Spence

Barrel Knots are also known as Blood Knots. Blood Knots are commonly used in the cracker of a whip. Very simple knot but I don't have a tute. Maybe Bevan can join this thread with an answer.

I had the same thing happen to mine. Too lazy to bring it back and eventually force-wrapped a piece of lace around the punch spindle (squeezing the rotary tight) as a temporary fix - 5 years ago

Outstanding work, as usual. I've been meaning to do my own bands for my 2 Barmahs. Thanks for the push, mate.

Right down my alley. My dogs, German Shepherds, average 90-120 lbs and are working dogs all. From tracking to protection. I have a couple of 2" wide "agitation" collars that I use for bite training. I used 6 oz doubled. This is not an everyday collar. The width is more for the dog's throat protection and comfort than for security. Normal day to day collars are 3/4" or 1" wide, 6 oz doubled. I've also got a couple of 1-1/2" wide collars. I sometimes think that doubling is overkill. Latigo is good, but keep in mind that latigo is what the tannery designates as latigo. Your hardware choice is just as critical as the leather itself. O-rings and D-rings need to be heavy duty and welded. For leads, I just use an 8 oz strip (single), 3/4" or 1" Wide. I add a piece of "wear leather" around the loop where the spring clip is attached. I use a square eye clip vs a round eye. I don't build my collars or leads to impress bystanders. If I want to do that I slap a muzzle on the dog. The collars and leads need to be light, but strong enough to do the job. If you're worried about a dog breaking a collar or lead, the dog needs more training not to be pulling. Tracking dogs will not pull so much as they forge forward. It's the handler's job to keep up. If you're sending a dog out on a bite, once the dog is fired up and starting to lunge, it's time to let the dog go. Have fun and g'luck.

Keep working at it. You're never too old to learn braiding. There's a whole bunch of braiders here just waiting to help you over the rough spots. Start with a tour of Brian's (Knothead) website khww.net Then start looking at the tutorials here. G'luck

Great work up, Bevan. Like that whipping. Haven't tried that with roo yet. Did a lot of it with rope though. Hope the flashbulb didn't wake the dawg. lol

I should have paid better attention to your photo. My collars and leashes are strictly utilitarian and are used in training and competition, so I'm not using conchos and the like (bling?) The vast majority of my work is in black so the copper looks good. I hand-stitch everything and the rivets are added for strength/safety. Because of the type of training I do with my dogs (K-9 and military), I couldn't trust screws, but I can see their worth. Sorry if I deflected from your issues.

Personally, I haven't had great luck with the tubular rivets on collars I've made for my monsters. I ended up switching over to solid copper rivets. Takes longer, but the leather will turn to dust before the rivet comes apart. My 2 cents.

I usually go to the source (Australia) Packer (the major tannery) recently had a sale on that made the lace cheaper than what you could get here in the U.S. - Shipping included. Another source is Murphy Whips in Australia. Just Google them for their stores. G'luck

Great info Brian. Since I drink a pot of coffee daily, how about sharing how you mix up the mud? Is it as simple as using old grounds?

You sure captured it!!!

LOL. Brian. Sometimes I believe the sole purpose of bling on showleads IS to distract the judges. Some judges are onto it and kinda frown on it anymore. They used to show too. My take on the bunching up of the leads is either they can't get a correct size for the dog they're showing or they're pros and show many different size dogs at the same show. I've shown my German Shepherds a time or two and that's what got me into braiding with leather. A friend of mine had a fancy roo showlead that she was bragging on and reached into the crate and clipped the lead on her boy. He weighed about 95 lbs at the time and he just walked out of the crate. by the time his butt cleared the gate, the fancy roo showlead had come apart at both ends. Luckily, I was standing in front of him. I autopsied it and found there was no core and his back braids were only 2 tucks deep. I went to work on one with 4 str and a woven nylon core (with it's own core), backbraided each end 3 tucks(3/8" clip always)and tucked the core back into the main part of the leash by 2". I don't drink anymore, but I got a hairbrained idea and took that sucker over to Walmart and talked my brother into hooking it up between our 2 trucks and away we went. Two turns around the parking lot and everything stayed as it originally was. When I was still braiding, I guaranteed my showleads up to a pissed-off 150 lb. dawg.

Outstanding work, Brian. What did you use for a core? re beveling. Some folks prefer not to bevel so the braid itself is enhanced to the "eye of the beholder." Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Your work is such that it will always work.

German Shepherds usually average 17" - 22" around the neck. I have the customer measure the circumference just below the ears and again at the base of the neck where the collar will sit. If you're able to slip the collar over the dog's head, the dog is able to "back out" of the collar - usually at the most inopportune and dangerous times. I only make the strap collars for my GSDs. If you want details on those, I'd be happy to share them with you. I've built only one martingale and was unhappy with it's performance. Obviously, I err on the side of caution with my GSDs. I'd never use a plastic quick clip, but that's my preference and of course the type of GSDs that I breed are for law enforcement, etc.

Beautiful work - As always !

Okay. The way it sounds to me is that he's closed his business and taken a job with WC as a salesman or sales rep. He's brought some of his own products over with him and will get a little extra on the commission side if anyone buys that. All this drama and intrigue is getting awfully boring.

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Beautiful work!! As usual...

He just doesn't get it. Too bad.

Making amends on a customer service issue is going to take far longer than a couple or 3 days and the promise of free this and free that. I agree with Outcast that the stories keep changing from one post to another. Sunday, he as much as said we were not important to his business model. Today, he's wanting to give away the farm for information and our business. Can't wait for tomorrow.