bucksnort

Impressive job Bret.

Great looking job. Buck

Sorry I didn't reply to this sooner, but I thought you would get some answers from someone who had made these before. Anyway, my first thought was that this is very much like a bosal nosebutton. Grants book has pretty good directions on a multi string button, Allen Bell has a good tutorial on here on braiding on a nose button & I think there are some on here as well for a single string button (my preferred method). If you don't have Grants book let me know & I'll photo copy the pages & send them to you. I'm sure there are other reference materials out there as well, these are just what I'm familiar with. Hope this helps.Buck

I think I like your system better than mine. Buck

What is the correct way to measure the length of a hackamore or bosal? I measure from inside of nose to top of heel knot at 6 in. wide because that is about the normal width of mine that I use regularly. I read somewhere that they should be measured at 4 in. width. thanks for any guidance. Buck

Jessica, You might consider going to 12 strands instead of 8. 12 square is the same braid, but under 3 over 3 instead of under 2 over 2. If you use a core it won't be square. Buck

Brad, great looking work. Buck

I ask a saddlemaker friend & he said no problem. He does it regularly for lace & saddle strings. Buck

Sometimes good ideas just hunt you down. I was making a hondoo the other day when my grandson showed up & said he wanted one for his rope. I made this just like the regular version, but used 1/8 in. strings. Pics aren't very good, but you get the idea. I'm going to make up a few more of these to sell & thought I'd pass along the idea. Buck

Thanks Leatherpownder

Mike, By the time I was done I confused myself. Here is a closup pic. Buck

Thanks guys. Mike, the swivel is a nail dropped thru the primer hole in the shell (drilled out to fit) then heated & bent into a ring for chains to attach to.. If I'm using stainless chains, I make the swivel from stainless steel rod. I use a shell that the rein end will slip into fairly snugly (30-30 works well for 1/4 or 3/8). I use some gorilla glue, slip the rein inside the shell then pin thru the shell & the rein two different places with brass tacks. Makes a really strong connection. Hope that's clear, if not let me know & I'll confuse you some more. Thanks Again for the kind comments. Buck

Just finished these this eve. Reins are 8 strand square & romal is 12 strand square. I braided in two brown strands & am pleased with the pattern in the braid. Rein ends are 30-30 shells with a swivel thru the primer hole. Buck

Really nice Leatherpownder. Buck

I hadn't heard of sugru, had to google it. This is a little different in that it dries hard. I'm going to check into sugru, it sounds interesting. Buck

I can't help with the roo, but wanted to say glad to have you on board. Look forward to seeing some of your work. Buck

Good to know. When I need more I won't have to order from one of those fast talking guys on TV & wait 6 weeks for it to arrive. Buck

Yeah, I got the name wrong, its Mighty putty. I just like this one because the form its in make it so easy to use. Its been around for a long time, so probably made by other companies as well. Buck

Two years? You need to braid something. The Good Lord hates a coward & you don't want him mad at you. How is the string cutting coming along? Buck

If I don't post these little gems when they come to mind I'll forget. today I was work on a set of romal reins & put some of this to use. Don't laugh, I promise I didn't buy the stuff, it was given to me. Dr Leonards Wonder Putty was advertised on TV showing them pulling a truck with Wonder Putty holding the chain together. It's not that good, but it is great for evening up rough spots under buttons or building up or rounding out heel knots. It is a resin & hardener combined in a round bar. you cut off what you need & knead to mix them then it applies where you want & hardens in a few minutes. It is about the consistency of that clay we used to play with as kids. I dropped my pocket knife a while back & broke a piece out of the handle. I repaired it with this stuff & is has been holding fine for about 8 months. You can shape it like you want, it can be easily filed or sanded & is super easy to use. When this is gone I will definitely try to find some more since it is so convenient. Just thought I'd pass that along in case someone else wanted to give it a try. Buck

Every time I think I'm getting half way decent, somebody raises the bar. Super work. Buck

It is a neat tool. Because of the extra bolts on the back part of it & a few other things that just don't need to be there unless they serve some purpose, I'm pretty sure it is capable of other things like beveling, but not sure. Maybe some of you more experienced braiders could give Mike some ideas. Buck

I'm sure not everyone works the same way I do, but I tend to do my button work in the evenings while watching TV, family time ect. I used to keep my strings in a plastic bag. We had this container left over from some licorice that made a dandy little humidor. I stuffed a piece of paper towel into the recess in the top which I get wet, I can see all my strings & I just set it in the fridge when I'm not working. the spool inside is not the norm. the last hide I did had a pretty wide area across the shoulders that was thin, I cut two 3/32 strings about 70 ft. long, so I wound 1 long string around a piece of plastic to keep it straight. We'll see how it works out. Buck

String cutter is gone. Buck

I bought this tool several years ago at a second hand store. I don't remember what I paid for it, but it wasn't much. I didn't have any use for it at the time, but just wanted to preserve all the work & thought someone put into it. I tried using it when I started braiding rawhide, but didn't like it as well as my drawguage. Seeing Peter T's tools on his post reminded me of it. Since I don't use it, I will send it to anyone who might have a use for it for the $5.00 cost of shipping it. The blade in it was made from some kind of saw blade. The way it is set up, you could use a razor or utility knife blade instead. Buck