rcsaddles

Very nice

I get latigo for stock whips from Tennessee Tannery.

I just talked to Barb and she gave me these two e-mail addresses that you can try. Not sure why she did not get the message but she said she checks that email multiple times a day. If you have problems getting her, message me and I will get whatever information you want from her. lace@yknot.com or abcsorenson@gmail.com

I just noticed this and will call Barb as soon as I can to let her know about it. I did the videos on her web site for the bevelers. I wish I had an answer for you about her not responding but I can tell you that her father just passed away and they are having to do some extra stuff with her mother. I'll call her today and have her check on her e-mail.

I don't know if Paul at Midwest Whips exports hides but he probably imports over 100 a month. He is great to work with.

Check out www.sterntannery.com for rawhide. Jeff does a really good job making rawhide and is reasonable on price.

Amanda, you might also check out the Rocky Mountain Leather show in May in Sheridan, WY. Buck might be there and I believe Ralph makes it there also. There are braiding classes offered there. If you do the Facebook thing, send me a friend request. I don't post a lot of things but have a great bunch of rawhide friends and can pass those along. I do teach but I am in Montana. Keep us informed how it is going.

I looked at my book and did not see that cutting pattern in it. I didn't see which version it is but aI will try and remember to look tonight. I use Ron's Whip making One book when I teach in Sheridan, Wyoming at the Rocky Mountain Leather Show. I have cut out a very small four strand whip I want to make for a hat band. I'll take pictures as I go and post it when I am done.

It is always good to hear what other people are doing and what they make work. One of the reasons I like this forum is the sharing of inforamtion.

Glad you got this going, Brian. Would you send me the link for Drop Box. Not sure I can understand all the technical stuff but will be great to try. Also, if you would please give me some info about the CD that is being offered. Sounds like it is a copy of the magazines. Is that true? Thanks Brian.

I'll have to look at my book to see which one I have.

That is very nice. I too, like the cover.

I just happen to have that book. I'll look at it tonight. I have found that Ron's books are the easiest for me to follow.

There are a coule of whip braiding groups on Facebook. Look into that if you can. Most are pretty open with advise. What Ron Edwards book has this in it? I am thinking of making some snake or signal whips in the very near future. I've scaled back to 3' snake whips primarily till I can work out the triangle method of cutting recommended for snake whips by Ron Edward. I hope I have that book and will look at home tonight. If you can tell me which book it will be a little easier. I understand about using the goat for practice. It is cheaper than roo but you are correct about the cutting is a lot like roo. I use the Aussie Lace cutter for my 6 and 7 foot stock whips. I can cut the taper with it pretty good. Of course it is not exact but when using the latigo for these whips, ir works really well. If you want more info on cutters, splitters and bevelers, let me know and I can post a few pictures or try and do a video for you. I have learned how to bevel free hand on my stock whips. Not really tried on roo yet but will do that soon.

Can you be a little more specific on what tools? I have some duplicate stamps I would be willing to let go. Just let me know what you are looking for.

Nice job, Brian. Where did you find that spare time?

The APWA is like most other groups. The amount of postings is directly related to the time of year and how busy people are. There will be information in the posts that you will not find anywhere else. I will tell you that I enjoy the stuff posted and use it some. Not all the posts are information I can use but someone somewhere will. You will not find the drama there that you do on Facebook or some other web sites. They do not have the Journal abailable electronically and you can order previous journals. I don't remember the cost of those off the top of my head. The journal is a publication that consists of articles that members send in. I have submitted one article in the past. It may have twenty pages one quarter, 45 pages the next time and only 15 the next. It is directly related to the number of articles sent in. I will take a shot in teh dark here and say that you would probably not be satisified with a subscription ot the APWA. As far as being well spent money instead of a book, it isn't, in my opinion. I am a member because I spent time in Australia and got instruction from many Aussies and continue to to this day. I prefer the Ron Edwards books and since he started the APWA, it is my way of supporting what he has done in the past. I'm not trying to discourage you from joining, just being honest about it.

I happen to be a member of the Australian Pl;aiters and Whipmakers Association.

I braid a lot of belts of roo lace. I braid the strands back into themselves after going through the rings. Anything from 8 to 16 strands. Look into any Ron Edwards book about flat braiding and it will show how to braid back into the main braiding.

When you cut the hide in a circle, you don't have any sharp corners or angles to contend with. Cutting in a circle will also yield more lace than any other way to cut. If you were to cut on the diagonal, when you braid, you would need to straighten those strands out and there would be a kink at each place you changed direction. Now all of this is in my opinion but feel free to check me on this. I would like to see the results. Take a piece of leather and cut your rectangle and cut your lace on the diagonal. Use a circle of the same size in square inches and cut lace from it. Let us know how it turns out please.

So, if you are starting around a ring, can you finish it the same as you started?

Horse makes great button string as it is usually thinner than cow. I've not tried any of the stuff you are asking about so I can't give an opinion there. I have used some rawhide from Stern Tannery and it is really good.

Glad I could help. Keep asking the questions.

I am going to take a shot in teh dark here and see what you think. I'm going to say that the difference in the rigidity of the rope and the braided rawhide core is what is causing the kink. Did you join the two together or put them end to end and braid around it? I try and stick with the same material for a core on whips and quirts. I did not mean to imply that you knew nothing about rawhide just wanting to get a feel for how to answer. The more you know, the easier it can be to answer. My thought is to use the same material for teh core on all future whips. The stiffer the core, the stiffer the whip will be but I'm sure you already know that. I make soem four strand stock whips and I jsut use rawhide strings for a core in them. Not braided or twisted, just hanging loose as the braid will bring them together. Hope this helps.

A little more info please. First off, I'm going to start with the asic questions so forgive me if it is too basic. I just need to know so I can help, hopefully. Have you braided rawhide before and know about temper and all that? I will say, if the rawhide was too wet when braided, it would probably get kinky when it dried. I would recommend drying it straight with a "little" weight to hold it straight. When the rawhide is mostly dry, instead of rolling it, I would take it to an anvil and use a hammer to lightly tap it to get the same effect as rolling. Does two things, first it lays the strings in together and second, it helps to break down the fibers a bit so it is not so stiff. Mary did this to all her reatas before pulling them through the post with the holdw in it. All the holes were the same size and it was to help limber up the rope a bit. Mary was my rawhide instructor so I am familiar with her process. I've used a rawhide whip before and they seem to be a little stiffer than leather. Can get some good action but my thought is a lot of breaking in. Keep asking the questions because we all learn something from them. As far as a conditioner, I use a mixture of beef tallow and beeswax. Just enough wax to make it stiff and not gooey. Might try that or maybe some Ray Holes Vaquaro Rawhide Cream.