have a tendency to say what they would want to do, not what they will actually do. When the time comes to open the wallet, the two might differ significantly. Words, as we all know, are cheap – actions cost... OK, the ethical advantage of non-slaughter leather is highly disputable at best. Why does it not sell? If you ask me it is not that remarkable. Apparently one angle is to attract vegans, but consider the real situation: Vernon the Vegan is going to buy new boots. In the shoe store he faces three pairs, all pretty much the same, except on two points – material and price. The boots of conventional leather cost $100, the non-slaughter leather pair cost $500 and the "guaranteed animal-free, vegan approved" synthetic pair cost $70. I would say that the odds for Vernon going home in the $500 pair are about one in any of those numbers that are normally only used by astronomers and bankers in Zimbabwe. Or, to put it short: Dream on. Sorry if I sound harsh, but this kind of reasoning really goes against my grain. Lasse C

Hello all! What are your experiences from different materials used in the cracker (aka "popper") of a whip? I have tried waxed unpolished hemp, which worked very well, but wore out quickly. Polyester silk was more durable, but a bit too slippery to be practical and the fluffy tip was a dirt magnet. Recently I have tried a more high-tech approach; Dyneema. (A fibre similar to Kevlar, I´ m told, but more flexible) Works nicely, relatively light in weight, gives an easy and loud crack, and stands up to wear very good. A bit slippery, but waxing seems to take care of that. Any more suggestions and/or experiences? Any materials that should be avoided? Lasse C

Actually, your explanation was perfectly clear - possibly because I am a braider, too... Working from the hook in the basement wall works fine, actually. Our house was built in 1947 and this part of the basement was originally intended as a bomb shelter. (Very stable walls, in other words...) I don´t just hang the work on the hook, I attach it with a knotted strop that keeps it well in place and is also movable along the finished work. I also have a C-clamp with a jig I have made to allow me to fix the work to the table if I want to, but I have found it really does not add that much compared to the solution I use on the hook. Lasse C

With "4-seam" I mean braiding that gives 4 "panels" running along the work - in other words O2U2 on both sides in 8-strand, O3U3 on both sides in 12-strand, and so on. The effect is the same in any O2U2 sequence, though. I had not reflected on the fact that twist in the core might be a cause, but it is probable! I work with on end of the core attached to a hook in the basement wall where I work, and the other end to a hook on a belt around my waist (just like you do when tying macramé). I feel it gives me good control over the tension. Now that you mention it, I have noted that sometimes the core tends to twist when I set it up for a work session, but I did not think it mattered. I think I´ll make a couple of projects mainly to practice keeping it straight - or, rather: To keep control of the twist, as I sometimes actually want it - and to experiment with which factors influence it! Thanks for your advice! Lasse C

HI! When I braid 4-seam work (such as whips, dog leashes, etc) the work has a slight tendency to twist. In some two-tone work I have deliberately used it as an effect (turned out nicely, btw), but often it is not desireable. I have managed to reduce this twisting tendency to very little, but it is really difficult to eliminate it completely. I am also uncertain as to what causes this twist. It is obviously something I do (or do not do), but I can not figure out exactly what. Even when I take great care to make the braiding even, and pull with equal force on both sides, etc, this twisting tendency can occur. If nothing else, I´d like to know what causes it in order to control it - in other words to get it when I want it and eliminate it when I don´t! Tips, anyone? Lasse C

The problem does not exist only in workshops. When I attend fairs I also work at the table - it attracts people and increases sales, so it is a good ppolicy. Still, this means there are tools lying about and some people just can´t keep their hands off. I have begun telling these people, as nicely as possible "Among craftspeople it is considered extremely rude to touch someone´s tools without explicit permission". As they generally want to appear informed and knowing something about crafts it usually seems to work. Dropping the comment that "Some of those tools are extremely sharp" also helps. I have to allow people handling the things I sell, naturally, but make sure they understand that "If you break it, damage it or stain it - you bought it!" I remember only too well the mom of a kid that reached out his little hand, all sticky with candy, towards some of my knotwork. I was busy with another customer, so in a side comment I just informed the mom what they cost. She quickly grabbed the kid´s hand... (And gave me an angry look) Lasse C

Nice vest! If the dog looks grumpy wearing it it might be a touch of "collar paralysis". That is what people in veterinary care calls it when a dog (ususally - it can be a cat, too, but less frequent) has one of those big plastic collars that prevents them from lickin/biting on wounds. Sometime the critter feels that "This is just sooooo awful!" that he/she just stands still and refuses to move. A bit pathetic, but quite frequent, I´m told. Lasse C

Having a workshop equipped with a small metalworking lathe that can be set up for milling, a standing drill, a machine sander/grinder etc, I am able to make most of my tools myself, sometimes from scrap metal. This way I can get tools at a low cost, and also suited to my style of working. As far as possible I use what I have lying around the workshop, so most of the material come from my "Might-come-in-handy" drawers, which contain pretty much anything I can pick up... This makes some of the solutions a little unorthodox, perhaps, but they do get the job done - even if I have to admit some of the tools will not achieve an award for good looks. Anyway, I´d like to show you a few I have made and use: The gripfid is definitely one of my favourite tools for both ropework and leather braiding! I make them from steel with a hardwood handle, and in smaller sizes than most do. The smallest I make have a 1.5 mm slit (inner diameter), that grips thicknesses down to about 0.7 mm. Gripfids are absolutely excellent for splicing (which I as as a knotter call it - many leatherworkers call it backbraiding). I have made a set with 0.5 mm steps from 1.5 to 3 mm, and from that 4 mm, 7 mm and 10 mm. The bigger sizes are used for ropework, rarely for leather. (The 1.5 to 3 mm ones I have begun making for sale) A lace cutter is absolutely necessary for a leather braider! All of it except the C-clamp is stainless steel. The large knob on the screw allows me to adjust width very quickly, and fixing it with a clamp lets me use both hands to handle the piece of leather. For thin leather I use a piece of a razor blade, and for thicker leather I use small scalpel blades. With this cutter I have cut from 2 cm wide straps in 3 mm leather down to 1.5 mm wide in 0.7 mm leather, all with good control. In other words, it cuts all dimensions I have any reasonable use for in my braiding. I have worked on an angled blade holder, but so far I have not come up with a satisfactory solution. (Ideas, anyone?) A splitter is handy, if not necessary. A store-bought splitter costs about 1200 to 1500 SEK. This splitter cost me 80 SEK, the cost of the mini plane! The rest of the stuff came from my workshop. The roller is precision turned from a bar of brass and set in ball bearings. The blades are ordinary industrial grade razor blades, which means they are pretty cheap to replace.. It can be adjusted both by moving the roller up or down, or by moving the plane back or forth. The maximum width is limited to about 4 cm, but as I do not use wider strands than about 10 mm in my braiding this is not a problem Lasse C