roo4u

i probably should have said i use leather on top of one of those cheapo white cutting boards

i punch on scrap leather...since i usually by sides i always have the leg and belly bits as waste...some of the legs on latigo are pretty dang tough and last a good long time as the backstop for my round and slot punches.

i agree with mike about the burning the horse part...i can tell you from experience that paracord will burn you good. and if pulled thru tuff gloves it will get hot enuff to glaze the surface. depending on size it might make a pretty nice key fob if you sub a key ring for the brass ring you used. braiding looks pretty good, it pretty hard to keep the paracord flat when you pull the core, i saw one mistake in one of the knots but a non braider would not notice and probably love that as a gift.

there is a huge danger in dogs getting hooked on a fence and choking to death...so i would rather see rivets that will rip out in that situation...dogs really shouldnt be left out unattended with collars on you would be surprised how fast a dog can hang and choke.

yes my girl is the same way....the more excited she is the more her ears stick out....annoying but cute.

i wasnt trying to offend you. i hope i did not do so. your dog is very pretty. i just like the ears to lie tighter to the cheek, without that extra wrinkle in the back of the ear that makes them hang away from the head a bit. here in the states its called flying ears. i have a bitch whos ears hang the same way, and no matter how many times i fixed them when she was little they went right back.

nice saddle rack....and a lovely rottie face on the side...but dang fix those ears!

wow, WOW, WOW THATS amazing.

welcome to braiding! these things will happen. better to do it with very forgiving paracord than with not so forgiving rawhide. it just takes practice..eventually you will be able to look back at the braid and tell were you messed up, i have unbraided many a leash because of twisted strands. i use hemostat clamps and/or binder clips for keeping track of strings and clamping when i put projects down. hemostats are in the fishing section of places like walmart and binder clips are in office supplies. when i was setting up dozens of leashes at a time i used the small binder clips to keep the braid started and correct for my mom who did all the straight plaiting. 16 strand isnt too bad but i just about cried when i tried 32 strand..screaming and yelling and scared the hell outta my dogs. .for now i dont really work with that many strands unless i have to.

whether or not you take the core out depends on what your doing with it....i made a bosal over a used lariat core and i took the core out of the strands so id get the size i wanted...if im using it for covering foundations for decorative knots i take the core out then also....for straight braiding i leave the core....paracord mecates are very popular and i have made lead ropes out of it also. i agree about ubraidit...thats were i bought my cord and i have their book also.

aggie is right...you make your core and then do your buildup of the buttons and then you braid over everything. the challenge of this is getting everything covered using the same amount of strands. but then thats why nate is one of the best braiders in the us.

well i dont know maybe...i just meant that i looked at the ends of the whips in those pics and guessed at the method used...but as i have never done it before i could most certainly be wrong.

very very nice....what is the material they are lined with?

possibly a braidback....you leave enuff space in the braid to braid back into itself....meaning your braiding say 8 then you drop 4 and braid an open 4 and then bend around and braid your 4 back into the open 4 making it an 8...but i could be wrong cuz i dont braid whips....

that is true most of the aussies try to make their whips outta red. perhaps there is a difference in the strength with flexibility factor....plus red is the finer grained, you would think that a finer, tighter grain would be stronger.

it was interesting....i would liked to have seen them compare the chemical process tanning to the old fashioned bark tannage to see if there was a difference.

wow

i has been mentioned before....i think the opinion was its too stretchy and breaks easily....you could do a forum search and maybe find out more

first what kind of lace is that...some kinds of leather fray on the edges like that more than others....one factor could be it isnt beveled on the edges, that would have removed some of the part that frayed. second...yes splicing is possible, not too hard really the hardest part is making sure that the splice is mostly buried under so that it is as protected as possible. i use one of those tandy skivers that uses the same blades as my lacemaker. cut the end of one lace 45degrees on top and the other the same on the bottom making the bevel about the same length on each lace then glue together with elmers glueall...its a casein glue that penetrates the leather fibers really well and yet stays flexible..then clamp the pieces together for a few minutes to get a good bond and ready to go....practice on a few scraps and youll get it. hey it takes alot of lace to do those type of braids if you use one long piece. i do think if you bevel those edges a bit you might not have to splice to get a better result. first what kind of lace is that...some kinds of leather fray on the edges like that more than others....one factor could be it isnt beveled on the edges, that would have removed some of the part that frayed. second...yes splicing is possible, not too hard really the hardest part is making sure that the splice is mostly buried under so that it is as protected as possible. i use one of those tandy skivers that uses the same blades as my lacemaker. cut the end of one lace 45degrees on top and the other the same on the bottom making the bevel about the same length on each lace then glue together with elmers glueall...its a casein glue that penetrates the leather fibers really well and yet stays flexible..then clamp the pieces together for a few minutes to get a good bond and ready to go....practice on a few scraps and youll get it. hey it takes alot of lace to do those type of braids if you use one long piece. i do think if you bevel those edges a bit you might not have to splice to get a better result.

i dont mind ear peircings....dont care for the gauging tho...why would you want a huge hole in your ear? but the rest of it...tongues, noses, eyebrows etc...yuck!