Split Braid Leather Leash Help!

[Lippy]

Okay, I totally understand how to attach the snap swivel on one end of a leather leash. It's the same split braid / bleed knot technique as attaching a saddle string. My problem is how to make the handle loop end. Please see the attached image. How did they do it? It doesn't look like a twist braid. Did they start with the handle end and push the whole loop with braids through the slits for the snap swivel end? Any ideas?

Cheers and thank you.

Lippy

[Aggiebraider]

you have to be pretty precise in your cuts for this type of blood knot. Which the handle is just the same technique, you would just end it by pulling the long end through a cut in the short end. You have to start the correct distance away from the end of the short end and start your blood knot cuts. A good rule of thumb I found on blood knots was to make the slit as long as the piece of leather is wide. Then, its all about spacing the cuts the same distance from each other so the blood knots all look symmetrical. I would start by measuring your cut that will go in the short end, then skip the same distance and make another cut the same length, then skip the same distance then make another cut. The number of cuts will depend on the number of braids you want it to do. Then, you would measure how large you wanted the handle to be, and the space between the last cut, or furthest cut from the short end, to the first cut in the long end would be your handle size. Then make cuts and skip spaces the same way to get the desired number of braids, and then start pulling it through. You dont have to really worry about staggering the cuts between the long and short end, because when you pull it through if you were accurate in your measurements, they will just sort of work out. You make experiment with it a bit to make sure skipping the same distance as your cuts are long will make the most appealing blood knot. It usually works out pretty well for me.

Hope this makes sense,

CW

[Lippy]

CW,

Thanks for your post. So do you agree that after you braid the handle end then one would pull that whole loop arrangement with braids through the slits in the snap-clip end of the leash. Meaning . . . the slits must be long enough to get the completed end though. Right?

Cheers,

Lippy

[Aggiebraider]

No.....once you get the handle done, you have a loop with a long piece with an end. You basically just repeat the process but instead of putting a longer handle in, you make a small loop that you then pass the snap through.

Hope thats clear,

CW

[roo4u]

when you make this type of leash all the slits are the same size...i always do the snap end first just because i measure out the final length for the leash after the snap is on....if the snap is properly sized for the width of the strap it is usually no problem getting it thru the slit....of course that depends on the weight of the leather...big heavy harness leather or real stiff bridle leather you may have to work at it a bit to get it thru....but for me having the snap to pull thru first helps....