megabit

Grant calls it a split braid I believe.

In my experience its generally less then I count on. A whole lot depends on how consistent you are and how much over your first cut is causing you to trim it down.

That sounds more or less about right. I generally split the hide down to about the thinnest part to make it more or less even. If it had a real thin part I wouldn't go down that far and would likely not use the thin parts.

Nice work.

Braid loose pull tight sounds backwards to me. I've always pulled tight the next string to plait and then plait loose. If you plait loose and then pull tight nothing is holding the string in place. Where as doing it the other way 3, 5, 7... strands are holding it in place before you pull it tight. I think we are most likely actually trying to say the same thing? Mike

Nice work. Very cool.

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I wonder if Aaron will be at the Brannaman Roping in Santa Ynez this weekend. I think he was last year. How about you Bucksnort you going to the roping?

Nice work.

Nice work!

I've used marine varnish on rawhide hondas, but that is about it.

Brian, you certainly have the talent and dedication to the art for it.

Yes, and let me tell ya, it takes a bunch of beating on it to get it anywhere near soft.

IMG_0010 by ss1442, on Flickr IMG_0005 by ss1442, on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/casa-megabit/sets/72157634774654496/

I wonder how the paint on the popper will hold up? I like how you attached the popper with the edge braid, never seen it done like that before. Looks neat.

Nice job. Pattern is neat, not so sure about the grape color though.

Now I looked closer at the first tutorial Brian posted I don't think that is a ginfer either, well not the same ginfer as the later instructions are for. The knot labled 21 trancos has 3 V going across. The ginfer only has one V. Does anyone know if the 21 trancos is in one of Enrique's books?

Too bad Enrique doesn't still come on here, since he tied the knot in the original picture. To me the original picture sure doesn't look like a ginfer. Looks to be over 1 under 1. Brian's Saturn's Ring is very similar and is on a ginfer. LTC if you are on Facebook Enrique is over there in most of the rawhide groups. He should be able to tell you what the knot is since he tied it (the rest of us are basically guessing). Good luck LTC and thank you for your service. Mike

If you look at the knot you posted it is clearly tied on a foundation that pushes the middle out, which narrows the knot some because it goes down instead of wide. I also am not certain that one even is a Ginfer knot. It looks over one under one to me not over 3 under 1 over 1 under 3. The tutorial Brian posted gets you something very similar. You could use that tutorial to put the ring on other base knots using the same method.

I think Bud Brewer had a tutorial of the ginfer on your old site Brian. His instructions were always the best. LTC, I don't know if it is the same as the one in your fist pic or not. (I can't really see the pattern on the base knot all that well.) But the instructions Brian posted are the for the same knot as in his earlier post of rings of Saturn. What you use as a base will change the shape of a knot a great deal. Try using a Spanish Ring knot as a base for the Ginfer, that should give it more the shape of your first pic.

Maybe these corrections will help: three wraps Make 4 wraps or you can't go under one over 3 Down UNDER 1 OVER3 UP U1 O3 D O1 U1 03 U O1 U1 03 D U1 O1 U1 O3 U U1 O1 U1 03 D U2 01 U1 O3 U U2 01 U1 O3 D U3 O1 U1 O3 U U3 FINISHED?

I think the knot is in Bruce Grant's book too. Those instructions worked for me, but I had tied the knot before and just couldn't recall the pattern.

Ginfer Knot thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=53335&hl=ginfer

Nicely done.

You could try to do like the whip makers do and make your string thinner where it is a core. The reason I like using it for a core the whole length is so you are less likely to pull it out of the splice.