Ecapone

Nick, I don't know how to work with leather because I have never done it. I only work with rawhide. This is the way I split the thongs with a wood plane that costed me 3 dollars. I filed a litted notch in the conner so I can introduce the thongs easily. and this is how we cut and bevel the thongs with home made tools. Cheers, Enrique

Dear friend, I use the strings almost dry. I just rub them with a little bit of soap paste. To soften the rawhide, I get the rawhide wet until is tempered. Then I rolled it by the conners with the hair side inside and I hit it with an especial mallet that we call maceta (see picture). I made this maceta with 2 pieces of 2 x 4. After hiting the rawhide I roll it and I save it on a plastic bag overnight. Next day I take it out for another session and I save it back on the plastic bag. It take about 7 days to soften it. Between sessions I also rub some pork fat or some glyceryn soap. I hope this information help Cheers, Enrique

Alan, When are you going to the TCAA? I have to travel to Canada on Sunday October the 16th and we have a party on saturday so that weekend I can't. I heard that the works are exposed for 2 month. I will be glad to help you with your knife handle. My phone number is 214 636 4647 Cheers, Enrique

Hi, I joined the forum a couple of days ago. My name is Enrique and I live in Garland, TX. with my wife and son (Close to Dallas Downtown). I have been braiding for about 28 years. I am originally from Argentina. I moved to Texas 10 years ago. Feel free to contact me for anything you need. My email is eocapone@verizon.net Cheers, Enrique

I use deer rawhide a lot. Not because I like it. I use it because I can get it for free from some hunters friends. It is not the best thing in the world but it works. The "Catle Counter" and the knife that I just post it, are both made out of deer hide. I dehaired them with lime. One of them, I just dehaired it with water. Changing the water everyday. It took almost 14 days until the hair started to fall off. Lime is quicker. Be real carfull when removing the flesh and fat. I accidentally left some fat on some of them and know you can notice it. Some parts are stained by the fat. Cheers, Enrique

Nick, I am in the Dallas area. A little bit to far, but if you happend to come this way, I can show you the basics so you can get started. Enrique

Very nice Brian. Congrats. Enrique

Yes, I posted this knife in Armas Blancas. The blade is "Defensa" wich is a second brand of Boker. I realy like this blade. I boght it in Argentina last year. I posted some tutorials in Armas Blancas. My user there is ecapone. With time, I will translate and put this tutorials here. Enrique

All the time and I get in a bad mood if I don't have the time to do it. Enrique

Gentleman, You are right. Make a pineapple knot and after that, you will figure how to do the rest. It is easier that it seems. You have to do a "ladder stitch" over the tongs in a vertical fashion. I made one for the Cattle Counter that I posted a few days ago. If you have doubts with the argentinean books and need help with the translations, let me know. Cheers, Enrique

I don't know how the Mexican Basket Weave border is done, but yes, it looks similar. The easiest border is from 1 to 3. It would look like a 4 thongs round braid. You go from 1 to 3 3 to 2 2 to 4 4 to 3 Etc. As you go back and forth, you have to braid to the pattern is over one under one all the time. Cheers, Enrique Hello Jorge, It is great to find you here. Thanks for giving me the link to this forum. Saludos Enrique

Thank you for taking the time to explain me about the use of the word Thongs. I am glad you like the Argentinian way of working with rawhide. I fell in love with it some 28 years ago when I saw some work done in a set of reins in Argentina. I saw that 2 turns braided knot over the reins and I just had to know how they were made. I guy there tought me the basic three thongs ring but that is all he knew. Then he sent me to a gaucho that show me how to do it. I didn't understand, but at least I knew that it was done with one thong. I grab a shoe lace and I starting trying until I got it at 2 AM. I never stop since then. Cheers, Enrique

Thanks everybody for your words. I really apreciate them. I hope I can be useful for you and I am also sure I have to learn from this forum too. Thanks, Enrique My friend Arno, That knife looks beautiful. I wish I knew how to work with silver to make caps like those. Are you working in softening some rawhide? Cheers, Enrique

This is knife handle and a sheath that I did recently. The handle has 96 thongs. 48 in the bed and 48 interweaving. All the rawhide is deer. The material for the sheath is soften deer rawhide (Not leather). By the way, is it OK to call them "Thongs" when they are made of rawhide? In Agentina we have only one word to call tem independent of the material. We call them "tientos". I have read in some books that in the US for rawhide they are called "strings" and only for leather they are called "thongs". Is that correct? Greetings, Enrique

Nice work my friend. Enrique

Thanks everybody for all your comments. I am glad you like my work. Enrique

CW, This braided borders are made with only one strand. There are some variations on how to do it. I self learn this so I didn't know any name for it. Later I found that in my country everybody know them as the Sewing from 1 to 7. The way to do it is easy. You go from hole number 1 to the hole number 7 over the border. Then you come back over the border again but this time you enter on hole number 2. From hole nunber 2 you have to go to the number 8, then from 8 to 3, then from 3 to 9, etc. As you go forward, you have to braid with the strands you find. The patern will be: when you go forward you pass over one, under 2 over 2 and then over the border to enter in the next free hole. Coming back you go: Over the edge and then over two, under two and over one. There is an easier one called from 1 to 5. I wrote a book about it as it was mentioned by one of the members. It is called "Braided Borders" Let me know if my explanation was not clear. Cheers, Enrique Thanks everybody for the warm welcome. Enrique

Hello everyone I am new in this forum. My name is Enrique and I have been braiding rawhide for at least 28 years. I was born in Argentina where I learnt most of my techniques. I just finish this "Cattle Counter" a few days ago. A Cattle Counter has 10 sliding beads so it can be used as an abacus. Normally the 10 beads are identical but in this case it has 10 different beads so it is a sampler. I hope you like it. Cheers, Enrique

Very nice set of Hobbles. Congratulations. Enrique