Braided Core Or Twisted Core For Hackamore

[Vaquero1]

How do you make your Core?

i´ve heard about the problem, a twisted rawhide core gets out of shape and twists back after a while... so i only do 4 strand braided cores. i pull them very tight but my finnished hackamores has no life and they are much to soft.

i don´t want to use tape and perhaps you can help me doing it better ;-) is there a trick to hold the twisted core without rewinding?

have you ever made a (clockwise) twisted core with a counterclockwise twisted core over it?

do you braid the core and the cheeks wet and soapy or dry?

I braid the second core more wet than the others and even if i pulled a lot, you can see some space between the strands after drying... ;-(

Edited April 8, 2011 by Vaquero1

[Nod4Eight]

Good question and I'm interested to hear the replies. I haven't put together a full bosal yet but in practicing with some scrap pieces I've made some braided cores and they seem to be very soft or floppy, even after braiding over them. An idea I had was this - I know some people put hondas in boiling water for a short time to stiffen them. Would this work with braided core as well or would it be too stiff or brittle then?

[Vaquero1]

Hi Nod, boiling water destroys totally the flex, the hide is getting stiffer but on my last honda the burner strip cracked because it takes out the glue...

Edited April 8, 2011 by Vaquero1

[roo4u]

ive read that alot of braiders like to use a piece of an old reata as a core....

[curlyjo]

If it's for a pretty good size Hackamore, braid it over a piece of Reata. Or a piece off a broken set of reins. Ebay ocasionally has some short reatas for sale cheap. 25' reata will get you 6 or 7 cores. Just cut them the length you need and hang them for awhile to get the curve out. Brad

[Vaquero1]

ive read about old reatas too, but i see no difference between them and my braided cores... it doesn´t work for me- please help ;-)

[curlyjo]

It's just a matter of using something thats already braided and to short for anything else. I've had Bosals with twisted cores spin my heelknot sideways when out in the sun. If your happy with your own braided cores stay with them. Sometimes you can get braided material from over the border cheap and it might work for cores. Brad

[roo4u]

curlyjo...i think you misread his question....hes not happy with his own braided cores and is trying to figure out how come his braided cores are coming out so soft.

[Vaquero1]

roo4u- that is exactely what i mean.

(sorry for my very basic english... )

[roo4u]

your english is fine....probably better than mine, i wish i could help...i wonder if some of the difference between just braiding a core and using an old reata is that a reata has been stretched

[curlyjo]

OK Now I understand. I've noticed when I braid cores, I probably don't put as much time in them as I would with a finished piece. Thats just me. I generally just use 2,3, or 4 of the same size string and braid right over it depending on the finish size Bosal I'm looking for. Maybe it's just faster then braiding up a core and then braiding over to finish. But thats just me. Brad I hope I got this right, sorry about the misunderstanding.

[roo4u]

hmm interesting so you dont braid your cores just braid over however many strings you need to make the size you want? do you fasten them together in any way?

[curlyjo]

Thats one way. For small Bosals maybe just 2 strings the same size you are braiding( 1/4 " finished) to a 3/4 finished using 4,5,or 6 strings as a core. Just don't use big strings on small bosals or it tends to have flat spots in the finish braid. It's hard to roll those spots out when you're done. I've used twisted cores and seem to have better luck if you can let them hang around for awhile after they dry. It seems to relax the twist a little and not throw a twist into the finished bosal. Just my 2 cents and I'm always trying new stuff. Brad

[Vaquero1]

Thanks Brad, to hang it for a while seems to be a good solution to let the twist out and become a better "setting" i think-

i will try it that way.

isn´t there nobody else something to say about it????? ;-)

[wantmorelandandcattle]

I make several different kinds, twisted, straight and braided. My recommendation is to NOT try to skip out on your core. Braid it with the same intensity you would braid anything and you'll be happier with the results. I always roll and hang or stretch all my cores, I have a really old stove iron that I tie the braid to, then hang it from the ceiling for a few days. Works like a charm!

When I twist one, I tack one end down, twist it, then stretch it as tight as I can get it, then tack the other end down and let it dry for a couple days. I haven't had any untwist... yet. (keeping my fingers crossed!)

I also build some smaller bosals with a couple straight strands for a core, just be sure to tuck them back through with the tails of your other strands when you build your heal knot, and only use for 3/8ths or smaller bosals.

When I braid one, I use anywhere from 4 to 12 strands, and I try to make it as smooth and tight of a braid as possible. I drilled several different sized holes in a hard board and I grease my braid up really well, then pull it through several times, and smaller and smaller holes to even it out. Sometimes after braiding and hanging them, I sand them down a bit to be sure they are the same diameter for the whole length. As was said earlier, the smoother the core, the smoother the braid.

I've also used other cores that can work well if your looking for something special, like an old 1/4 or 3/8 mecate, yacht braided nylon cord, leather rounds, braided leather and multiple cores. I really like the multiple cores for larger hackamores. Use a 6 strand core, then braid a 12 strand over it, then 18 for your final braid. It takes a lot of rawhide and time, but they make really nice hackamores.

Your best bet though, as mentioned, is obtaining broken reins/reatas or buying cheap reatas off ebay. They work great for cores!

Hope this helps a bit!

On your braided cores, it also helps to bevel all four corners.

[Vaquero1]

Thanks Jake-

your support is very helpful to me!!!

[wantmorelandandcattle]

No problem!

[Alan Bell]

Not to be crude but the problem is not the type of core but how YOU make it. A braided core, like a reata, as you stated is the same and should be braided VERY tight!!! A good reata will need to be pulled through holes to soften it up to use! Fresh off the bench it should be too stiff and need to be broken in! Bill Dorrance wore leather gloves AND a "skirt" of a damp hemp sack and would pull each strand behind his hip and lean back! I'm going to make a "reata" braider" setup I saw Granny Martin use that is basically a 2x4 with a narrow v in the end. Below the v a hole is drilled angled down say 5/8 dia. And a 3/4 dowel about 16" long with 4" cut Dow to fit into tha hole in the 2x4. Each strand is wrapped around the dowel and pulled into the v which blocks the other strands and tightens the braid. I'll post pics when I build it. Also consider this, folks now are riding in rope halters how stiff do you need a hack to be?? It isn't the stiffness that makes a hack a good tool it is the weight of the heelknot and length of the nosebutton. IMHO the stiffer they are, the less responsive. The soft ones require the rider to be MORE communicative and have "better hands" or else cable cores would be the standard! Twisted cores will work and don't "always" untwist. I have some twisted cores just lying around waiting for me to braid on them I made over a year ago! But you do need to have a way, hand or belt, to sand the edges of a twisted core once it dries. Also, always pull, stretch and dry every core before braiding over it. I nail mine to a board and set them in the sun several days! In doors would take weeks! Best to make several cores and set the aside to use later. Braid some hobbles or a quirt while the bosal cores cure. As always consider fit form and function when making braided gear! Hope this helps.

Vaya con Dios, Alan

[wantmorelandandcattle]

Ha! That's far from crude Alan! If you build one of those, would you please post some pictures of it? I'd like to see it, it's a little hard to get a picture in my head.

Thanks!

[Vaquero1]

Jake and Alan- thanks for your support... your answers helps me a lot and you are with me doing my cores ;-)

Michael

[Lamplog]

High Michael,

I have worked with both the twisted and braided. I have never had a twisted come apart yet but I feel better about the braided ones knowing that it is not going to be a problem for one of my customers down the road. I do charge more for a braided core because of the time factor. I noticed when I was buying my hides in, that the rawhide tends to be a lot stiffer than my homemade rawhide (not limed). The cores from that store bought rawhide is pretty stiff. I tend to side with Allen on this in that how stiff does it have to be. The function of the bosal is not a matter of putting the horse's head between his knees! Relief off pressure comes from the release of the rein and the weight of the heel knot. I have found that at least on my own horses that I tend to like the cores being a little softer. I did not make them that way at the start because I did not make my own rawhide. One thing I have noticed is that if you are braiding right over the core without any tape or filler that can absorb moisture such as in your build up of the nose button it puts moisture back into the rawhide and seems to keep it wet all the time, especially in my part of the country where we usually have more water than we know what to do with. I am not sure where you are but location does have something to do with it. If you live in a dry part of the country you probably are not going to have a problem with this. I know that when some folks come in here from out west they like using a reata because of the moisture in the air and they pretty much do not have to temper their reata. I do not braid my cores with anything but a wet string, water only, if you use saddle or plain soap I find it really makes for a soft core. I use it when braiding over the core and on my nose button but not the core. I make all my cores 4 plait and adjust the size of the string for the core. Let em cure good in the sun or here I put em in the same room as my wood cookstove and they come around pretty quick. Thanks Allen and Jake for the insight. Allen I would like to see your contraption for braiding a reata. I hope to make a few next winter, if time permits.

Tom