To Tape Or Not To Tape?

[barbiesdude]

Heres another one. I live in Michigan and it can get fairly humid here. Should I tape my rawhide bosal core to keep it from soaking up moisture or will I be Ok to leave it as is?

Also, It is a 1/4 4 strand braid. I am shooting for a 1/2 finished product in a med. to med. soft stiffness. I think I have dicovered that my 12 strand 3/16 x 1/16 cover is not seating down as tight as it should. Will going down to 5/32 or 1/8 get it tighter and the right diameter as my first attempt gave me a 9/16 finish?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to save some time and wasted string.

Jamie

[Aggiebraider]

I would not tape the core, you want them to be able to breathe to work correctly. The tape will also eventually degrade to the point that it will lose its shape or the glue will seep out through the rawhide. This is why I dont like to use any tape in my knot foundations as well. The tape also seems to creep out when used as a knot foundation and you will see parts of the tape come out above and below the actual knot. I wouldnt worry about the humidity over time because if you use it and its sweaty or wet, make sure you wipe it off, take the mecate off, and take it in the house to dry out. You might even want to just plan on keeping them in the house all the time if you dont have a dehumidifyer or an air conditioner in the tack room.

Hope that helps,

CW