Sovran81

I think the biggest problem you will run into is dye bleed. Bucksnort might have the answer but my experience says that braiding home dyed leather leads to bleed and rub off. With the exception of black done with vingroon, I always got rub off by braiding. We all know to lay the foundation in the light color then add the darker color. But black just doesnt look black with a red hue to it.

Peter, Ivory is a brand. it is supposed to be pure soap, but whether it has changed formulas over the years is sometimes up for debate. I have also heard that Fels naptha soap bars are pure soap but havent tried any due to availability in my area.

Drum stuffing is basically "in a vat" whether it is dye or lube. Packer was $116 per meter last I checked. They drum stuff both dye and lube. I say lube because I dont recall if it was fat or lard. It feels smoother than other (dry)roo and the strands slide into place with little additional braiding soap if any.

@knothead did you mean vol 1? I dont see anything in vol 2. @OP I dont know what you mean by adjusting length. The edge could be a simple mexican edge braid, but it would need to be super tight to keep the knife edge away from it.

This statement confuses me. Well the part of it being over stretched. If it isnt stretched to the max before you braid, then it stretches while you braid which reduces width and gives uneven strands. It also tends to thicken where it narrows. Stretch hide, cut strand, stretch, resize, split, braid. I am also confused on you idea of drum stuffed. Do you mean color or lube stuffed? So many tanneries mean color when it used to mean color and lube. I have used both. Packer grade 1 leather is great stuff, and you pay for it. Other color stuffed leather is great also if you dont mind spending the time to lube it.

If you can flat braid it, you might be able to fold the strand through the martingale then braid. No rivets or sewing needed if I am understanding the project correctly..

Enter the width of the strand, the diameter of the circle you would cut from and click the length button. You can enter any 2 values and click the unknown value and it will calculate. Think of the center hole waste as that tiny circle of leather left when done cutting. Using 27" diameter and 1/4" wide it comes to roughly 190 feet. Of course this doesnt take into account waste from resizing strings due to stretch. If you prestretch the hide as you cut you will get closer to the estimated yield.

Here is a calculator since you didnt mention width. http://lacemaster.com/LaceCalculator.html

I couldnt find the Weaver splitter. Zacks handles about 1/2 the capacity(which would be fine for strands and belts) It also appears to be built more like the 86 with a spring mounted roller. I dont have any info on the quality of it. I do know when I finally sell my keystone, I will get most if not all of what I payed for it.

Jeremy I do have one and love it. I use it mostly for splitting roo lace to .8mm, but also use it for lapping veg-tan cow and latigo straps when I need to. It will handle 8" wide if you have the muscle to pull something that wide through it. It came sharp enough to use though I did buff it sharper after playing with it the first day.

I have been told osborne uses a bi-metal blade. It sounds like your blade has been sharpened into the soft core metal. Have you checked with Cambpell- Randall? They sell the blades but they might make one for you to the same spec as the keystone splitter. It is fully tempered tool steel. I have never had to sharpen mine, just buff it in place occasionally.

LOL. Thank you Brian Kidd, AKA KnotHead.

35" tall? So a dog that whinnies. I think 7-8 oz would be more than enough. You can get bridle leather already dyed that will save you the trouble of dying and sealing or turning your horse russet colored. Your days are definitely full with kids, are you sure you want to handstitch it? 1/4" chicago screws or rivets could make quick work of it. I know my kids would care less about handstitching then getting to work the horse as soon as possible.

Bernies cheap and fast. Shanes cheap and fast What I copied mine from

The brass is just a bit of scrap. It was used because it is soft and easy to shape. I used wood glued to aluminum for mine. Wood is even easier to shape. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=gallery&album=1179&sort_key=&sort_order=asc&view_style=large

I put posts out on different social networking sites and forums. A month later, some one offered to trade for some leather work. If you live in or near a big city, check the library. I have often been surprised at some of the titles large libraries carry.

Peters last thread. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=51999 He explains a bit on how he does it. Here is my post. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=52162 Couple of bernie vids making a paper pattern doing the weave method

Oh sorry about that. It is Ron Edwards. The book is available from Ram Skull Press if you cant find it here.

There are 2 methods. One is laying down the bottom layer then weaving the top layer into it. do some fid work to line everything up and pull your strands tight before tying off. The other is actually plaiting the pattern. Check some of Bernie46 vids on youtube. He has vids on making the pattern on paper. I am so new to it I use the weave method so I can stop and take a break without it all coming apart. Peter T recently posted a nice whip that he plaited and explained the process. He also gave me some very good advice on some ringwork I posted using the other method.

Brian suggested a book to me. Advanced Leather Working, Vol 2 Round Knots and Braids. Well It was a hard search without paying airmail postage from Australia. I found one used but like new shape. 250 pages of pure bliss to any knot tier. I have the encyclopedia by Grant and find it difficult to follow, so much so it spends most time on the shelf. This book however makes it easy to understand with very clear drawings of how to tie and photos of what the finished knot looks like. It also has some fancy interweaves I have never seen before. Thank you Brian. This book was well worth all the trouble I went through to get it.

Ringwork is another name for fancy plaiting. A pattern that goes around the braid. Often multiple rings of varying patterns strung together. Commonly found on whip handles or anything else that doesnt do a lot of flexing. Because of the possibility for several overs without an under to lock the strand, most ringwork is kept short with other ring patterns used to lock long runs of over.

I dont think you will have that long. Fantastic work.

Packer reopens again on the 14th. I am ordering grade 1 k-whip(various colors). Price is $120/m2( about $12USD per sf). Anyone interested? Get with me by PM. Final hide pricing is determined by size printed on the hide. I am ordering grey species myself. Smaller square footage but thicker (1mm) hide.

I called Atlanta and gave them all the pertinent info. They wanted me to ship a machine head to them. MFG I have a 206rb-5 and they wanted my machine to make the binder! I was less than impressed. They are evidently geared to working with factories that have machines to spare or someone that has the cash and downtime to ship their lifeblood. I have no problem paying a little more for something I know will work, but if they cant cover the common machines themselves..... ahh nevermind, this will turn into a rant.

Yes that is the pic I was referring to. I agree looks like a standard lock stitch to me. I cant even see a third shaft denoting a walking foot.