abedooley Report post Posted October 11, 2011 Hello Everybody, I am new to the forum as well as leather working. I Went to my state fair about 12 years ago and found a braided leather keychain (I recently bought something similar that they called a horn pull for a big rig) made of rawhide and was about 6 inches long. My dog chewed it up about 6 years ago and I have been on the lookout for a new one ever since. I found one on Evilbay that wasnt as nice and was falling apart right out of the package. So i figured I'd just MAKE the one I always truly wanted out of Roo leather. I always wanted a Keychain that was braided like a bullwhip. I found a site with a good deal on some 3/16" black Roo lace and scoured Youtube for some instructional vids on leather plaiting for my application. I cant seem to find any help for what I wanna do exactly. The problem I'm running into is I didnt account for the Roo leather to have a "shiny" side and a "rough" side. I believe the braid I was wanting to do is called a round braid. And the way the braid is done requires the roo lace to show the rough side. I have about 30 feet of that lace and I want the keychain to be about a foot and a half long. Here are some pics to give you an idea of what I'm talkin about. Here is a pic of the Evilbay keychain. It is braided in the same manner as my original, just cheaper materials. Right now I have 3 laces in 2 foot lengths because I dont know what kind of braid to do or how many strands I'll need. This pic shows you the way I was gonna start the braid. With the keyring in the middle of however many strands I was gonna use. Thats only because thats how my other keychain was. I'm sure you guys know that there is a shiny side and a rough side to Roo lace. I could really use your guys' expertise and experience. I have no clue what I'm doing here. When I first started all this I thought to myself "How hard could it be?" Haha! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted October 11, 2011 Welcome to Leatherworker.net! The issue of having the flesh side (the rough side) out is as simple as starting the braid that way. Just flip the strands over so the flesh side is 'up', and as you braid, keep them oriented that way, being careful to not twist them. Here's a website that shows three ways to do the 6 strand round braid click me. If you'll notice the author starts with a 3 strand braid in the center to make the loop. I've started doing it that way because it makes an attractive loop end. You should have plenty of lace left (just don't cut anymore until you read the tutorial), to do a 12-18 inch braid. In case you don't want to tackle a 6 strand just yet, here's one for doing a 4 strand round braid no, click ME. Once you get the first few plaits done, the rest is repetition. At the end of the plaiting, you'll need to do a crown knot to secure it, possibly followed by a wall knot.....or other decorative knot. You could just tie the end in an overhand knot, but it won't look as good. Here's a link to the wall and crown knots Last click, I promise... I'm sure some of the braiders will chime in with some additional (and probably better) advice, as they are the experts in this field. Let us know how it turns out. ETA: It appears to me that the completed one in the picture is a 4 strand braid. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abedooley Report post Posted October 12, 2011 See..... THAT is why you should ALWAYS consult with someone who knows what they're doing. Starting with one of the laces rough-side-out is such an easy solution, but I would have never thought of it. Thanks for the help. I'll post some pics of the finished product when I get it done. I've always been into ornamental braiding and tying cool looking knots just to say i knew how to do it. Now I have a reason to actually do both. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
walletman Report post Posted October 13, 2011 HI all click this is very good hope its ok for you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abedooley Report post Posted October 15, 2011 Welcome to Leatherworker.net! The issue of having the flesh side (the rough side) out is as simple as starting the braid that way. Just flip the strands over so the flesh side is 'up', and as you braid, keep them oriented that way, being careful to not twist them. Here's a website that shows three ways to do the 6 strand round braid click me. If you'll notice the author starts with a 3 strand braid in the center to make the loop. I've started doing it that way because it makes an attractive loop end. You should have plenty of lace left (just don't cut anymore until you read the tutorial), to do a 12-18 inch braid. In case you don't want to tackle a 6 strand just yet, here's one for doing a 4 strand round braid no, click ME. Once you get the first few plaits done, the rest is repetition. At the end of the plaiting, you'll need to do a crown knot to secure it, possibly followed by a wall knot.....or other decorative knot. You could just tie the end in an overhand knot, but it won't look as good. Here's a link to the wall and crown knots Last click, I promise... I'm sure some of the braiders will chime in with some additional (and probably better) advice, as they are the experts in this field. Let us know how it turns out. ETA: It appears to me that the completed one in the picture is a 4 strand braid. I just now got the time to actually go over those 2 links. I am now torn between them both. They are so beautiful!! I love the flat braid going into a 6 strand round braid. That looks very impressive. I went out and bought some more leather supplies after seeing those links so I can get started as soon as possible. Only thing left to get for THIS project is some paracord. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
