HorsehairBraider
-
Content Count
669 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by HorsehairBraider
-
-
You have to braid around the other end. There has to be a hole in the braid, with the other end going through it. So you hold half the braid in one hand, half the braid in the other, hold them over the other end and braid them together into one piece, going past the other end.
I don't know how to say it better than that. I'm no good at these written explanations. Sorry.
-
I live in New Mexico, way up in the northern mountains at about 7500'. I raise horses and goats. But the way I pay for it is braid horsehair, and make horse jewelry. My husband is a paramedic and works in the ER at a hospital... and he's quite a good musician.
-
Boy, you have figure carving everywhere on that saddle. So what do you have to do to finish it up? It looks about ready to ride to me...
-
Looks like they are selling it more from the "It's a RARE antique!" angle than the "This is a great tool to use!" angle.
I wonder what ever happened with the patent. It just seems like if it were a tool that worked really well, there would be a lot of them out there and a lot of people would have them in their shops.
-
You didn't have to re-do anything? That's great! I like the color scheme.
Have you put it on a horse yet?
-
I got something called "Namo Web Creator" at Office Depot for something like 50 bucks. What I like is I can switch back and forth between a WYSIWYG and HTML.
However. A lot of the WYSIWYG editors add in a lot of unnecessary code to your page. Sometimes that can make your website act goofy, or be slow. Another problem is you can get your site to look good on *YOUR* computer, but on someone else's computer it doesn't look so hot, or sometimes doesn't work well. (Example: the pages are too wide, and people have to scroll back and forth to read your site.)
I know it sounds hard, but the best thing to do is teach yourself at least a little HTML. That way you can go through your code and fix it - you'll be able to tell what is BS and what you really need to run your site. You won't have people complaining they can't see the pictures, or that they have to scroll back and forth. It's not as hard as it sounds and is well worth the effort.
I was advised to do that way back when I wrote my first page, and boy that was great advice and has saved me much grief and money. You can learn it for free on the internet: Google HTML search There are about a million links there. What I did was to go out and buy a book. I bought one called "Teach Yourself HTML and XHTML in 21 Days".
You just need a little bit of knowledge to help you on your way, no need to become a total nerd!
But it sure helps figure out stuff when something goes wrong. It's really great to not have to pay someone else and just fix it yourself. Oh yes, and you need a good web host like I have...
-
I see Rawhide is going to impart some words of wisdom here... so maybe this won't be any use, but this is what I would do: I would not cut the leather. I would tool it and allow it to dry and *then* I would cut it.
-
Sounds like fun, I'll play this game!
This is what I see out the kitchen window (my "front" yard - the house is oddly shaped and there is no true front or back, just different sides):
This is winter, but it was last winter. This is usually what it looks like though.
This is what I see out the window as I work all day long, the "back" yard, but this was taken in the fall:
The "back" yard goes for quite a ways - not all the way to those hills, but pretty far.
-
Wow, that's awesome! I love the detailing on the top part. And what a great finish!
Your "head" is also very cool. I have some heads from back when I made hats, but they are just styrofoam, nothing nearly that fancy and life-like.
-
Gorgeous! Your tooling style is really nice - I love your decorative cuts!
-
Another horse person! Great! I agree with Freak, that would be cool to have access to all those tools. However if I worked in a tack shop, I would have to pay them every pay day. You must have great self-control...
-
I've heard people call that "slit braiding", but you don't actually use several strings to make it. What you do is cut a slit in the center of the strap at one end, pull the strap through, cut another slit, pull the strap through etc. If you look carefully at that really nice clear photo, you can even see the sections where the slit is - you can see straight through the strap, right in the center. Then there will be a little section of solid, another section where you can see a slit etc. If you had the strap laid out, the slits would be like this: - - - - -
Hope that's clear... Not so sure now that I've read back over it!
-
You already know we are going to pick the one with the most braiding on it...
-
Guess I better re-post this, since it was lost in the Great Hiccup.
If you go to this page on my site: Braided Horsehair Bracelet you can see the steps I go through to go from this:
To this:
Lucky thing I posted this thread - I had made a mistake in my code and did not notice until I posted here! Well, hope you enjoy it.
-
Hey, those look great! You should do well.
That's really cool you are donating to a worthy cause like that. When you have the headstall ready, maybe you could post a picture?
-
Wow - congrats to all the participants! Some really beautiful examples there!
And congrats to the winners!
-
I often have people ask me how to braid horsehair, and I tell them to learn on *something else* FIRST and then try and tackle horsehair. So I think you are going about this the right way. Learn all your braids and knots in cord, baling twine, string, whatever - and *THEN* start using that expensive really nice leather lace or rawhide strings. It's going to look different when you start in leather but that is OK. You need a lot of practice to build up that special tension in your hands, so that you can braid all different parts for a headstall, and when you put it all together ALL the braiding is at the same exact tension.
All sorts of places sell leather lacing and rawhide strings. For one thing Tandy Leather does. There is a company called U Braid It. Look on eBay... it will scare you how much there is for sale. Plus there are many more I am not mentioning.
And remember to have fun!
-
Gosh, it really depends on what I'm making. Sometimes I want it thick, sometimes I will pare it down to hair thinness. And I agree, bevel the edges on the hair side.
On the opposite corners thing, I have only read about that - never actually done it. The theory is the braid will lie flatter. Well, the theory sounds good! And when you are cutting, if you cut on an angle, the next string will automatically have the opposite edge knocked off so it sounds easy to do. Someone who has actually done it should chime in though, because I am not sure how the theory turns out in real life.
-
Nice to have you here! And you live in Columbus? That's where I was born. You have a lot of fun ahead of you with this new hobby!
-
Nice! If you have a larger picture I'd love to see it, I could not see the detail on the bit. What kind of leather did you use?
-
Beautiful! And what a really cool technique. It sounds like a lot of work, but really fun too.
The shaping and the muscles you got are just masterful. I looked at the picture before I read your post and just marveled at how much detail you have. I can't wait to see the step by step, and what it will look like painted and finished!
-
Wow! Glad the forum is back, thanks everyone who did all the hard work!
And I'm also glad it wasn't my fault it went down!
-
-
Nice!
That knot is called either a "terminal turk's head" or a "footrope knot" depending who you ask.
When I do mine, I first coat the foundation, then tie a covering knot over the top. That's how I get the nice smooth finish. But the look you have here is great. I certainly would not hesitate to use these reins.
When I read the thread title, I imagined all the non-fiber people thinking this was made of yak vomit. Made me smile...
Bosal Hanger/Headstall
in Braiding
Posted · Report reply
Very nice! It does look like it would fit just about any equine. Is that kangaroo? Beautiful leather.