Splitting and Beveling

[entiendo]

Today I was cutting some string off the good spot of one of my hides. The string was 3/32" and cut from a center piece. I beveled it and realized that it was still a little square, it felt to thick for the width. The thickness was probably around 1 mm. I was just cursing myself for not checking into those splitters I had asked about and wondered if I should just stop where I was until I got a splitter. Then I remembered something I'd read here a long time ago (at least I think I read it here) about beveling all 4 corners of a length of string, so I thought I would give that a try. The string had a really nice feel to it after I'd done that. I used to to make a long 6 bight button with at least a couple of turns, it didn't break or seem to be weak and the button rolled very nice and smooth. Has anyone done this before? Can beveling all 4 sides replace a splitter in my circumstances?

thanks

[8thsinner]

I would like to experiment with bevelling myself but haven't made myself a suitable jig for it yet.

But once I cut a string, I stretch it, usually one or twice, then soak it in home made saddle soap running through the hands a few times to spread it out, Let it sit for a day to soak in, then run over it again about twice through the hands then finally one or two times through a cloth to give it a slight buffing, it really helps the back and I find the constant running through the hands kinda rounds out the back nicely enough.

I would like to see pictures of the button finished to see how it turned out though.

One thing I will say, For years I really relied on getting leather the thickness I wanted my string, until a few weeks ago I made my own splitter, and It's so so so much better to use string you have cut to your perfect size.

If the same ideals hold true for bevelling I really should endever to do something about it, I just haven't yet...

[Spence]

Today I was cutting some string off the good spot of one of my hides. The string was 3/32" and cut from a center piece. I beveled it and realized that it was still a little square, it felt to thick for the width. The thickness was probably around 1 mm. I was just cursing myself for not checking into those splitters I had asked about and wondered if I should just stop where I was until I got a splitter. Then I remembered something I'd read here a long time ago (at least I think I read it here) about beveling all 4 corners of a length of string, so I thought I would give that a try. The string had a really nice feel to it after I'd done that. I used to to make a long 6 bight button with at least a couple of turns, it didn't break or seem to be weak and the button rolled very nice and smooth. Has anyone done this before? Can beveling all 4 sides replace a splitter in my circumstances?

thanks

Somewhere, I mentioned about the handheld splitter I use for my string. I have found I can't do without it. It is made by Dene Williams, the son of the man that invented the original 'Aussie Strander.' He makes a nice strander too. I have it, but I've not been able to become proficient at it. I've heard some really nice reviews of it though. I paid less for both of them, including the shipping from Australia than some are selling them for here in the USA.

I've also used this same splitter on 7/8 straps up to 1-1/2" wide. I just shave a little bit at a time until I've got it down to where I want. With string, you could almost make paper. The blades are the everyday Stanley Utility blades.

As far as beveling goes, I do the flesh sides only. (no particular reason) I can't justify the cost of a 'machine' so I just use a knife or box cutter (w/single edged razor blade). Beveling all 4 edges may suffice for splitting but it would depend on the leather, the thickness and the angles of the bevels - I would think. I've done a very shallow bevel on the flesh edges, which I guess you could call splitting - after a fashion. Soaping the strings really well, throughout the process, will let them slip into place very easily. Glenn Dunholm, a master whip maker in Australia, once said he uses soap exclusively on his whips.

[entiendo]

Oh thank you very much for your thoughts.

8thsinner, I'm assuming you are doing rawhide? I've never heard of soaking roo. That doesn't mean it's not done though. I think it's quite interesting that you have went without beveling and I've went without splitter. I would have thought one could live without the splitter but not the ability to bevel..LOL

Yes Spence you did reply to my thread about splitters, thanks again! I haven't had a chance to at the suggested splitters. I do soap up all my strings very well and that helps a whole lot, as you said. The largest string I cut is 1/8" and the largest thickness is 1mm. I wish I had a friend close by with a splitter so I could compare the two ways. I bet a splitter would be more precise.

[8thsinner]

Indeed, and no not rawhide, mainly cow, pig and goat every now and again. I doubt too that I would need to soak roo, but if it stretches, I would soak it and prestretch to get as tight a lace as possible.

The smallest lace I have done, would be 1mm waxed nubuck about .5mm thick, and yes it was still strong enough for a mini whip at the time.

Heres a bracelet that was done withabout 2.5mm lace, treated my way. You can see it turns out very smooth.

Sorry about the pic, it was a camera phone image to begin with...

[entiendo]

Oh WOW..that is lovely and smoooooth. I had no idea. And it looks just as lovely as roo! Oh what a nice patina. I love hearing about how others do things.I'll post a picture when I'm done with the lead. In the meantime I'll post one of my other pieces.

New picture, that first file was way to large.

Edited November 19, 2009 by entiendo

[8thsinner]

Now I bet that took a few hours. It looks great. And the pattern is a good one.

Is that roo?

Now you know one of the things I noticed when drying some more of my red stuff last night, Mainly I stretch dry over a bottle or something, and given that the flesh side is always weaker, it compresses more, that compression, when dried leaves a few hairs out the sides of itself.

SO, after it's dried like that and I run it through the splitter all the wider bits will be chopped off essentially sort of skiving it naturally. When it's braided tightly nothing flesh side will be left to spill out.

Thats at least the way I figure it.

Do you mind if I critique that piece of yours?

[entiendo]

Of course..critique away, anyone, I'm always up for suggestion on how I might make a nicer piece. Yes, it's roo.

Roo is all I braid with. It's strong, beautiful and very easy to work with. I don't know how to do a lot of the prep work you described. I'd like to try rawhide but so far I haven't. I really admire the rawhide pieces, even more than that I admire those who start out braiding with rawhide. I tried goat once but didn't like it at all. It kept stretching and stretching and it was very hard on my blades.

Sometimes I'll have a hide where the rough out side is a little rough, I usually bevel it off if it is real bad or leave it if it's not. But for the most part I cut, stretch, cut again, bevel and braid.

[8thsinner]

The long pineapple by the looks of it when your pulling through seems to be stretching the roo. I say that because it seems ovular by comparison to the parallels of the lace, if you know what i mean. Close to the under pass it's not as wide...

If it is stretching I suggest stretching it through your hands or soaking and stretching over a bottle overnight or tie a tight turkshead, about 5 or 7 parts over a dowel then work the lace back and forth through under the whole thing or just increase the sequence of the pineapple, it might help to straigten out the appearance. How do you actually stretch yours normally?

The sofa stuff is lovely but Theres a lot of prep to Get there. Cut to 5mm, stretched over night, shrinks to about 2mm, split to about .8 or so, then stretched again, worked well through the hands with saddle soap homemade then finally put to use. But it's very strong at those sizes.

Never worked goat before, pig at 1.5mm glazed is very nice easy to lace from small circles, often doesn't need worked on the back and doesn't need a lot of stretching... And it's cheap.

As for roo, I know how nice it is to work with. Love the stuff, I have done one whip with it but its a bitch to get in the UK. I need to Get some sort of import licence i think...can't Get reliable info.

By the look of your work. And mine, i think we could do awesome work instead of very good work with a few more opportunities and tools. And or money and time...

Edited November 20, 2009 by 8thsinner

[8thsinner]

The long pineapple by the looks of it when your pulling through seems to be stretching the roo. I say that because it seems ovular by comparison to the parallels of them.

If it is stetching, I suggest stretching it through your hands or soaking and stretching over a bottle overnight or tie a tight turkshead, about 5 or 7 parts over a dowel then work the lace back and forth throuh under the whole thing or just increase the sequence of the pineapple, it might help to straigten out the lines. How do you actually stretch yours?

As for roo, I know how nice it is to work with. Love the stuff, I have done one whip with it but its a bitch to get in the UK.

[entiendo]

I actually use the same tool to stretch that I use to cut and bevel. It's kind of like a large pipe.

Thanks for the tip. I wish I still had that bracelet so I could check it out in person. I see what you are saying, I didn't notice it until now. I'm not sure how I missed that, I wonder if it could just be the angle of the camera. I want that piece back so I can fix it! LOL Though the first thing that comes to my mind is I didn't tighten the string enough. So I'd try to tighten the whole button again and the role again. Maybe that would fix it.

[8thsinner]

Sorry about the wierd double post, I was typing that out on the phone..

Anyway.

I know how you feel, I would love the idea of taking things apart that I messed up but I grew out of it for one reason, Everything I do I can see the faults in, Nothing I have done is in my mind anywhere near perfect yet. I reckon it never will be, I am extremely critical of my work. And any thing that doesn't cut the biscuit it's good to have around to remind you of the mistakes made.

As other people have noted too, it's not as easy for non leather workers to see the faults in anything.

Most toolers probably wouldn't know what a twist under a pineapple would look like, or where a lace snapped and such.

But the way I look at it is, I will never stop learning if I am this critical and always seeking the perfect piece. But if I ever reach it thats not something I will ever sell.

But first I have to work my way through the 105 completely unrelated leather braided projects I have listed. I love it that much, I would braid my tooth brush, Infact I might just do that one of these days...

[HorsehairBraider]

Nice work, guys!

To address the question in the OP: I've used a splitter to thin down lace I thought was too square, but mostly what I use the splitter for is to make the lace the same thickness throughout the length. Even stuff I've bought that was commercially cut can vary in thickness, which just bugs the crap out of me. I want the lace to be the same thickness not only throughout the length, but throughout the entire piece. I had made myself a jig for this, but now have a really nice one that is much easier to use than the one I'd made myself.

I've never had a beveler until recently, and now that I have it I love it. But for years my work had these sort of square edges... I don't like it, but that was all I could do at the time.

Now I look back at some of my old work and think, wow, that could have turned out *so* much better if only I'd had this or that tool. But that's how it is - you do the best you can with the knowledge and tools that you have, at that time. You can't do better than that; and I try not to regret some of my old stuff, because that was how I learned. (And besides, I had made a headstall I still love to use, no point in not using it just because I own better braiding tools now!)

[entiendo]

I think I'm going to get a splitter after all. I too would like the string all the same thickness so that makes perfect sense. We spend a whole lot of time and energy doing this and we might as well do it to the best of our ability all the way around.

[HorsehairBraider]

I think I'm going to get a splitter after all. I too would like the string all the same thickness so that makes perfect sense. We spend a whole lot of time and energy doing this and we might as well do it to the best of our ability all the way around.

I agree. I think of it like cruise control. I learned to drive on old trucks that did not have power assisted steering, cruise control and so on. But once you use it, you think, why would you go back to not having that? It makes life so much easier. Sure, I could wrestle the steering wheel, or even get by with no brakes! But to what purpose? To prove how "tough" I am? I think it proves more how stupid I am, not to use what is available.

And you know, when you use lace that is even all the way around, it is SO much more fun. And to come right down to it, that's why I braid - because it *IS* fun, and I get a great joy out of it.

Edited November 21, 2009 by HorsehairBraider

[entiendo]

Yeah I poked around at splitters a little. I'm a little afraid of a hand held one because I couldn't make a hand held stringer work for me at all. The aussie strander had me so frustrated!

Anyways, by request here is the lead I made that lead to the original question.

Edited November 22, 2009 by entiendo

[Spence]

I too have not had great luck with the handheld stringers. I have 3 of them and they're all driving me nuts. But the handheld splitter is extremely easy to handle. To me, it has become invaluable. Every string I use for a project gets run through this splitter. Now that I'm venturing into strapwork, I am finding it equally easy to use on straps up to 1-1/2".

btw, I'm in no way connected to Dene Williams. I just like what he has done to make my braiding life easier.

If you're interested, I can email you a couple of pictures.

Edited November 22, 2009 by Spence

[entiendo]

That's good to know, thanks spence. I'll go check it out.

[Essentia]

That's good to know, thanks spence. I'll go check it out.

Contact details for Dene Williams

email:- denewhips@icr.com.au

Phone:- 07 4630 9708

Edited November 23, 2009 by Essentia

[entiendo]

I found him, thanks. If fact I just asked him to send me a bill.