Spence

A company is only as good as the morale of it's employees. The morale of it's employees is only as good as the employer allows it to be. It is a shame, and all too common, that ancestors almost literally work themselves into the grave to provide for their families. They train and mentor their offspring to take over the business and over a couple of generations, along comes a progeny that almost sinks the ship. And blames others!!! I only hope it can righted before it's too late. Admins, regardless of the "backroom goings on," you're on a roll!! Keep up the great work.

Why knot both? (sorry for that) I've used Ashley's in my ropework for years. I'm on my 2nd copy, due to wear. When I started working in leather I bought Grant's book on braiding, since that was what I was doing. Now I use both quite frequently for reference. Grant's of course, is more relevant to leather braiding, but Ashley's will give you a different view of the makeup of the same knot or braid, usually with a different name. Having Ashley's at hand will also keep your creativity piqued. There are so many knots and braids that could be done or modified in leather. Plus - It's a great read. G'luck and have fun.

Great work. Great idea. I've been wanting to make one for my Surefire light and multi-tool for a long time but couldn't get the brain to wrap around it. I like it!! Thanks for sharing.

I've done many bellropes with turnbuckles and never once did I dig into my brain to bring it to key fobs. Thanks Brian. BTW, do you remember where you got those?

Great work, as usual, Brian. Had me guessing about a ring there for a minute. The use of the turnbuckle is a stroke of genius. Love it!!

T-knots are just one of the variants of the TH. They are tough to tie in the beginning and tougher to explain. T.O. has it right about tying it loose. Some TH can be done on the tight side, but some just have to be done loose. Rubber cement is a lifesaver too. I've done a few T-knots and X-knots, but only in rope. I glean my info from Ashley's Book of Knots. Unfortunately, it's loaned out right now, but we'll see what we can come up with. Hopefully, Brian (Knothead) can join this thread. Figure 5 shows the back of the knot. Keep referring to this figure after every pass. That's gonna keep you grounded as you move on. Figure 1 is good. Figure 2 could possibly be confusing as the string goes around the back without going through the ring. This is where you jump to Figure 5 to see where it is. Figure 3 has the same action. These two figures tell me that I need to keep that knot loose for now. Otherwise, I'm gonna be moving those strings (passes) (2 & 3) into positions that they are not supposed to be in. Figure 4 is just showing you what Fig 3 looks like with string and not an arrow. Figure 5 is where you see how you've done. Tightening a TH is just as important and way more time consuming than the first pass. It can take 5 minutes to "build" the first pass and an hour to tighten it all up after 3 passes. If you hurry and make a mistake, it can look like the TH was built incorrectly when it is only a matter of a crossed pass. Also, a rule I've followed for the past 50 years is to "never cut the ends of a TH until I've closely inspected it 3 times for errors. G'luck and have patience.

Museum quality, for sure!!!

I started using applique on canvas with rope many years ago. I found it again in leather a few years ago. I think the best examples and directions are in "Leather Braiding" by Bruce Grant, pgs 146 to 163. Have fun with it.

Here's what they call an "applique" on a dog collar. It isn't lined so you can see the back side. I was actually surprised at how neat it turned out and decided not to line it.

I bought from them a couple of years ago. Their supplier is in India and the quality was not that great. Lots of bad splices and thickness varied throughout. You get what you pay for, sadly. Keep in mind that this was 2 years ago though.

As always, Bernie, beautiful workmanship

Yes, that's interesting, but I wish he'd stop requiring a minimum purchase of 6 hides. That puts the tally above quite a few budgets - especially mine.

Luv it !!!

Beautiful work, as always Tom. I agree that must be a human collar

I use the needle on my knots. I use the fid to tighten, if needed. I've ground down my fid to a flat rounded end, not the sharp one it comes with. Broke too many strings with that.

Be patient and look through the thread dealing with dyes and finishes, if the answer to your questions is not there, I'd be surprised. I've never felt that my questions were not answered here. BTW, I'm sorry I don't have the experience and expertise to answer your questions. As to another forum, yes there is at least one. Is it better? I doubt it because most of the folks you find here are over there also (I don't have the link).

Congrats, Steven. The first of many sales, I hope.

In addition to all the other suggestions, I have thought about adding "Numbered Limited Edition" to something, jack the price up, sell 100 and go on to the next project. PT Barnum said it best "There's a sucker born every day" My Dad said it 2nd best "There's an a** for every seat"