Opagon

Mike, I will try to get a picture of the very first knot I put on a headstall. You wont be shy about posting after seeing that ...lol... Keep practicing and you'll see improvement on every knot. Heather

Those are awesome!!

6 will square with out a core of some sort.

I put a lot of knots on Headstalls and reins for practice. Your handle looks great! Heather

My supplier of strap goods is moving and not taking a phone; something about getting back to nature. Anyway, this leaves me in a pickle. I have specific grades and patterns that I use and can send out an example or pictures of what I need. I also enjoy coming up with new designs. If anyone is interested in or currently makes strap goods - Headstalls and reins, poppers (w and w/o tooling) and whatever else I think up - send me a pm. Heather ps Must be able to roll leather for certain pieces.

Green bay Packer leash - Details: 8 plaits in Yellow and Dark Green, Finished length is 6 ft, core is climbers rope, Back braided the loops and then added pineapple knots in the green. Given as a present for x-mas and they loved it. Its moments like this that keep me braiding and wanting to make more. Heather

I found the mini steel bands at a tack shop that was going out of business, I have been looking everywhere for more but as of yet haven't found any. The lady couldnt remember who she order them from and didnt feel like digging in papers to find out. On the little zip pulls I use rubber bands as the base. They sometimes cause me headaches when I hook them with my fid. Once I have the knot tight they hold up great (Kid tested). The larger Shuflies I use an adhesive tape. The mini's I charge $8 -10.00 (mane or synthetic hair) and the Med to large (tail hair) run from $18 to $30 depending on the length of hair and the Knot I put on it. Time wise, hard to say as I try to assembly line as much as one person can. I do know that for a large Shufly 12" long it takes me about 30 minutes start to finish (if I do it during nap time and ignore the phone). Thats seperating the hair, placing the base on, braiding the knot and adding a finish to the knot. This doesnt include any additional prep like cutting and beveling strings or washing the hair if need be. I have been trying to figure out what style headstall I plan to donate - It needs to appeal to a large number of people so that they will bid; the more bidding the more money for the cause. I will post a picture once I figure out what I am going to do. Maybe 2 or 3 and have you guys pick for me..... Heather

For me, I think it is mostly how tightly they are put together. Lately I have been stealing my husbands athletic tape which has a little more glue in it. I like it cause it sticks to the hairs better and holds the strings in place. A down fall to the increase in adhesive is that it makes it harder to get underneath some of the strings while tying the knot in the last couple of passes. As far as the over time part, really cant say as the oldest Shuflies I made are less than 2 years old. Not sure if that helps, Heather

Here is what I have been working on for the last couple of weeks along with trying to put my website together. A group in my area puts on a Stallion auction and tack swap that benefits an area resident that is in need of help. This years recipient is fighting off a brain tumor and like last year I am donating a headstall for the silent auction. Its a great little event with a very good vibe. Mini shu flies that can be used as zipper pulls and add ons to key rings med and large shu flies and lots of bracelets. More projects on the way, Heather

I too use tape for some of my ground work when working with hair. Most often on knots that I put on headstalls and reins I use an additional knot (spanish ring) for the base for the shape.

I read somewhere (Coffee isnt working and cant remember where...) that when dealing with rawhide you want your string thickness to be half of your width. So, if I have a 1/8 width on my strings then the thickness should be at 1/16th. I dont know how much truth there is in that because my small strings seem to always end up about equal width to thickness. I have seen gear that has decorative knots that are much thinner than half the width and I have seen good working gear that is thicker. Any one else have a general rule of thumb that they follow? Heather

For a first attempt, I think they turned out great. For critique, I would talk to Horsehair and find out how to keep the fly aways down to a minimum and get a more finished look on the knots. Heather

I enjoyed seeing your process immensely. Thank you for posting this. Heather

Rob, Looking good!!! I have not the time or the cows to be making my own rawhide and love seeing work from those that do. Heather

I usually only prep what I am going to need for the day. Depending on the width of the string, I soak the rawhide in just warm water then place it in a large dry plastic bag or tupperware and let it sit. I like them firm but flexible and had to do some experimenting to get things right. I also stick my left over strings that are ready for braiding but dont have a home in the freezer until I need them. I found one bag that was four months old and after letting it thaw it was ready to braid without much wait time. If I can get myself into the habit I think this might be my new system. While braiding I use the string in mouth system for the tiny strings and have a shavers brush, bowl of water and soap mixture for the rest. I havent yet tried my hands on a big project like romals yet but feel that if I can keep my fingers moving efficiently that my system "should" work... Heather

Welcome rgerbitz! I vote for using a spiral technique. One of the things that I learned the hard way about rawhide is that twisting occurs more often when the strings have too much moisture in them. Oh and Practice, write down your results and practice some more. Heather

I am amazed and engrossed by your work! True artistry!

It has been a very fustrating thing for me to come to grips that I have the carpal tunnel. I am just getting started with my craft and dont want to have to stop. I am lucky to have a good friend who is a physical therapist, so I asked some advice on what to do. She told me to do what she calls "the hot cold soak" before and after braiding. I place my hands in hot water (as hot as I can handle) up to the middle of my forearms and wait for 3 to 4 minutes then switch to the ice cold for the same amount of time. I do this five times and find my kitchen sink to work the best. (Sometimes I actually wash the dishes too...) According to her it helps the blood flow and opens things up. She also sent me to this site for excersies - www.carpaltunnelexercises.net I also found this site to be helpful - www.will-harris.com/yoga/rsi.html Heather

Too many numbers in my head- I cut the string 3/16 wide for the 2nd try. Sorry if that confused anyone...

Welcome, I am absolutely blown away by this piece! I cant wait to see more of your work. Heather

Mike and Charlie, They are both in the same pattern of under one - over three- under one in a 10 plait. The gapping on the first set was definitely from the 1/8 being too narrow. When I tried the 12 in 1/8 (U2-O2-U2) the shape of the reins made the pattern uneven on the long side of the oval. I was nervous about the gapping returning on the long section once the reins would be held in an arc as if riding. I am sure if I tried a different pattern to tighten that section on the oval that the coverage would be fine. Wolvenstien, When I first started braiding again 5 years ago I bought The Encycolpedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding and started playing. I was only doing 3,4, 6 and 8 plait rounds and mostly just using materials like baler twine and calf for odd projects like covering picture frames. 2 1/2 years ago I attended a horse clinic with Bryan Neubert and we started talking braiding and he told me about his video, which of course I bought. His video made reading The Encycolpedia a lot easier and allowed me to start expanding my knot collection know-how. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about rawhide over the phone for me (which I greatly apperciated) and I just kept practicing. I received some of Gail Houghts books as a Christmas present last year and use them as a quick reference when the coffee isnt working. Between the books and the video and lots and lots of practice I am now starting to turn out some nice pieces. I still have a long way to go but I am trying very hard to make every project better than the last. Thank you all for the Kind words, it helps me pick up the strings when I would rather leave them sit in the vice. Heather

So cool! Nicely done.

Ok, they are done.... I need to cut lace on a more regular basis, The last time I cut lace was more than 6 months ago and I am very out of practice. I completely messed up one disc and had to cut a bunch of 1/16 strings just to try and salvage it. I almost had a panic attack when I started measuring, I thought I was going to be short by about 4 feet after I mess up that disc and this hide was the last one I had in brown, (And it isnt the same brown as the first reins). I Tried the 12 plaits on the oval shape and was not happy with the way the pattern turned out. So I cut my strings 3/32 wide and stayed with the same pattern in 10 plaits. Other than a few strings stretching and becoming thin due to me having to use more of the belly on the hide, I think they are better than the first try. At the very least the gaping is gone and I now know what width I need in a 10 plait to make these reins work. First round is the Bottom rein 2nd attempt on the top Small knots is the 2nd attempt Thoughts???? Heather

Sorry Charlie, The story on the leash is this- I couldnt get myself to remake the barrel reins today so I looked at my list of presents I still needed to make and thought -- well, color could be fun for today. I remembered to double check my strings to make sure they where beveled and went to work. Details on the leash: 8 plaits with back braided loops and pineapple accent knots, its 6 ft long. Heather

I made this dog leash up for my Sister-in-law and her husband for Christmas. They are both major Green Bay packer fans. Heather