ajones17 Report post Posted November 11, 2011 Hi guys So I'm a newbie and I made my first bleed knot leash last week and I really like the look of it, but after a week of use (and manipulating the leash to break it in, and taking it apart and putting it back together once), I noticed these cracks along a few of the strands. I was planning on giving the leash to a friend, but now I'm worried about the structural integrity of the leash with these cracks. They don't go all the way through the leather, but I'd be a lot happier if they weren't there. So my questions... what am I doing wrong that's causing the cracking? is it the leather choice - it's just veg tan with a few coats of fiebing's leather balm and aussie... and what can I do to prevent them from happening? And is there any chance these cracks won't progress all the way through the leash? Any help would be really appreciated. ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Hatley Report post Posted November 11, 2011 Hi guys So I'm a newbie and I made my first bleed knot leash last week and I really like the look of it, but after a week of use (and manipulating the leash to break it in, and taking it apart and putting it back together once), I noticed these cracks along a few of the strands. I was planning on giving the leash to a friend, but now I'm worried about the structural integrity of the leash with these cracks. They don't go all the way through the leather, but I'd be a lot happier if they weren't there. So my questions... what am I doing wrong that's causing the cracking? is it the leather choice - it's just veg tan with a few coats of fiebing's leather balm and aussie... and what can I do to prevent them from happening? And is there any chance these cracks won't progress all the way through the leash? Any help would be really appreciated. ? Those were some very sharp bends...I would have oiled it very well or used Latigo leather to make the leash. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aggiebraider Report post Posted November 11, 2011 I think that some of the spaces are too close together. The holes are also too long, but they may be that way because the leather is so thick. Try making the length of the holes the same as the width of the piece of leather. For some reason that works out the best that I have found. You can also use a wood chisel to cut the holes, which helps to keep the holes the exact same size and nice and straight. Hope that helps, CW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ajones17 Report post Posted November 11, 2011 I think that some of the spaces are too close together. The holes are also too long, but they may be that way because the leather is so thick. Try making the length of the holes the same as the width of the piece of leather. For some reason that works out the best that I have found. You can also use a wood chisel to cut the holes, which helps to keep the holes the exact same size and nice and straight. Hope that helps, CW Thank you, I noticed this advice in some of the other posts on bleed knots, of course it was after I made this leash. I am going to try to remake it this weekend... how much space do you normally leave in between the cuts? Thank you for the wood chisel advice, too. I have been making the cuts with a razor, and marking the measurements with a pencil... most all the cracks emanate from the pencil marks that cut into the leather. definitely learning through trial and error. - Mandy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aggiebraider Report post Posted November 11, 2011 you might just play with the spacing a bit but I think half the length of the chisel makes things work out fairly well Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted November 11, 2011 Buy a set of spade bits they work great. Use the size of bit the same as the width of your leash. 5/8 wide leash = 5/8th bit. I would use latigo or a harness leather. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted November 12, 2011 some of the problem is your choice of leather...i would not use vegtan...latigo, english bridle or harness are good....use a good conditioner on the area of the slits prior to the final assembly and that will help the top grain to stretch rather than break like that one did. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nod4Eight Report post Posted November 14, 2011 Above advice is all good. If you're going to use veg tan tho, I would condition the heck out of it. I have used Lexol and sponge on bleed knots with veg tan and seriously soak the crud out of it. I never made a lease, it was more for ornate on my saddle so I don't know how much it would hold up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
