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AZ Pete

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Posts posted by AZ Pete

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Not to derail this topic but I have a question regarding plaiting soap and Wyosheen. I have used plaiting soap when plaiting whips. I have also used leather dressing. When the whip is finished I put on a coat of Wyosheen (50/50 blend of Wyosheen and thinner). I have noticed that, on the whips I make with plaiting soap, the Wyosheen turns white after drying. Not so with the leather dressing. Do you think that the soap is reacting with the lacquer? I really have to buff it out to get rid of the white residue. I use the same plaiting soap formula as mentioned above (without the wax).

    Just curious if anyone else has run up against this issue before.

    Thanks,

    Pete

  4. Posted · Report reply

    The general calculation that I use is the width of the string times how many strings you braid. For instance, 1/8th(0.1250) x 10 = 1.25. But since you're doing a crocidile ridge braid you might end up having to add 2 more strings to make up for the ridge in the middle. I am not sure of that part yet myself. So you should experiment with some cheap lace first to find out for sure.

    Using a conditioner or a soap is not a good idea for the felt that it will lay against. You might consider pre-conditioning the strings and letting them sit over night to dry out then braiding the next day. This might help out.

    I'm no expert at dying leather. I buy all my leather already dyed the color I need. But I have heard that if you dye the hide you will have to seal it when done so that it does not bleed color.

    Brian...

    Thanks, Brian! I will give that a try and add for the two ridge strings. I think you are right about the conditioning. The leather is so dry I am thinking of giving it a very light coating of dressing and letting it sit for a couple of days so it completely absorbs into the leather but gives me some conditioning. I plan on giving the whole thing a coat of Wyosheen after it is finished to help seal it up.

    Thanks again for your assistance!

    Regards,

    Pete

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Hi all -

    I am going to make a hat band for a beaver felt hat. It is going to be made out of cowhide. I am going to do a 10-12 strand crocodile ridge braid. I would like the final width to be around 1.25". A few questions I have:

    1) Is there a general calculation I would need to use to determine the width of the strands in order to acheive my final width of the band? I am pretty new to flat braids having dealt mostly with whip making.

    2) I have read somewhere along the lines that I should not use any leather conditioner when braiding this piece because it might stain the hat. Should I not use anything on the leather at all??

    3) Should I be concerned about dying the strands? Will that also potentially bleed on the hat?

    Thanks to all for any input.

    Regards,

    Pete

  6. Posted · Report reply

    I am also interested in whip making, so I purchased the How to make whips book on amazon for about $15. it came in a few days. There are some interesting strategies for cutting strands and using different types of leather detailed in the book. Personally I am using deer rawhide that I prepared myself, so that really keeps costs down. Will post a photo when finished. I hope others will do the same.

    Aloha,

    Gretchen

    Thanks, Gretchen. I have that book as well. Found it very useful. Please post pics of you deer hide whip when you get a chance. I'm interested in seeing how it turns out. Also curious as to what you think of using deer for whips.

    Regards,

    Pete

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Hi all -

    I have been making whips for a short time and have enjoyed doing so. Recently. my wife's purse strap broke on one of her favorite purses. It was a 6 plait round braid strap (very cheep and not well made) over a length of flimsy rope. It does not seem like the best core for a purse strap. I was temped to make the strap as I would a whip (leather core, bolster to give me the thickness and a final overlay). However, that creates a very dense strap. I am not sure if that would be very comfortable to wear on the shoulder for any length of time even with very smooth plaiting. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the type of core to use for purse straps?

    Thanks for the assistance!

    AZ Pete

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Hello!

    As a picture is worth 1000 words, here is en example of cowhide plaiting. Hide is 2 mm thick (around 5 oz), without stretching or using splitter. Strands are only skived.

    no641.th.jpgno642.th.jpg

    Very nice work, Kiscien! I like that whip. I am definitely going to make a cowhide whip next.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    This is an indispensable tool for whip makers (IMHO) or any one wanting to cut their own lace. Thanks for posting this Joe M!

    One thing I would like to add to Joe's instructions. When you drill the holes in the sides, be sure that they are as straight as possible. Also the size of the hole that you drill is important. The threaded bolt/insert need to be as tight as possible while still allowing the smaller cut piece to move freely. This is especially important for the beveler side of the tool. If there is a lot of play in the smaller piece, when the wing nuts are tightened, it will want to pull down along the kerf cut thus making it uneven on the top. If the top is uneven, the bevel will not work quite as well.

    Reason I mention this is I messed up on my first one. However, rather than starting completely over I cut off the messed up beveled piece and left the resizer as is. I then made a smaller separate beveler. Because it was smaller (4.5in or so), I was able to drill all the way through the piece and place longer hex bolts through the entire piece. I really too my time drilling the holes to make sure they were straight and the proper size. Worked great. I have two separate tools instead of one but they both work great!!

    Just some suggestions for those that care...

  11. Posted · Report reply

    I have seen that splitter, I opted for one that would have the capacity for bellies also and have a keystone. If you are interested in beveling your strands, I have a pic of my homemade sizer/beveler in my gallery. Feel free to copy it, I did.

    For black on veg tanned I use vinegroon before cutting. I havent really played with other colors but when I try it I will probably make a batch of rit alcohol based dye and soak the strands before greasing and stretching. My thought is that the strand will allow the dye to soak in more thoroughly. Downside is that after stretching it might produce lighter color. Greasing may darken the color afterwards. Just another reason to use strands from the same section of hide.

    @Kiscien I checked out your website. That is some fine work. I work in paracord as well as leather. Unfortunately I have higher demand for the paracord whips so get little time to perfect my leather plaiting. bawling.gif

    Funny you mention the sizer/beveler. I made one this weekend! Can't wait to use it on the overlay for the whip I am working on now.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Do you plan on using a shot bag? If so your finished whip might be very thick using 3-4 oz. That is 9-12 oz thickness of leather braided tight not including core material. That will make for a very small diameter core. Remember a whip is supposed to be supple once broken in.

    No, I am not using a shot bag at this time. However, I did some calculations last night and you are right. I think that 3-4 oz might be too thick. I have a 2-3 oz hide from Tandy (tooling veg tanned) that I have been using for bolsters. I cut a test strand and split it to the thinnest part of the strand. It came out to about 1mm. I use a hand splitter from Dene Williams and it does a really good job splitting the strands. The strand that I cut, stretched and split seemed pretty strong. I will see if I can find a 2-3oz hide somewhere.

    Next question, have you dyed your own strands before? Just curious how that works. I can't seem to find hides in different colors very often (especially thin hides around 2-3 oz).

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks again, Karol and Joe. Your advice is much appreciated!

    I am thinking of trying a side of Hermann Oak veg tanned tooling leather 3-4oz and see how that goes. When you are making cowhide whips do you still try to get two braided bellies and bolsters (as necessary for thickness)?

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks to all for the advice!

    Couple more questions:

    1) I am familiar with preparing roo for plaiting. However, do you stretch cowhide the same way as I would roo? Because it is not as strong as roo, do I need to be more ginger in my stretching?

    2) Should I grease the cow strands prior to stretching (with leather dressing or plaiting soap, correct?)?

    I will definitely want to plait more with roo, but would still like to try cow, if for nothing more than the practice and experience with different types of hide.

    Thanks again!

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Hey folks,

    Question from a newbie.

    I'm trying to braid a dog leash for a friend. When used a 6 part braid of 3/8" lace over a core of paracord, the diameter of the braid was about 1/4"

    Does the width of the lace affect the diameter of the braid? Does anyone have a suggestion for lace to use?

    Any help will be appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Hi -

    I am not quite sure I understand your question. Are you trying to figure out the width of the lace you need to plait over the paracord core? If so, what is the diameter of the core?

    AZ Pete

  17. Posted · Report reply

    You can make a bullwhip out of pretty much any leather. Veg tanned cowhide works for lower plait count whips. The project will determine the weight of the leather. You can make a 4 plait whip with a heavier leather, but if you plan on making a 24 plait whip you'll need something a bit lighter.

    Thanks for the info. If I was going to stick with 8-12 plait (maybe 16 down the road), what would you recommend as far as the weight? I was looking at latigo as well but the lightest I can find is around 5oz. Can you split latigo down? I have seen some whip makers using latigo for 12 plait just don't know the weight that would be needed for that.

    Thanks again!

    Pete

  18. Posted · Edited by AZ Pete · Report reply

    Hi all -

    I am new to the forum (actually this is my first post)! I am also VERY new to plaiting and leather work. I started a bullwhip recently (thanks to Bernie's DVD's and a load of books, etc.) and have loved the process. The bullwhip that I am making is out of kangaroo hide. However, I want to continue to learn and develop my skills (long way to go). As with most hobby's, they cost money. I don't mind that. However, kangaroo is kind of out of my budget during the learning stages. I can do a few projects with it here and there but would like to also learn to use cowhide/kip/latigo (something less expensive than roo).

    Which brings me to the help I need. Looking for advice from the experts out there:

    What types of leather (other than roo) would be best for whip making? I see a lot of people using veg-tanned cowhide and some folks using latigo. There are so many options out there it makes my head spin. What kinds/sizes of leather should I be looking for (i.e. tooling leather, latigo, calfskin?? 2-3 oz, 3-4 oz???)? I'm will to try different leathers but just need some guidance as to what I should be looking for when it comes to whip making (durability, etc...).

    Thanks, in advance, for any and all advice!

    Best Regards

    Pete

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