Ccastle27

Hi Brian, Kindly link me as well... ccastle at gmail dot com - google drive preferred. -C

I spoke with Peter Hardtke recently - they are currently re-building their business after the passing of Charles last year; relocating etc. I asked him about lace etc. They are currently not carrying it, but do have some plans to expand their offer. Wouldn't hurt for more customers to ask about it =) In the past I've purchased 4mm Packer lace through Hardke. excellent quality - so, yes, Packer is a great recommendation IMO. -C

Looks like you've got enough room for basically one more full pass - try dropping the front two strands into the middle, plait the back two, drop 'em, plait, drop 'em etc. until you are down to 4 or 6 plait with the remainder coming through the middle. Then you can finish with a crown knot and trim the ends up. -C

In that case, I'll have to leave the answer to someone who has worked in rawhide since I don't have experience with it. I always assumed that there was some conditioner that made the rawhide supple enough for a whip, but maybe it is just broken in like a reata. -C

Did you make it from Rawhide or leather? I don't make cores from anything unusual (I think) mostly just leather. I have repaired rope core whips (the cheap kind with the wooden swivel handle) these tend to kink where the leather bolster ends and the rope begins...I address the issue by making the transition much longer/more tapered and binding the core thoroughly.

Is there some sort of non-toxic additive that would discourage chewing, but still be safe?

Great to hear! I'm almost through my current stock, so was hoping all would work out. -C

Hi All, Images here: http://imgur.com/a/0YD51 Made a sheath for a Machete that I'm refurnishing - decided to edge-braid the whole thing. Got some great help from Cheif's video on edge-braiding around corners - much-appreciated. Also Grant's etc. Comments welcome. Cowhide sheath with Kangaroo hide lace. -C

I used a scrap piece of Aluminum as well - to get the shape I just filed it down a bit on the small part - seems to work pretty well, though I don't have super-fine control over it.

thefanninator, Have not - I have enough material for my current projects plus some, so have not reached back out to them... -C

I've only used them for Kangaroo - they import Packer roo hides - excellent quality and great service every time I've worked with them. Hope Dallas is a good thing for their business.

Tried to take a look and their website is down - called and spoke with a gentleman who indicated that they would be relocating to Dallas from El Paso - no clear indication how much their operation would change post-move. He did indicate they had some deals on right now - I've always liked them as a supplier - hope they keep up the quality. -C

They are approximately the same formula Circumference is ~3.14 x diameter 3.14 x 1.5 = 4.7 (~4.5) So the only difference is the starting point. I typically use calipers to measure a starting diameter, so I start with "D". Therefore it is faster for me to use the 4.5 x D version. Since I deal in diameters that probably won't be much larger than ~1", the small numbers make the difference between 4.5 and 4.7 negligible. Happy Plaiting! -C

Yes, that's definitely a slit braid - I made a headstall from Grant's encyclopedia that is all slit-braid, turns out very nice; looks just like the images you've shared. Grant's has a nice section on it, not sure of other references. Nice thing about it - just need a piece of leather and a chisel, and they work out very easily while looking fantastic! Good luck. Edit: Quick googling and found this tutorial for a thong attached to a blade. Edit 2: And then I happened across this great video making a slit-braid leash.

Thanks LTC, the two leathers I started with have quite a difference in color, but when the leather dressing got on them it changed (darkened) the colors pretty dramatically.

Hi All, Completed my first Bosal project (a la Hought), attached a slit-braid headstall (a la Grant), with a Fiador throatlatch (also Grant). Link to images: http://imgur.com/a/S1Avf Bosal is 12-plait cowhide over rawhide core, headstall is latigo slit-braid with no metal fasteners. Throatlatch is 1/4" braided yacht-cord (purchased cord, then tied by me). Hope you enjoy - would appreciate any/all comments on the proportions and impressions overall. I don't have access to a horse, so I am going by the guidelines in Gail's and Bruce Grant's books. Goal is to make a fancy set for a friend's wedding next year. Thank you, -Chris

Hi Troy, Very nice handles. When you plait the overlay, how do you get the plaiting even on the wooden part? I tried to insert a handle and took some doing to get a neat job around the thick handle. I assume you would start a few cm back from the rebate and then bond the end and cutaway the extra? Do you wind up pinning any of the strands to the wood, or is the sinew/glue enough? Thank you, -Castle