roo4u

very nice...i love doing the custom orders, especially when the customers want something original. i once had somebody order a leash as a wedding gift she asked that it be in the clan colors of her friends fiance.

those clips are called binder clips...i have about 100 of the little suckers, that is what i clamp my strings with when i set up the leashes and collars for my mom to braid. i just set up 50+ collars and leashes. you only need to clamp onto the side that your bottom string of the braid is on.

hi actually carting is very populat in most parts of the country...im in god forsaken nebraska and it is not done here but is in most places. there are several makers of very nice dog carts in the us, for far less than those sulkies. i have also seen info on line on how to convert those big wheeled wagons from places like tractor supply into really cute dog drawn vehicles.

man that sucks...the more i have to deal with people the more i like to stay home with my critters. i was able to make the splitter from the plans you posted on the board...has make my lace splitting 100% easier. if you pm me with your address i will send you something as a thank you. even though theres really not much interesting about nebraska i think i can come up with something cool. tracy

i think i have a back issue of western horseman(from last year) that had an article that mentioned night latches and a brief description with approximate measurements. if i can find it i will post whatever is says. one suggestion might be to do an online search and look at whats for sale...alot of times they will have basic measurements in the description of the item.

hi all i appreciate the replys. hopefully the stuff i got will do the job...

hello rawhiders... i have decided to jump in and attempt to make some rawhide...got a hide for $30 from the local butcher...problem is no one here carries anything called quicklime, which is what my book says to use, or even knows what it is...so my question is.... what kind of lime are you all using and where are you buying it? the only thing ive been able to find here is garden lime, hydrated lime and something called barn lime(which i think is the same as hydrated lime). they use hydrated lime to mark baseball fields and make whitewash so i didnt think it was right. could one of you experts out there please help. i dont want my hide to be ruined because i cant find the stuff. thanks in advance

i guess im lucky then because the only knot in bruce grants books that i cant get is the side button knot...dont know why..when i follow along with the written instructions it just wont come out right for me. the coolest knots in the book are the boton and pampas knots the long ones. havent found a use for them in any of my projects yet but they are neat when you get them finished.

step 7 here is where we start the croc braiding. from this point on the left hand strands return tothe left and the right hand strands return to the right. bring the left hand gray around behind to the right as in a 4 strand round braid, going under one(the other gray strand) over one(the right hand pink strand) step 8 now bring the right hand pink strand arond behind under one over one. the two gray strands now cross step 9now bring the top left strand down under one over one, under the two gray coming around and over one as in a four strand round braid. step 10 the top right hand strand now come down over one then under two then around as in the four strand braid. now repeat step 7,8,9 and 10 always keeping the gray in the center. this photo shows the pattern that is produced by keeping the odd color centered. if you are using a single color or wish the aussie pattern to continue the length of the braid then start with steps 7 thru 10 but repeat only 9 and 10 bringing the top strands down on every pass. continue braiding the croc braid until you are a couple of inches from your finished length. we will now revert back to the aussie braid. stop your croc with the strings as shown in step 10 above now starting on the left. i will finish this in the next post

this is from bruce grants encyclopedia of leather braiding. 8 strand aussie into round center croc ridge back into aussie to finish. i make my strings 4 times the lenght of the finished collar length i want...20 inch collar = 4 -80 inch strings, 4 strings = 8 strands as you use both ends. i have used 3 of one color and 1 of another as this croc braid allows the odd color to stay in the center. i am doing this demo with paracord...the only difference with leather is make sure your finished side is always on top. first photo shows how to set up the aussie braid for start of 8 strand braid. i did this very loosely so you could clearly see how the strands go over or under. second photo shows same start just snugged up and ready to go. 3rd phot shows first pass...take top left strand and pass under one over one under one 4th photo top left strand passes over one under one over one under one 5th photo shows that you continue this same pattern until you have sufficient length for the end of your collar usually i do 3 or 4 inches depending on how much adjustment i want to have. this is where the collar tang will go thru to get the round braided center effect and keep the odd color in the center you must end your flat braiding with the odd color as shown in this photo.

ok...ill see what i can get done. warning my pix may not be the greatest. ill try and post something in the next day or so.

well when i am not working on a collar/leash order for my client i have dogs and horses to work. have two quarter horses to break this year. i also show my beaucerons in akc dog shows and play with them in agility and soon to come flyball.

thanks for the nice comments. i wish i could get better pix. i tell you what, paracord is a bear to do this kind of stuff with. you have to work to make it fit because it only comes in one width. it took me 5 tries to get the nose button to hold on the ends because paracord slides much easier than leather. i ended up doing a gaucho weave on the nose so it would hold tight on the swells, then couldnt figure out how to interweave in that pattern so couldnt do that. i swore never again and wouldnt you know someone we showed it to wants one. just my luck!

i suggest you pick up one of bruce grants books. the australian style flat braid of 8thongs works really well for dog collars because it starts with a finished end on the tongue end of the collar and you only have to worry about finishing the buckle end. for a really cool collar i start with the aussie braid then transition into one of the crocodile ridge braids then back into the flat braid near the buckle to finish it off. if i get a chance i may attempt a quick tutorial on this tomorrow if you are interested.

hi all... just finished this hackamore for my moms dun mare...she picked the colors, it is paracord, the bosal has a larait rope core. cotton rope mecate has a matching knot. boy, working with paracord is a real bugger. leather is easier!! But mom wanted this. And the horse looks real happy. (not)

knotnutz... are you buying precut lace or cutting your own? i cut all my own lace for my leashes and never have to soften it. if you get your lace wet to wash off the saddle soap you then need to apply a conditioner.

if you are still looking for a stampede string let me know. i dont normally make stampede strings, they arent popular here, but have made a few. i braid in kangaroo, current colors include black, chocolate, whiskey, saddle tan and natural. there are many options, ie # of strands, knots, multiple colors, horsehair tassels etc im trying to post pictures of some of my work but my computer is not cooperating tonight, will keep trying though. tracy

when i worked for the post office i knew several carriers that had carpal tunnel...the ones that had surgery were pretty much ruined but alot of them opted for chiropractic and acupuncture instead. those that went that route had excellent results relief from symptoms and no need for surgery. only had to go for treatments every few months after the initial treatment. chiropractors say the cause of c.t. is pinched nerves in your neck.

welcome to the board. is that a neo in the pixs? i can tell you from experience that the agitation equipment market is very difficult to break in to. but many big dog owners have a hard time finding pretty things for their oversized babies. good luck! tracy monster farm specialties custom braiding dog and horse tack

hi...im possibly interested in your machine and just have a couple of questions. i have only sewn with a regular sewing machine, always sewn leather by hand. how difficult is this machine to learn and use? ive heard people talk about different machines being really hard to use. you said it is a medium heavy machine, what weights did you most commonly sew on it? i make dog leashes and collars etc. using 2ply of anywhere from 3oz to 8/9oz. any info would be appreciated. thanks tracy

thanks for the info. yes im sure it had decoration...the circles are not very deep and are pierced on either side and when you look at the leather from underneath you can se they caused a tiny bit of wear on every piercing when they pulled the decoration off.

ok i think i got this picture thing figured out the decoration had already been removed when i got it. it had two rows on cantle, one row all away around fenders, wrapped around the welts on the swells, all the way around the skirts, around the neck of the saddle horn. had a buckle rope strap on the front of the swell right side. i replaced the sheepskin and the saddle strings when i got it as the original wool had worn thru where the thongs are pulled thru the skirt to hold them onto tree. when i took old wool off i found that there was a liner of leather all the way around between the skirt and the wool, ust under the edge of the skirting, im assume to protect the horse from theprongs of whatever decoration was attached.

after looking at all the other suggestions given to you i guess the 11.15/sqft im paying at charles hardtke is not bad considering that its as high as 18-23 at montana leather...wow

i would think that would depend on the intended use of the bosal...though i am partial to braiding kangaroo...of course latigo is significantly cheaper than roo...so that could way in as a factor

any suggestions on how to find out the age of a saddle or any other information about it when it doesnt have a makers mark? i havent had it completely apart yet so dont know if theres any marks on the tree. are saddle trees typically marked with any kind of information? i think at some point this saddle had silver or some other metal decoration-it is fully basket stamped and has a border of small circles each side of the circle is pierced so whatever decoration it had was removed at some point. this border runs the length of the stirrup fenders, on the skirts and the cantle. anyone know when that type of saddle decoration was popular? it is a well made saddle. any suggestions would be appreciated...i can post a picture if anyone thinks it would help. tracy