1St Reata

[Nod4Eight]

Blackhammer - you say you went a tad big? What size strands would you go with on your next one? And how long were they? To get 47 I would guess about 70-75 each? I have a hide ready to prep when I get the time and am looking to have dimensions in mind when I start on it. Wanting about a 60 footer so I'm thinking around 90-100 ft strands?

Mike - sorry to hear about your wreck. How's the recovery?

[megabit]

Mike - sorry to hear about your wreck. How's the recovery?

I am healing up pretty good, been like six weeks now. Where I am having trouble is getting my confidence back on my horse. I wasn't too bad and a couple of weeks ago I went roping and she took to bucking when I faced up on one I had headed that didn't want to move. That kinda put a bit of a fright in me.

[blackhammer]

Nod, I started with 75' strands or thereabout. In Grant's book, he states that Ms. Mary Fields liked 75 ft for a 50 ft reata so 90 ft. for 60 sounds right. Err on the long side! Next time around, I'm gonna try for a 65 footer. I picked up a set of good calipers and I have a local machinest working on a splitter. my strands were a tad on the thick side. i havent measured since I stretched it, but I think I gained about a foot just from rolling and stretching. If you like braiding, you really aught to try one of these. Its humbling, but I think I learned more on this one project than anything else I've made so far. by the way Megabit, I'd really like to see one of your fancy hondas on the end of a reata. Get to it.

Edited June 30, 2011 by blackhammer

[Nod4Eight]

Thanks Blackhammer for the info, pretty close to what I thought. I agree - skimping on the tools just don't cut it. I need to find a way to get or make a better splitter too.

Mike - sounds like BH is putting you to work haha! Yes, the confidence thing is probably the most important and the hardest to overcome. Any amount of fear or hesitation can be sensed by the horse which will throw him off his game in one way or another, Wet saddle blankets is the only way I know how to get past it. Best of luck to ya.

[megabit]

Well I took yesterday off so I could continue my string prep for my reata. Only problem was Friday night I put my string in water to case it. Plan was to leave it in the water for 30 - 45 minutes and stick it in plastic bags for a few days. Only I forgot about it and it was in the water 2 or 3 hours. Now it is sitting out while I wait for it to dry all the way out so I can start again.

[blackhammer]

I dont know if its the "right " way to do it, but I usually soak my strands for at least 4 hrs and let them temper in a damp sheet. It may take a coupla of days (it tends to be a tad humid in the Commonwealth) and when they get right, I make my tamales and stuff em in plastic bags. Seems to work alright.

[megabit]

I dont know if its the "right " way to do it, but I usually soak my strands for at least 4 hrs and let them temper in a damp sheet. It may take a coupla of days (it tends to be a tad humid in the Commonwealth) and when they get right, I make my tamales and stuff em in plastic bags. Seems to work alright.

Four hours, really? They don't get all water logged and skunky?

[megabit]

I was thinking about this overnight and recalled you saying you had some trouble with parts being to wet:

1) I don't know as much about moisture control as I thought i did. I kept my tamales in plastic bags as I braided, but some sections were too wet to braid. Which brings me to my next point.

Also that you ended up with gaps when you were done. Well if you braid to wet you get gaps as the string dries out and shrinks (I learned that one the hard way )

I want my string to have just enough moisture to be good and pliable and almost seems too dry before you soap it up.

[curlyjo]

I've been gone a few days and missed the discussion on wet string. I've posted before but here's what works for me. Take a plastic container( a 5 gallon bucket works for most of what I do) and put a screen up off the bottom on top of some 1/2 bricks on edge, so about 4 inches off bottom. Put about 2 inches of water in bottom of bucket and then soak your strings for just a short time and lay on top of the screen so nothing touches the water. Cover with a loose plastic bag, the clear ones work good, just make sure it is fairly sealed. The rawhide will draw the moisture up into your strings and if its warm will do it quicker. With small button string you just have to run water over them before putting them in bucket. I've also used the long storage containers for large bundles if I've run out of time between sizing and beveling. Same idea with screen over water and plastic bag cover. As far as large tamales go, I've heard of fellas just prepping half the strings and braiding from the middle out and then prepping other half and going the other way. You just have to try and see what works for you. I tried the plastic bag wrap and always had wet and dry spots. Just another idea, Brad

[LonnieChambers]

hello there.Just wanted to save you some trouble. I think four seperat 110 long strings would get you a 65 foot long rope. A reata needs to be long. So When you rope something you can let it burn on your horn. If you dally of fast because your reata is short you will break it, and splicing them back to gether is not fun.

Nod, I started with 75' strands or thereabout. In Grant's book, he states that Ms. Mary Fields liked 75 ft for a 50 ft reata so 90 ft. for 60 sounds right. Err on the long side! Next time around, I'm gonna try for a 65 footer. I picked up a set of good calipers and I have a local machinest working on a splitter. my strands were a tad on the thick side. i havent measured since I stretched it, but I think I gained about a foot just from rolling and stretching. If you like braiding, you really aught to try one of these. Its humbling, but I think I learned more on this one project than anything else I've made so far. by the way Megabit, I'd really like to see one of your fancy hondas on the end of a reata. Get to it.