bucksnort

Very nice Brian, the thought of 1/64 strings is giving me a headache. 25b, I've never used it, but it might be too spongy. I like the plumbers putty like Brian used to smooth out rough spots & build up heel knots a bit, but I always use base knots for the main part of a foundation. Buck

Not bad. As I recall you're learning on your own with no teacher. I'm sure what you learned by diving in was well worth the effort. The more hands on you get, the more the directions in books & videos will make sense to you. Hang in there & you'll get better. I'm sure your aware of most of the mistakes. I would agree with 25b that maybe a little more moisture in your strings might help. Good luck, Buck

Brad, I thought I commented on this last week, but I may have forgotten to click on post. Anyway, nice job. Buck

Very nice, you've been busy. Buck

Not a bad color, it will make it easier to find his horse in the dark. Buck

Thank you guys. Tanthathide9, you may be the only person whose ever heard a reason why. Considering the fact that I've also never heard a good reason to use it I'll just trudge on without. Buck

Thank you guys. I agree Bob, It's shameful the way our leaders treat the people who sacrifice so much. Buck

Really pretty Bret. Great job on the leather work as well. Buck

Very nice Pete, cool pattern & a tight, even braid. Buck

Neat & simple. Thanks for sharing. Buck

Thanks Brian, I'll put those books on my wish list. I always like to have an answer ready when someone asks me what I want for a gift. Buck

Looking for some input on using neetsfoot oil on rawhide. I've been told by several people over the years to never use neetsfoot oil on rawhide. No one has ever told me why that I can recall. Bruce Grant mentions using it in his book & one old timer from the Paso Robles area told me he uses it all the time. It is a natural oil ( pure neets foot oil, not neetsfoot compound). Thought it best to throw the question out to the extensive knowledge of the forum. Thanks for any input. Buck

Thank you much. Buck

Very nice. looks hell for stout as well. Buck

This was shown to me recently & is my new favorite method. These are a cheap little tool & I did find that several brands are thick at the cutting edge with very little space between it & the hinge. These are Do IT Best Hardware brand. Simply use them to cut your slit & move along a little further if you want it longer. Cheap, simple & accurate. Hope this helps. Buck

Just finished these red, white & blue reins. These are a donation to a local group to be auctioned off during a three day trail ride they are hosting to raise funds to purchase Trac Chairs for some local disabled Veterans. Buck

No pressure, end of the week will be fine.

Thanks Bret. Buck

Thank you much for the kind comments. Joe, sleep is overrated. Not really, in truth I'm pretty low production. The chains are a pretty common design & turned out to be pretty simple, but I find them priced between $45 & $ 100 on the net. With a little more practice I'll be able to make a set in about 1/2 hr. but because of the design of my reins I didn't need to make any swivels or S hooks, which would require more time. Monica, I checked out your site, very cool stuff & nice workmanship. Thank you all again, Buck

On the advice of a couple of braiders I respect, I recently purchased Enrique Capone's 1st book. I liked it so much that I requested his 2nd book as a gift idea. They are about $26.00 here in the US. Both are easy to follow & have knots & braids you won't find elsewhere. Just search his name on the net & you'll find his site. Sounds like your pretty solid on the turks head base knot. Once you really understand the mechanics of that it becomes a lot easier to move on to the different interweaves. Good luck. Tenacity is the name of the game. Buck

Reins are pretty much my usual, 8 strand square braid with 1/8 in. strings. Romal is 8 strand square braid with 1/4 in. strings. Buttons are the double turks head that I'm fond of. The chains are my first set. I made a jig from some 3/8 rod to put in my vice & used baling wire. I'm pleased with the weight & feel of them & they are pretty straight forward to make. Buck

Pretty impressive. Not sure I would want to do enough stitching to get that good. Buck

Nice. Am I correct in assuming that they're belly & part way up the ribs? Do you dehair horse hide with the dry ash method? Thanks, Buck

Nice job Brian, can't wait to see the end results. Buck

Beautiful job & congrats on the new hunting rig. Also, your pics always look great. With mine if you squint just right you can almost tell what it is (A combination of a less than great camera & a total lack of ability). Buck