HorsehairBraider

Nice... personally I prefer this to the 4-strand braid normally seen... but then I'm a braid-a-holic, and if you'd done it in 36 strands I'd have liked it even better!

I'm guessing it will be my user name. There are other things I'd like to be remembered for but I think it will be that. I won't be in a position to worry about it anymore so it shouldn't bother me.

OK, this is what I've learned this afternoon: "para" means, "along side". So, saying "paraspinal ligaments" is the same as saying, ligaments along the spinal chord. Actual doctors don't use the term, so I had a heck of a time figuring this out. So what about ligaments? I learned about those too... Ligaments connect bones to other bones (in this meaning, there are two other ways the word can be used that have nothing to do with the spine). So ligaments would be the tissue fastening the bones of the spinal column together. Now we get to saddle fitting. In a horse, as far as I know these ligaments are covered up by muscle. Someone correct me if I'm wrong... I've had the occasion to see right inside under the skin, and I did not see any bare ligaments that a saddle could possibly sit on... but again, maybe I'm wrong, and I am happy to be proven wrong if someone knows better. Maybe one of the forum vets could chime in here about that? Because the term is not used, and because (as far as I know) the ligaments are covered by muscle, I would be skeptical of the information daviD A Morris was given. I mean, it sounds cool and everything... but checking up on it, it does not seem to add up. I'll be interested to hear any other information about this.

I was curious about this too, and after checking could only find references to "paraspinal MUSCLES", not ligaments... but I don't know if this is one of those "sciencey-sounding" made-up terms, or if this is actually something that a doctor or vet would refer to. The sites where I found the term were suspect to say the least. Mr. HorsehairBraider will soon be home and I can ask him if the term is used in humans... we have about a million human medical books in the house but I'm not sure which one to look in, he'll know as they are his. Of course there are terms that are just sort of made up, by quack doctors and the like, that are not identified by science and don't seem to exist in reality. It's at least possible that you can't find the term anywhere due to this cause; but if I can find it used in a correct reference to humans, there may be an equine equivalent. I'll let you know what I find out!

I've always used veg-tan cow or calf (I prefer calf but have not always had it on hand) when I am making a braided project. Let me say it's because I did not have kangaroo available. Now that I have kangaroo available I far prefer it as the strength is amazing, and yes, I like the veg-tan kangaroo. I've only cut a small amount of chrome-tan lace. It was strong, but I left it fairly thick. I don't know how well it would work to skive it down. The only chrome-tan I have experience with is really heavy hides.

If I have a piece with a problem, first I try and get real creative. For example, could I repeat it and call it a "design element"? If it's the background, sometimes what I do is cut out the main design and use it in another way, so that the background is gone. I've occasionally come up with real good ideas this way. If that doesn't fly, then I sigh and do it over. Very, very rarely do I have a piece I either can't do over, or can't come up with a creative way to "adjust". But then - I mostly work in horsehair or sterling silver. My leather work goof pile is a little bigger than the other two. My leather goofs I take apart and use the pieces in something else, if I can. A lot of tack is made up of leather strapping - and lots of parts simply need a shorter piece of strapping, etc. To sum this up: I have criteria in my head, and if the piece does not meet that, it does not go out the door. I do my level best to think of a way to fix an issue, and if I can't it goes into the scrap pile and I use the parts. I try to be reasonable about what I think of as a mistake, and I try to keep in mind that not everyone views my work the way I do. For example, if I have to use high magnification to see the mistake, I start to ask myself if it is all that bad. The customer will most likely not be using a microscope every time they use the piece. I also try to be calm about my learning curve. I can only do the very best I can do, on that day, with the skills and knowledge I have at that time. *Naturally* I hope I'll be better next year, but that doesn't mean everything I make this year is trash.

I made some once (all hand sewn... blargh.... ) and what I did was get a store-bought pair that fit me real well, noted where they needed to change, and then took them apart and used them for my pattern. It worked pretty well. I'm sure you already know that gloves with more "parts" or pieces generally fit way better than gloves made out of two pieces: a front and a back. That thumb gusset is a little tricky, but since I was stitching by hand I just took it slow. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't... I'd beg someone to sew them on a machine. It was very time-consuming. I have to say though, I have never since had a pair of gloves that fit me that well!

Hey, that looks great! Good for you, going to the county fair. Save your ribbons - I saved mine, and eventually had enough to make a king-sized quilt out of them!

Can't tell you about other uses, except for wool. There is a really expensive preparation made especially for washing wool... but the name is escaping me right now, when I remember I'll put it in. (Unless some other, smarter, person beats me to it.) Anyway, a chemist, who liked using Dawn, did a small study on the other stuff and found it was pretty much chemically the same as Dawn - just not with any colors or scenting in it. So I started to use it, and found it works just as well as that other stuff and at about 1/10 the cost. Ah- Just remembered! Synthrapol. That's the expensive stuff. So, I tried it very cautiously at first, and was extremely happy with the results. I also use Dawn to wash horsehair before braiding. Now I wished I owned stock in it!

Well, I can tell you how to wash the wool... as for the leather, it depends how it was tanned. some types of tanning don't do well if you get them wet, other types you can just chuck in to the washing machine! (But don't do that with your hides!) Don't use Woolite - it is no longer formulated for wool, but for synthetic blends. I generally use Dawn dishwashing liquid. You can also use Ivory Flakes. Fill a container with warm/hot water, add the soap. Stir it in gently with your hand. You do not want suds. Lay the hide in the water hair down, press it down so it all gets wet, and walk away. Let it soak for half an hour. Come back, lift it out of the water and gently press the water out. *DO NOT* agitate it, or scrub back and forth etc. Just lift it out gently, and press the water out. Fill the container with clean water the same temp you started with and lay the hide back in. Let it soak for 15 minutes. Occasionally, you will need an extra rinse. When it is rinsed to your satisfaction, press out as much water as you can. I sometimes throw a couple of towels on the floor, lay the hide on those, put some more towels over the top and walk on it. This presses out quite a lot of water. And why do I say "no agitation"? Maybe you've seen a felt hat, or a felt blanket. The way you make felt is to get wool wet and soapy and then agitate it! You don't want felt, so don't scrub, agitate, wring or otherwise treat that wool other than gently while it is wet. After pressing the water out, lay your hide somewhere it can dry. I sometimes hang them over a fence, if it's a small one and not too sopping wet, I'll lay it on a tile floor overnight. To get the hair better, after it dries, go to a pet store and get a dog brush - the kind they call a "slicker", they have a whole bunch of thin wire pieces coming out that are bent at an angle. If you are familiar with wool cards, you'd recognize that as "carding cloth". Using the "slicker" go through brushing the hair. Your sheepskin will look a whole lot better after this!

As a jeweler, who uses different polishing compounds, there are a lot of different ones on the market. If you check out a place like Rio Grande (Rio Grande Home Page ) you'll find lots of different polishing compounds. Some are more aggressive, some lighter... AND some dissolve in water and some do not. I personally use a BLACK "rouge" that is my final polish - it dissolves in water so I can easily wash it off my jewelry. (I don't get it from Rio.) Basically, lots of different companies decide to market a polishing compound. Depending on what they use in it, it will come out different colors, and have different properties. You experiment with them and find out the best ones that work for you. Once you find something that works, well, "if it ain't broke don't fix it", stick with it. I've used lots of them in my career. The "Bruce Bar" is one, there are tons more. As to why Tandy only sells one type, that has to do with their guy in charge of products. That's what that person buys, so that's what they have for sale. Doesn't mean it's the "best". The "best" is the one that works FOR YOU.

I love this story because not only is this lady very talented, she is a genuine, sweet person who really DESERVES a big break like this. Imagine, spending her life dedicated to the care of her parents... so many people would not do it. The video makes me cry because she sings so well, and because she truly sings from the heart. I hope she makes a million bucks off this chance... I hope she really prospers and does well. Go, Susan!

My point was not, "cinches are made of cotton" and in fact I never said that. I was addressing the fact that cotton becomes stronger, not weaker, when wet. Sorry if this was not clear. As for whether cotton was used for sails, according to the Wikipedia article on sail cloth it was, and I certainly was not trying to say it was the only thing... It was simply lighter than linen and more likely to be used in the US. As for the rest, I bow to the experts. I simply wanted to clear up the wrong idea that cotton becomes weak when wet; this is not true.

I don't make whips... but I think on your diagram, the head part of the hide is pointing to the right, as you surmise. There isn't much to the tail, that's the way I figure it out on a complete hide. As to what the neck it good for, it just depends. On your first diagram it point it out as a little thick, sometimes, for cutting strings. But if you can skive your strings maybe that won't matter so much. I think you can use all of it for something.

Re: packaging. I agree, it helps, and it shows you have pride in your work. I package my stuff in a clear ziplock baggie, with my card right behind it (It's blue, sort of, and I think adds some visual appeal) and behind the card are the care instructions. Even if I am making 10 things for the same person, every single item is individually packaged this way. That might seem redundant but I have no idea if these things are gifts for other people etc. and anyway, they look really classy in the package. And if they *are* gifts, every person who gets the gift sees it looking really nice in the package and as an aside gets one of my cards... As far as tags... I can't really tag most of my work. But, I have seen some really nice tags on things. I just bought a new harness (after saving my money for a very long time) and the harness is by a well-known maker. It has little woven cloth tags sewn in to the various parts: the breast collar, the gig saddle etc. They are very tiny and discreet but very classy looking. And I'm quite proud to have them there: this harness is a work of art. It's a harness for a miniature horse, but the maker did not skimp on any details. It is truly high quality and I feel the tags add to it. What Suze said about personal appearance is a good point, if you meet your customers face-to-face. If you mostly do your work from a website (like I do) then I would also urge to make sure the site is simple, easy to use, with a look that reflects you and your work. If I get asked a question often enough I change my site - for example, a lot of people would call or write and ask how to place an order... so at the end of EVERY item description on my site, I wrote "Just print out the Order page, and send it to me with your hair" because apparently I had not made that clear enough. Now I don't get that question nearly as often... but any question I get very often, I try to address. Some people are just never going to read the instructions, and some people just want you to hold their hand... you will never get away from that. But you do have to make it as easy as possible for a complete stranger, who has no idea what you offer or how to order, to get their questions answered simply and quickly. And then there is the really basic stuff... at least to me... like, call people back when they call to enquire! Or if they write you, write them back! I have had lots of people react with surprise when I write them back or return their call. They should not have to be surprised, it should be a matter of professionalism that their call is returned or their email answered. But I think a lot of this is just acting like a professional.

Someone said something to me that really changed the way I view my work. I had just done a sculpture, and thought it looked "stupid". The thing that really got to me was, someone said "If you died today, this would be the best thing you ever made!" She was trying to be encouraging, but I was absolutely horrified. *THAT* was going to represent my body of work?! I sure as *HECK* did not want that! So, I try not to sell stuff unless I am OK with it being the best thing I ever made, should I drop dead on that day. If you look at my website, you'll see I make a big deal about not braiding mane hair. It does not produce a good product... the hair is of a different structure than tail hair, and is simply not up to my standards. I am not interested in creating work not up to my standards. Even so, you still see some improvement over the years. That is OK to me. I can only do the very best that I can do, on that day. Maybe tomorrow I'll have more knowledge and skill. (Gosh, I sure hope so!) There is always room to grow and improve. As far as what I notice if I buy something... the first thing I look at is the quality of the leather. Pretty tough to make a good product out of poor quality materials... Then I look at details, such as stitches per inch, and straight stitch lines etc. It's funny, but if some of these details are there it's very reassuring... it says the person has a clue and knows enough to do all these things, and makes you feel like they got the rest of it right too. It also makes me feel good if they signed it or put their maker's mark on it. I wish I could figure out a way to sign horsehair...

Wow - that's so cool that you guys got to meet someone as talented as that! Lucky you! Sounds like a great guy, with a lot to teach.

Tandy sells one... you can cut pretty wide straps with it. They make it in both wood (cheaper) and metal... I would advise the metal one. I've got an ancient wood one that I have cut many a mile of strapping with... but the wood is not as accurate (I feel) as the metal, and the wood of course wears out faster. To be fair though I've had my wood one for about 30 years. Here's the wooden strap cutter and here's the metal strap cutter . I've also cut straps with a draw gauge, those work good but take a little practice. But then that same is true of most tools.

How about, "Is There Life After Death? Mess With My Tools and Find Out"

You used to be able to buy alum at a drug store. I don't know if you still can, I haven't bought any for a while. But that's where I would try first. Failing that, try some place (perhaps online) that sells fibers to spinners; alum is used as a mordant in dyeing fiber.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that... it's very sad when you have to put one down like that. It even makes you feel bad when they are real old and this horse was pretty young, I can imagine how bad your daughter must feel.

Oh, if they have kids that's perfect. I just tell them, Look, this area is absolutely positively *NOT* safe for kids, please, leave your kids in the car, I don't want them to get hurt! (An anxious look at this point is useful.) And if they don't have kids, I explain, This is my work area and I have a lot of custom orders here, so it's really important not to touch anything, because it can mess up my custom orders as far as what goes with who. I find that if you explain things to them before they get anywhere near the "danger zone" that they respect that. What I actually have more trouble with is people's DOGS. For some reason some people think it's "cute" to see their dog chase livestock. (And why did they drag the poor thing to my farm anyway?) When I ask them not to let the dog chase the goats/horses whatever, they will often say, "Oh, he won't hurt them!" So I tell them, "Ok - if you can explain that to the goats in a way that they can understand, so they don't have to feel any fear, then go ahead and explain it to them, and then the dog can chase them." It never goes any further than that.

This happened to a friend of mine; he suffered a stroke, and while in the hospital, his site came up for renewal. Someone swiped it because of it's excellent placement in the search engines. The person who swiped it was a true pirate; nothing would sway him not even when the circumstances were explained, he did not care but simply wanted an outlandish amount of money. So, my friend got a new name, and thanks to many many people who supported him, now has the same rating for his site that he originally had - all due to other sites linking him etc. After all, it was his *CONTENT* that had netted him that really terrific rating, and NOT the pirate's content. The pirate is now sadly trying to sell his now worthless site, while my friend still has great placement in the search engines. I would be happy to link you if you get a new domain. Just let me know and I will do it. And best of luck in dealing with this.

Sure, I've had this happen too. I think what I have done, is just pay attention to how my bights go on - I try and keep them balanced as I go. If the knot has "stages", where you tie one knot then increase, I stop at the first "stage" and balance everything before going on. I don't assume it will all work out... I tried that method and it does not work... best to just get it all balanced before proceeding. I can see how you are in a dilemma here and I too would not proceed with this knot until I got this straightened out. It might help to loosen a little, and try and get everything balanced with a little more "space" due to the loosening. To me it is key to get all those little empty squares the same size, orientation and placement. To prevent in the future... what I often did was sit and go through the knot, and see where that bight ended up once the knot was tied and balanced. Then when I went to tie that one again, I tried to put that bight there right from the git-go. A very subtle difference in the placement of those first bights you throw can really help. I don't know if that's any help... that's just what *I* do. Maybe there's a better way and we'll both learn...

Randy, I agree with you, and think you should vote with your dollars. Don't give any to eBay. Now that said, my husband and I have been joking for years about "bringing Walmart to it's corporate knees" which of course we have *not* done by not shopping there. But on the other hand, we can sleep peacefully at night and there is a lot to be said for that. It's too bad that there are so many other people who will shop there, but that is their freedom and choice. I would never take it away from them. However if *enough* people stop using eBay, "they" (meaning the people who run eBay) will probably get the message and stop the insanity. I think what is happening now is they are bowing to pressure from very wealthy merchants who sell tons of stuff on eBay, and not the normal person who is selling one or two or 20 items. The higher fees may not bother someone selling hundreds if not thousands of items on eBay, but certainly WILL hurt someone selling only a few items.