KnotHead Report post Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) This one is a consignment type leash going out to the one who sells them. 36 inches long from snap to handle 1/8th inch kangaroo lace all the way 4 Strand Round Plait 2 - 7part 6bight PK's 2 Split T braids at top and bottom in 12 strand round plait herringbone braid 1 Nickle type snap Colors; Red, Black & Whiskey Tan. B... Edited March 10, 2011 by KnotHead Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiddlegirl89 Report post Posted March 10, 2011 I think that looks great! Is the lace beveled? My kangaroo stuff never looks that smooth!!! And do you put anything on it after you braid it, to make it shiny? I saddle-soap each strand before I start braiding, and then roll my braid at the end, but your's looks a lot better than mine! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8thsinner Report post Posted March 10, 2011 I love the smoothness that you seem to get, but there is one thing I have to say stands out to my eyes and that is the whitish effect on the black strands and even some of the red on the pineapples seems to be the same, It seems like it's only surface black and the dye didn't soak the whole way through. Do you mind if I ask where you got those skins? Also, to my eyes it does look beveled, there are some nice sections where the whitishness is lost beside others lying parallel...Am I right in that? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spence Report post Posted March 10, 2011 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted March 10, 2011 Nice looking leash. The braiding and knots all look nice and tight and straight. I know ya didn't ask for a critique. So disregard if this annoys ya as it's just personal preference. I think the leash would of flowed better if the pineapple knots were slightly smaller in dia. and tapered down going into the body of the leash. I think it would also be nice to add a burner under the snap. As it would be a shame to have the snap wear through such a nice leash. Once again it's not my intention to offend. Thanks for sharing Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted March 10, 2011 Wow. So many very nice artistic comments. I don't know which one to start with. So here goes the first one. @Kayla: I think that looks great! Is the lace beveled? My kangaroo stuff never looks that smooth!!! And do you put anything on it after you braid it, to make it shiny? I saddle-soap each strand before I start braiding, and then roll my braid at the end, but your's looks a lot better than mine! All the lace is beveled. I use saddle soap as you do. I then let that dry out over night. To make the knots and the accented eye candy plaits(Red and black) I use a leather lacquer from Tandy. I do roll mine out also. I just don't have to roll it that much when done is all. @ 8thSinner: I love the smoothness that you seem to get, but there is one thing I have to say stands out to my eyes and that is the whitish effect on the black strands and even some of the red on the pineapples seems to be the same, It seems like it's only surface black and the dye didn't soak the whole way through. Do you mind if I ask where you got those skins? Also, to my eyes it does look beveled, there are some nice sections where the whitishness is lost beside others lying parallel...Am I right in that? That white effect you see is inadvertently caused by the saddle soap. The hide is dyed all the way through. I did not do anything special to the hide or order a special hide for that effect. I am using kangaroo hides from Richard Taubmann in Australia. He supplies, like many of the Aussie farmers do; Packer Leather with kangaroo hides. All the strings are beveled. @ Spence: 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. I don't have a coring on the inside of the long 4 strand plait. For the knots I used some waxed cord for build up and shaping. Then I used a super glue to harden the coring for the knot work to sit on. I love to bevel all my lace. I even sell my lace in 75ft tamales cut, beveled and split. I figure that if someone wants to experience kangaroo lace, they should experience the lace as I use it to make all my projects. This way if they make a choice to continue to use kangaroo lace to braid with, they have made an informed decision and with the right kind of lace done properly so that the braider has a chance to make their art properly. @ Mike: Nice looking leash. The braiding and knots all look nice and tight and straight. I know ya didn't ask for a critique. So disregard if this annoys ya as it's just personal preference.I think the leash would of flowed better if the pineapple knots were slightly smaller in dia. and tapered down going into the body of the leash. I think it would also be nice to add a burner under the snap. As it would be a shame to have the snap wear through such a nice leash. Once again it's not my intention to offend. Thanks for sharing Mike I don't get offended by critiques. I find them very useful in my daily adventure with braiding. It not only helps me attain a better braid. But also a higher level of quality braid work. I do agree with your synopsis on the flow of the plaiting and knot work. It would have flowed a bit better. I, however am still having an issue with the way the correctness of the knot sits on the plait itself. I get the insecure feeling of the knot coming undone, or sliding, or even loosening up and messing up the rest of the project while under use of the owner. I don't mind backing my own work. But if I don't have to repair something for a long time, all the better. But again, I am still working out my own style of plaiting and tying. My thing is when I'm putting that coring on the object is that, what happens if the damn thing comes apart. So, I over compensate in making the knot itself as secure as possible. LOL... If that makes any sense at all. LOL... I was thinking of adding a burner to it and discovered that the snap was a bit small for one. Knowing that determined my lack of use in this leash. Also, knowing that the regular dog handlers for show dogs like crumble up the leash in their hand while on the show floor for some reason that I am not aware of yet. LOL... I did not want anything to hinder the use of my leash by the handler. My objective was to create a functioning art piece much like the art pieces in the TCAA catalog. Located here: http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/events/tcaa/2010catalog.html Coming up to that kind of quality is my goal in all of my plaiting. It might seem to be a bit much for some others to grasp, or might seem to be selfishly arrogant of me by other braiders. But it is and should be the goal of all braiders to attain to that kind of quality and functioning use of all of our art pieces. I am forever hooked on braiding it would seem. I just can't stop now. It would seem I would rather feel the lace between my fingers and in my hands than go on a date with a female. LOL... I know there's someone out there that understands that. LOL... Thank you all for the kind comments. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
megabit Report post Posted March 10, 2011 Looks great as usual Brian. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted March 10, 2011 good looking leash knothead....i like the 't' style turksheads just a couple of comments based on my experience showing dogs and selling leashes.....be careful with those tiny baby bolt snaps...they are fairly easy to break. if you are looking to get into a bit of the show leash market only toy dog handlers will use that size snap, in which case its safe to not have a core...although they might not like the size of the knots. for the larger dogs they like the bolt snap that is the next size up i think its the 3/8"small bolt snap....and a core-i used a doubled piece of waxed harness thread to add core without any size. without a core that leash wouldnt stay 36" for very long. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
entiendo Report post Posted March 10, 2011 What a great looking leash! Wow, I love this style. Anyone can just use a plain old pineapple to cover the turnback, (I insist on covering all my turnbacks as well) but I love the way your round button just pops out at ya. Very unique! Only thing I might do differently is have both ends the same color combination in both knot settings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8thsinner Report post Posted March 11, 2011 I agree with your philosophy Knowhead, and I read somewhere recently, it might have been here it might not. He who braids with his hands is a Braider He who braids with his hands and his head is a craftsman He who braids with his hands, his head and his heart is an artist. I thinks it's the best way to braid, to always aim to be better and to put your all in it, I also don't hold back critique for such men for they can only take goodness from it's intent... Anyway, lovely work, I am waiting for a hide from Richard myself right now...grr, should have been here by now... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted March 11, 2011 Thank you all for all you kind comments and critiques. I was just thinking of something that struck me a little funny and got a giggle from it. " I sure hope that the leash does not distract the judges eye balls " .... LMAO... I started to giggle at that thought. I hope that someone else does to. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilpep Report post Posted March 11, 2011 great Job Bro !!!! i haven't been online for a couple of days and this was a great surprise awesome !!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spence Report post Posted March 11, 2011 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted March 11, 2011 hey spence i bet i know the braider your friends leash came from....i vended at the same shows as them a couple of times....i saw a lady try to take one back to them that had done the same thing and they wouldnt even fix it for her.... there is actually good reason for being able to wad a leash up in your hand. if you show large dogs as i do...there are times in a smaller ring or if the judge wants a slower gait that you need to reduce your leash length to keep the dog closer...but then when they are allowed to move out more you give them more leash one section at a time to show off their movement. years ago i had a rottie that could go from a standstill to TROT at 12 mph and since i couldnt run that fast i had to have some leash to let out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted March 12, 2011 I really don't have a clue about the shows, or the in's or out's of the shows. The construction of the back splices are about 4 deep into the leash itself and then wrapped with the 12 strand herringbone braid around the splices. I figure that should hold for a while. Unlike the person that made that leash like mentioned before, I back my work. I will either repair it, or replace it with a newer one and better constructed. I have not worked with any dogs that have gone to show, or do a regular every season show. However, it would be interesting to make a leash that matches the dogs color, or compliments the dog in away that is not obtrusive to the eye balls. Noticed but not seen. I think that makes sense. LOL... My objective in this leash was to capture elegance in simplicity. I only hope that I caught it. At least a little bit. LOL... Thank you all for you kind comments and encouragement. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spence Report post Posted March 12, 2011 You sure captured it!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted March 13, 2011 That was my aim. Thanks for all the kind comments. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
megabit Report post Posted March 14, 2011 On the leash I made I did the clip end 4 strand then the body in 8 in rawhide. At the time the turn back intemidated me so I made the hand loop by going to 2 4 strand and back to 8. I don't think that one will ever come apart. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted March 14, 2011 I reckon it wont come apart anytime real soon. That's a tough dog leash. I think the leash will out last both master and dog. You should post of photo of it. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
megabit Report post Posted March 14, 2011 I have about a year ago here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted March 14, 2011 I really don't know how I missed that one. I must have been asleep or something. That did end up really nice. Gives me a few ideas too. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tracym Report post Posted April 30, 2012 Beautiful lead! I have a question - What is a burner? And how does one make and attach a burner? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tracym Report post Posted April 12, 2013 Old thread, but I still remember this leash - Knothead, would you tell me what thickness leather you use for your knots? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KnotHead Report post Posted April 12, 2013 Depends on the cut and the lace width. Usually between 0.50mm and 0.80mm... The smaller the width the thinner the string. B... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tracym Report post Posted April 13, 2013 Thanks. That really is beautiful work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
